Cost cutting measures at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe have potentially cost three of the firm’s Sacramento employees their jobs. The firm, which has seen a number of cuts over the last month, has decided to consolidate certain departments at a corporate headquarters in Wheeling, West Virginia.
The San Francisco-based Orrick has made a number of staffing cuts recently on account of management changes. Two non-attorney employees in the firm’s Sacramento office were told they would have the option to move to Wheeling or lose their jobs, and a third was laid off. The employees affected by these changes work in the firm’s technology, training, and marketing departments, three areas of the business that will be consolidated at the Wheeling office.
Tom Welsh, the managing partner of the Sacramento office, told the Sacramento Business Journal that the positions were being relocated or cut, and that this was not related to the office’s performance. In fact, the firm is consolidating their human resources services at the Sacramento office, and they are currently searching for a West Coast human resources officer.
Last week, Orrick laid off two members of its 14-member executive staff as a cost-cutting measure. The positions eliminated included a human resources officer and a knowledge management officer. Chief Operating Officer Reid Horowitz is also leaving the firm, but no decision has been made as to whether or not he will be replaced.
“A thinner, more nimble management team is an objective of mine,” said Mitch Zuklie, who took over as Chairman of the law firm in March. “It’s a forward looking initiative. We want to invest more in some places and cut back in others.”
Nationally, 21 staff positions will be eliminated at Orrick, and 11 positions will be relocated to Wheeling. The firm has 25 offices around the world, and specializes in securities litigation, tax, energy, public finance, intellectual property and bankruptcy.