McDermott Will & Emery, a Chicago-based law firm with about 10 attorneys in San Diego, became the latest in a string of firms to issue job cutbacks in a slumping economy.
The firm said it has laid off 60 attorneys and 89 staff members nationwide. It was not immediately known whether lawyers in San Diego were affected.
In an internal memo sent to its employees Feb. 3, Chairman Harvey Freishtat said the firm performed well last year and remains strong as it moves into 2009.
“However, we are not immune to the continued deterioration in market conditions,” he said. “The business of our clients has slowed, and this has affected our own levels of activity, particularly in the transactional area.”
The cuts represent about 5 percent of the firm’s 1,100 lawyers in 15 offices.
, Heather Chambers
