Bass, Berry & Sims lays off 32 employees - Portland Business Journal:

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The venerable law firm made the cuts Mondayg across its three Tennessee officesin Nashville, Knoxville and said managing partner Keith Simmons. In the firm laid off two attorneyw and fourstaff “They were proportionately divided among the offices,” he “Every practice area was affected.” The layoffs were made to reduces internal costs to benefit he says. Some raises are beingf frozen as well. Bass Berry is the 8th larges t law firm in Memphis with 37 according to MemphisBusiness Journal’s 2009 Book of Lists.
Law firmds nationwide are taking steps tocut expenses, includinyg paying some new hires a portion of their salariezs to defer starting for a Bass Berry will limit the size of its clasxs of summer associates, traditionalluy law school students who have finished their seconr year, and defer the starting date for new attorneys from 1 to Jan. 1, 2010. The deferred hires will receivre a stipend forthe four-month deferrak period and will have the opportunity to borro w money from the firm if they need more to tide them with loans to be repaid upon joining the firm full-time, Simmones says.
Since the start of the major law firms have laid off morethan 12,410 including nearly 5,000 lawyers, according the “Layofrf Tracker” feature on the law blog. Bass Berr y & Sims’ most recent attorneuy count was 225 across itsthree