More Big Law Layoffs: Katten, Armstrong Teasdale Cut Lawyers and Staff

Katten Lays Off Lawyers and Staff, Defers Some Associate Starts

Two more Big Law firms are laying off lawyers and staff as the industry continues to reel from a sharp decline in demand. Katten Muchin Rosenman said that it’s parting ways with less than 5% of its personnel, while Armstrong Teasdale laid off 24 staffers and 11 lawyers.

Katten is also delaying start dates for some first-year associates in practice groups hit hardest by the dropoff. The new lawyers, previously expected to start in October, will now begin in February 2024.

A growing list of major law firms, including Cooley, Kirkland & Ellis, and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, have made similar moves to cut costs. Armstrong Teasdale, like Kirkland, said the attorney cuts were the result of “productivity and performance” reviews.

OpenAI’s New Top Lawyer Preps to Face Novel Issues

OpenAI has a new general counsel and head of litigation as the company behind ChatGPT faces a spate of lawsuits and increased regulatory scrutiny.

Generative artificial intelligence programs like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has conversational applications that allow it to create content via text, have?opened the door?to new legal issues.

“We’re tackling issues of first impression everywhere," Che Chang, the company's new top lawyer, said.

Thousands of authors have hit OpenAI and others with?copyright claims?for allegedly using their works as training material for such chatbots.

OpenAI has recruited about a dozen lawyers so far this year. The company currently is looking for a?product counsel?for artificial intelligence and a?congressional lead?for public policy, as well as a?lead policy analyst?for public policy, according to an?online jobs board.

Ex-Cozen Paralegal Sues Firm for Discrimination, Harassment

A former Cozen O’Connor paralegal is suing the law firm and the head of its litigation team, alleging that she was subjected to race, sex, and age discrimination and then retaliated against for complaining.

Nilda Sastre alleges that she was fired by Cozen after complaining about offensive remarks by John McDonough, a partner at the firm and the and chair of its strategic risk and complex litigation group.

Sastre, a Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent, joined the firm’s New York office in 2002 as a paralegal in its defense litigation group, according to the complaint. She said McDonough “engaged in a campaign of harassment and discrimination” against her because of her race, sex, and age over the course of her career.

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