HBJ Gately Wareing lays off two partners and warns of more job cuts

Published on Saturday 1 August 2009 14:15

HBJ GATELY Wareing, the law firm, has lost two leading partners in Scotland and has warned that further job losses are on the horizon.

Scotland on Sunday has learnt that Stephen Webster, a well-known property partner with the firm's Edinburgh office, has left the company along with Stuart Rennie, a corporate partner based in Glasgow.

Malcolm McPherson, senior partner at HBJ in Scotland, said both departures were "effectively" redundancies. He also did not rule out further job losses at a more junior level although he said the numbers involved would not be "radical". McPherson said: "These are difficult times and we have to cut our costs based on the amount of business. Overall our corporate department is doing very well but that is only overall. Property is extremely difficult and that's a sad fact of life."

The redundancies at HBJ in Scotland are the latest in a long line of casualties at Scotland's leading law firms as they attempt to overcome falling income during the recession.

Last month Dundas & Wilson, the market leader north of the Border, announced it had launched a consultation with staff to avoid a second round of redundancies after axing 43 jobs across its Edinburgh, Glasgow and London offices earlier this year. Staff voted overwhelmingly in favour of a plan to reduce pay by 10 per cent between September and April and take an additional 18 days unpaid leave.

Few firms have avoided taking the axe to jobs with Maclay, Murray and Spens also reducing its head count by 38 to 529 this year. South of the Border, the Law Society last week took the radical step of announcing a campaign to warn potential law students of the risks associated with the career. It will caution future lawyers about the heightened competition for jobs.

Kevin Poulter, a board member of the Law Society's junior division, which is involved in the campaign said: "News that a career in the law is no longer an easy ride to a champagne lifestyle and early retirement may not be a shock to some, but to the students who have been dazzled by glossy brochures provided by firms and Legal Practice Course providers, the reality can be hard to take."