Is
Goodwin
doing
layoffs
right
now?
This
time
around,
we
can
confidently
say
that
the
answer
to
that
question
is
no.
Many
Biglaw
firms
—
some
more
than
others,
of
course
—
are
often
besieged
by
by
rumors
of
layoffs.
One
of
those
firms
is
Goodwin
Procter,
which
brought
in
$2,244,196,000
gross
revenue
in
2023,
putting
it
at
No.
16
in
the
most
recent
Am
Law
100.
The
firm
became
the
most
recent
“poster
child”
for
layoffs
after
kicking
off
the
year
in
2023
with
a
reduction
in
force
that
eliminated
about
5%
of
the
firm’s
timekeepers,
including
associates
and
all
manner
of
other
attorneys.
In
2024,
Goodwin
opened
the
year
by
conducting
performance
reviews
that
resulted
in
“an
unknown
number”
of
out-of-work
associates
(and
to
us,
this
reeked
of
stealth
layoffs).
These
actions
have
resulted
in
a
frequent
ebb
and
flow
of
layoff
rumors
at
the
top
Biglaw
firm
—
in
fact,
whispers
of
layoffs
at
the
firm
are
once
again
circulating
on
social
media.
Goodwin,
however,
is
sick
and
tired
of
the
firm
being
dragged
through
the
mud,
so
its
PR
team
is
on
the
case
to
shut
down
the
rumor
mill
at
the
very
source.
As
reported
by
the
American
Lawyer,
Goodwin’s
chief
marketing
and
communications
officer,
Konstantin
Shishkin,
took
to
Reddit
and
Fishbowl
to
put
an
end
to
the
layoff
talk.
We
believe
this
may
the
first
time
a
high-ranking
member
of
a
Biglaw
firm’s
staff
has
entered
the
fray
on
these
social
media
sites
using
their
own
name
and
title
to
quell
rumors
of
layoffs
and
job
loss.
In
his
statement,
available
in
full
on
the
next
page,
Shishkin
notes
that
Goodwin,
which
“just
closed
a
record
financial
year,”
is
not
conducting
outright
layoffs.
He
goes
on
to
speak
about
how
the
firm
has
grown
in
size
since
January
22,
and
will
continue
to
grow
when
it
welcomes
nearly
200
incoming
associates
later
this
month.
“[A]ny
talk
about
“continued
layoffs”
or
“stealth
layoffs”
at
Goodwin
is
both
misinformed
and
untrue,”
he
writes.
“We
hope
this
clears
things
up
for
all
of
you
who
are
curious
about
what’s
going
on
at
Goodwin.”
Shishkin
went
on
to
officially
confirm
that
“the
firm
did
not
ask
anyone
from
the
classes
of
2022
and
2023
to
leave
the
firm
—
for
any
reason
—
in
any
of
its
U.S.
offices
in
the
past
24
days.”
If
you’re
still
not
convinced
that
Goodwin
is
in
no
way,
shape,
or
form
conducting
layoffs
of
any
kind,
be
wary
that
these
incredibly
forthcoming
statements
tend
to
be
few
and
far
between
when
actual
reductions
are
afoot.
This
is
what
a
layoff
looks
like
at
the
firm.
This
is
what
a
stealth
layoff
may
look
like
at
the
firm.
A
firm
representative
stating
on
a
public
forum
that
no
layoffs
of
any
kind
are
happening
at
the
firm
is
sufficient
evidence
that
NO
LAYOFFS
are
occurring
at
this
time.
Rest
assured
that
if
actual
layoffs
occur
at
this
firm
—
or
any
firm
—
the
Above
the
Law
team
will
be
here
to
provide
coverage.
At
this
time,
we
thank
Shiskin
for
going
to
bat
for
Goodwin
on
Fishbowl
and
Reddit.
We
wish
more
high-ranking
Biglaw
staff
members
were
willing
to
do
the
same.
(Flip
to
the
next
page
to
read
Konstantin
Shishkin’s
statement
in
full.)
If
your
firm
or
organization
is
reducing
the
ranks
of
its
lawyers
or
staff,
whether
through
deferrals,
open
layoffs,
stealth
layoffs,
or
voluntary
buyouts,
please
don’t
hesitate
to
let
us
know.
Our
vast
network
of
tipsters
is
part
of
what
makes
Above
the
Law
thrive.
You
can email
us or
text
us
(646-820-8477).
Thank
you
for
your
assistance.
If
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Layoff
Alerts,
please
scroll
down
and
enter
your
email
address
in
the
box
below
this
post.
If
you
previously
signed
up
for
the
layoff
alerts,
you
don’t
need
to
do
anything.
You’ll
receive
an
email
notification
within
minutes
of
each
layoff
announcement
that
we
publish.
Goodwin
Rebuts
Layoffs
Rumors
Head
On
[American
Lawyer]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on
X/Twitter
and
Threads
or
connect
with
her
on
LinkedIn.
Chris
Sejal Patel is
Kathryn
