Leading human rights law firm Bindmans is sacking up to half of its secretaries in a dramatic illustration of the impact of technology on law firm administration.
The London-based firm — renowned for its civil liberties and media work — confirmed within the last hour that a voluntary redundancy programme had been announced. A firm spokeswoman said a formal statement would be released later today.
Legal Cheek understands that the 18-partner firm is looking to shed as many as half of its PAs, with the staff directly affected informed yesterday evening. The rest of the firm was briefed on the move at a staff-wide meeting this morning.
The spokeswoman told Legal Cheek:
“In line with many firms, Bindmans is reviewing its structure of administrative support in line with the needs of our growing business and technological changes. As a result, we have initiated a voluntary redundancy scheme for some of our personal assistants.”
The firm would not confirm this morning either the numbers affected or a timetable for redundancy.
Bindmans was launched in 1974 by campaigning human rights solicitor Sir Geoffrey Bindman, who was knighted in 2006 for services to human rights and made up to Queen’s Counsel five years later.
The firm’s Legal 500 entry describes it as having:
“a long history and tradition of challenging injustice and protecting the rights and freedoms of ordinary people. While The firm has evolved over the years to offer a broad range of services, its commitment to fairness and to ensuring access to justice remains at the heart of everything it does”.