BigLaw firm Baker McKenzie looks set to phase out hundreds of business services roles across its global offices, including Down Under.
As has been reported by international legal publications, global player Baker McKenzie will be cutting roles in its business services functions, as it moves to adapt to the changing market.
Lawyers Weekly understands that there will be headcount reductions of less than 10 per cent of the firm’s business professional staff who will be impacted by the changes, and exact numbers cannot yet be confirmed, given the undertaking of consultation processes.
This said, Lawyers Weekly believes the number of impacted staff will be in the hundreds globally and will inevitably include Australia-based professionals.
In a statement provided to Lawyers Weekly, a Baker McKenzie spokesperson said that in order “to position the firm for continued growth and remain agile in a fast-evolving business context, we recently undertook a careful review of our business professionals functions”.
“This review was aimed at rethinking the ways in which we work, including through our use of AI, introducing efficiencies, and investing in those roles that best serve our clients’ needs,” the spokesperson said.
“Following the review, and consistent with many other organisations, we are proposing a series of changes to how we operate and deliver important business services. Subject to consultation processes in applicable jurisdictions, some roles will likely be phased out, while others will evolve.
“We have not taken decisions around these proposed changes lightly, but felt it was necessary to deliver on our long-term plans.
“We appreciate the valuable contributions our impacted colleagues have made to the firm and will be supporting them.”
In 2023, Lawyers Weekly reported on a series of redundancy rounds enacted at national and global practices – largely pertaining to back-office staff, but also some fee-earning roles – which, at the time, were hypothesised to be partly a result of large operating budgets and bloated salary offerings in the post-pandemic climate.
In an age where artificial intelligence is now mainstream and debate rages over how practitioners’ roles will be impacted, Baker McKenzie is unlikely to be the last BigLaw player to enact headcount reductions in the near future.
Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of professional services (including Lawyers Weekly, HR Leader, Accountants Daily, and Accounting Times). He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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