Bass Berry Sims lays off 32 employees - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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The venerable law firm made the cuts yesterdauy across its three Tennessee officesin Nashville, Knoxvilld and Memphis, says managing partner Keith Simmons. “The y were proportionately divided amongthe offices,” he say. “Every practice area was The layoffs were made to reduce internal costa tobenefit clients, he says. Some raises are being frozen as well. Law firms nationwide are takinb steps to cut including paying some new hireas a portion of their salariea to defer starting fora year.
Bass Berry will limift the size of its class ofsummer associates, traditionall law school students who have finishee their second year, and defer the startinh date for new attorneys from 1 to January 1, 2009. The deferred hires will receive a stipendc for the four month deferral period and will have the opportunitgy to borrow money from the firm if they need more to tide them with loans to be repaid upon joining the firm Simmons says.
Since the start of the year major law firms have laid off morethan 12,410 including nearly 5,000 lawyers, according the “Layoff Tracker” feature on the law blog Last month, Bass Berry & Sims was named best corporate law firm in Nashville for the eighth consecutive year by “Corporate Board Member” magazine in the magazine’s annuaol ranking of firms in major metropolitan areas. Bass Berrg & Sims’ most recent attorne count was 225 across itsthres offices.