In a calculated effort to camouflage firm redundancies, Gadens partner Jon Donovan has termed the sacking of six staff

as a ‘hiring freeze’.

Jobs gone. Insensitivites abound.

In what might be considered as a further act of insensitivity to the jobless six, partner Donovan was quoted, remarking on Gadens’ priorities in the face of the world economic climate, as saying:

‘we have no plans to switch to stale bread and water for Friday night drinks.’

This remark presumably comes as little solace to newly jobless six who might now be wondering where their next meal will come from. Office gaiety cannot be high at Gadens.

Do you agree?  Share your views/criticisms.

If anyone is curious why www.jetstar.com.au experienced a temporary outage yesterday, look no further than the offices

of Corrs Chambers Westgarth. In a staggering move, the Corrs partnership revealed yesterday that it had calculated a stifling equation to respond to the global economic environment; to give lawyers money for nothing.

Corrs has offered staff a 12 month leave of absence on an incredible 20% pay. An average 3rd year senior associate would pocket approx $30,000 under the scheme for doing … no chores at Corrs!

Holidays on the house! Crack out the bubbly!

A firm spokesman said in a statement:

‘we are doing what we can to manage overcapacity where we have it, including offering flexible working arrangments to our staff.’

No inside reports from any Corrs Firm Spies, but we invite emails on holiday plans for the forthcoming year!

A total of 20 staff have been made redundant at DLA Phillips Fox in recent weeks in a move that has shattered a

perception of economic stability held by many at the firm.

Foxes shot. Confidence gone.

The redundancies have thus far been limited to the Sydney and New Zealand offices, the Financial Review has reported. In explaining the move to media, a firm spokeperson commented that ‘economic realities’ forced DLA’s hand.

No doubt staff still with jobs now have about as much confidence in the future as would have a  farmer with a fox in his chicken coop.

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Confirmation today that PWC, the ‘big four’ accounting firm, has been forced to shed staff in response to the dire

economic times. An incredible 30 staff have been made redundant in a move that as sent shockwaves through a professional services industry that might have thought this heavy-hitter was quarantined from the economic downturn. Alas, as reported by the Financial Review, a whopping 30 staff have lost their jobs in the first three weeks of November alone.

Worse still, rumours are circulating that those already laid off represent less than half of the number which PWC ultimately intends to sack in the coming weeks and months.

Will Freshwater Place in Melbourne morph into a vacant, stagnant Backwater Place?

The Christmas period beckons but PWC festive cheer has been suffocated by this loss and the widespread worry that more will follow.

Let the Firm Spy know first if these rumours prove true.

Middletons has today merged with two law firms - Salter Power and Franklin Legal - in its Perth office, the Financial

Review has reported. The firm believes the merger will yield a revenue boost of 10% in the first year alone. Managing partner Nick Nichola commented that the merger was ‘self-evident’ and would give the firm more ‘credibility in the market’.

The news comes as we receive credible reports from a Middletons Firm Spy that graduate articled clerks are genuinely fearful for their careers in the wake of the economic downturn. This source made the follwing comment in an email we received earlier today:

‘several questionable performance reviews and a procession of whispered partner conversation are some of the things which have engendered a widespread fear in many ACs that, beyond our articles year, our time at Middletons may be limted.’

Do you agree? Do you fear for your job security? Let the Firm Spy know first!

Against the backdrop a worrying global financial climate, the Allens partnership has made a curious firm response: to

cancel the Christmas party.

Dresses in the closet. Tinsel in the cupboard.

While on the face of it the move appears to be a method to simply save the partnership money at a time when workflows might become increasingly imperilled, a firm spokesperson has engineered the move into a point-scorer:

‘We didn’t think it was an appropriate time to celebrate when so many of our clients are suffering.’

Mallesons and Freehills are both pressing forward with plans to hold a Christmas party, making these other top-tier firms either more festive or more insensitive to clients.

What do you believe? Send the Firm Spy your comments and news!