Around 2% of the firm’s workforce
DWF has placed more than 100 staff at risk of redundancy as the firm moves to streamline its operations amid ongoing cost-cutting pressures.
The layoffs will affect fee earners and business services employees at the firm, with 108 roles — representing around 2% of the total workforce — in DWF’s commercial services and central services teams currently under consultation.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the firm said:
“Our strategy is to achieve long-term, sustainable growth. This includes being responsive to the economic environment and ensuring our teams reflect the changing needs of our clients.
“We understand that this is a very difficult situation for those colleagues involved and we are committed to a meaningful consultation and responding to questions or concerns raised.”
Since the pandemic, DWF has visibly tightened its belt, including giving up a floor of its space in the Walkie Talkie building in London and closing some offices altogether to reflect changing working patterns brought on by remote working.
In 2019, DWF floated on the London Stock Exchange with a valuation of £370 million, becoming the UK’s largest listed law firm. It delisted four years later following an acquisition by private equity firm Inflexion.