After months of plying disillusioned staff with seasonal clerk fashion models and comments that the firm was well poised to weather the global financial storm, it has emerged today that Australian-based international heavyweight Minter Ellison is perhaps not as well placed as first thought.
Pay frozen. Workers upset.
Minter Ellison chief John Weber sent a firm-wide email to staff on Friday that virtually all staff would be subject to a pay freeze. Weber noted:
It is correct that we are not generally proposing salary increases this year, but exceptional performance will continue to be appropriately recognised. Staff who are promoted will also receive salary increases. Limiting salary increases was not an easy decision, but it was one that we felt was appropriate, given the prevailing market conditions and to preserve jobs. Partners will also be lowering their earnings next financial year.
These comments, and the firm-wide email, were succeeded by several pejorative submissions to the Firm Spy, including the following trenchant offering:
I can understand that costs need to be cut and that a pay freeze may be inevitable, but it is plainly wrong for the partnership to engage in point-scoring at a time like this. Will it apply firm-wide? Yes, of course it will (or at least to 95$% of us), so why even make public mention of the fact that there might be exceptions? Point-scoring. Why say a few months ago that jobs were safe and the firm could ride out the GFC without issue? Point-scoring. Lying, deceitful point-scoring, nothing more.’
Do you believe the Minter Ellison partnership likes point-scoring? Is your firm instituting a pay freeze? Let the Firm Spy know first!
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I certainly remember the Minter boss recently suggesting that the firm had prepared in advance of the GFC – they had anticipated it – so why the sudden need to freeze salaries? Partner cash grab?