MinterEllison reduces headcount in business ops function

In a statement provided to Lawyers Weekly, MinterEllison said that it continually reviews its business, "to ensure it is well positioned to meet the evolving needs of its clients and the firm".

"Following a recent review of the business operations function, a number of organisational changes were proposed and, regrettably, some roles were reduced," the firm said.

"We have focused on supporting impacted employees through a respectful consultation process and access to appropriate support."

The firm declined to confirm the number of roles being impacted by the move.

The news, first posted earlier this week by popular Instagram page The Aussie Corporate, follows the reported phasing out potentially hundreds of business services roles across the global offices of fellow BigLaw firm Baker McKenzie, including Down Under, back in February.

As reported at the time, a spokesperson for Baker McKenzie said the review it undertook of its business professional functions “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”.

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The news also comes after MinterEllison added seven lawyers to its partnership in June and promoted another 136 lawyers to more senior roles in the same month. Later in June, the firm also brought over a technology and data expert from the Domain Group to fill its newly created role of chief AI officer.

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 when AI is mainstream and debate rages over how practitioners’ roles will be impacted, we may well see more BigLaw players enacting headcount reductions in the near future.