BLP to lay off London staff with 85 under threat

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has launched a redundancy consultation that is likely to affect 85 staff in the firm's City headquarters.

The firm announced today that it is reviewing 30 legal, 30 business services and 25 secretarial positions in London.

The cuts are expected to affect BLP's corporate, finance and real estate practices. Business services functions including marketing, IT, accounts and human resources will also be affected by the consultation, which marks the firm's first round of job cuts in the wake of the economic downturn.

Managing partner Neville Eisenberg said: "We have avoided making redundancies in the face of short-term pressures and have waited until we have had a clearer view of the longer term effects of the recession on the economy and our business. We now need to take these difficult decisions to align our resources with the future requirements of the markets."

He added: "The decision has not been taken lightly. We are now focused on ensuring that the process is fair and transparent and we will be providing a package of measures to support anyone affected."

The news comes a week after BLP revealed its 2009 partner promotions, with seven new additions to the partnership.

The lion's share of the promotions came in the firm's real estate practice, which received five new partners.

BLP's announcement follows news earlier today (5 May) that CMS Cameron McKenna has also launched a redundancy consultation, with 80 London-based jobs under threat.

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