Laywers - any redundancies in prospect or is The Lawyer just scaremongering?

[Pillow]

At my US firm we are quiet but I wasn't too worried about redundancies. I had thought a more long-term view common now after firms were hit with big re-hiring costs after the last downturn. But the front page of The Lawyer and rumours I am hearing have got me a bit worried. Does anyone know of redundancies really, or is it all just talk?

I think that is right Pollyanna.........there is talk of lots of insolvency work but I think the reality is very different.

The market is tough but us professionals have had a massive gravy train for the last 10 years and I think its coming to an end. Fortuanately my firm is very profitable and not in debt ( yet ) but there are a lot who are and I think there will be some hard decisions to make and some very real casulaties out there in the coming months.

I am always on the look out for good qulaity private client lawyers though if anyone wants to retrain !

I'm in the north-east, in Newcsatle upon Tyne.

Anyone want to try and guess the name of the firm?!

We're big (at least up here).

I would've been better off staying in a high-street firm and shifting over to family or probate.

I know it's not just me and I don't want to sound bitter but just for now I am indulging myself .

Mummy - I'll do private client. Pick me, pick me!!!!!!!!!

Dickinson Dees ?...........Serioulsy fading away I would retrain and do probate. Its easy to do and there a re lodas of jobs about.

As we see a number of High Street firms disappaer in the next few years because conveyancing is dead and legal aid doesnt pay there will be a lot of private client work spreading into the larger firms who have survived.

I love it though it is hard work and most of the time I dont know whether I am coming or going!

Not Dicky Dees......but close, very close .

I have 15 years wills and probate experience and am shoving my CV at anyone who will take it. I am in for my final consultation meeting tomorrow. Only consolation is I am first in at 9.00am.

Watch this space

good luck x x

Nope - think they will be coming. We have discussed them at my firm but nothing concrete yet (so far as I know ...). As others said, property vulnerable

Share the breadwinner angst - not that I am the sole breadwinner but certainly the main one iyswim

Fading I am guessing DD

Ah, you've already said not DD.

Fading I hope you are feeling OK. With your experience I'm sure you have a network of contacts with suggestions and openings far better than I could come up with. But if not, say - I work in London but know people in Newcastle.

I think there might be a lot going on under the guise of "performance reviews" - a lot of managing out. Everything feels secretive now at my place, and people scrabbling around for the dross work just to up their hours.

Anniemac yes I remember the noughties.............I qualified in 1992.

We are a very profitable firm but we are cutting corners and yes managing people ut and not recruiting support staff as it were.

People are just keeping their heads down. Its the paralegals and trainees I feel sorry for. The market will be vety tight for them over the next few years and some of them have so much debt it is outrageous.

When will our stupid govt stop telling evryone they can be lawyers........they cant !

What areas of law do you all practise girls ?

and yes as an equity partner I am def the main breadwinner and the house / school fees would have to go.......particularly as my DH lives with the threat of redundancy from week to week.

Fading away how did you get on ..do update us

Fadingaway, does your firm (why has no-one mentioned Robert Muckle) do career breaks? We offer them to staff, all staff, not just new mums - I think if someone said don't make me redundant, I'll take a break for 12 months, that would be hard to argue against during a consultation period. There is nothing to stop you resigning during the break... maybe not one for you, but perhaps your colleagues. Hope it is ok tomorrow.

I went in today for the final "consultation meeting". Saw two partners, horrible really as they are both really really nice women and didn't want to have to do what they did but there you go.

I have agreed to go into volume remortgage but the paycut is huge and as the main breadwinner I am really worrying how it will pan out. I've already approached my lender to explain there may be difficulties over the next few months

Am signed up with so many agencies it is embarrassing. I can't remember them all. What they do all have in common is that there is no resi stuff up here other than for paralegal repossession stuff and firms wanting partners to bring clients with them

I'm sure something will come up and nobody has died but it feels like that right now. We are going on holiday shortly and I can't cancel it, we only moved house in March. etc. etc.

Whinger!

Some of my colleagues told them to stuff their derisory "alternative employment" which I found very brave and which, financially, if I could have done, I would have. I find I very upsetting how easily they have got rid of some very loyal decent people, but there you go......

Anyone need a resi conveyancer.........?

Can you not set up on your own?

My father as a psychiatrist in Newcastle. I hvae heard so many tales over the last 30 years from him about lawyer patients of his up there, nervous breakdowns, depressions as the market has gone up and down on a very cyclical basis in that region.

Ha - I remember the noughties Anniemac.
I qualified in 2001 and was redundant by September 2002.

Unfortunately then I was one of thousands of very junior lawyers chasing a handful of suitable jobs. And because it was the first time lawyers were made redundant, on the rare occasion when I got an interview eyebrows were raised and they assumed "redundant" was a euphamism for "crap".

I would like to think that people are a bit more clued up about it this time. Although in the city firms I think it is going to be more a question of weeding out under-performers than slashing departments this time around (for the next year or so, anyway).

Sorry you are facing this anxiety

Good luck with the search. It's a hard market up North but we're all facing it.