Above the Law – Which major firm wants to trim its payroll, and how generous are the buyouts being offered? – “We recently received word that Morgan Lewis & Bockius will be offering voluntary buyout packages for all of its legal secretaries, across the country. Sources say that the firm’s separation package is extremely generous, and that those who take the deal will receive 2 weeks’ salary for each year of service, up to 52 weeks’ pay. Compared to the six-month cap we’ve seen at many Biglaw firms, longtime legal secretaries at Morgan Lewis could be walking away with a huge payday should they choose to leave. We reached out to MLB for confirmation, and a spokesperson shared this statement:

As we continue to focus on technology innovation and cost effective solutions for our clients, as well as the practice needs of our lawyers, we have decided to offer our U.S.-based legal secretaries a voluntary separation opportunity. This is a purely voluntary offering, and we have no current plans for a group involuntary separation program, regardless of the level of participation in the voluntary offering…”