Husch Blackwell to lay off 40 attorneys

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A Missouri-based law firm that recently merged with one of Wisconsin’s largest law firms is expecting to reduce its pool of attorneys.

About 40 attorneys who are all either partners or counsel will be leaving the firm because of retirements and “other year-end transitions,” according to a statement released to the Wisconsin Law Journal on Tuesday by Husch Blackwell.

“Husch Blackwell’s leadership continuously evaluates whether the firm’s services match trending market demands and client needs, and the firm periodically increases and decreases capacity across practices as needs dictate,” according to the statement.

The statement noted that the firm, which has more than 700 attorneys in 19 offices nationwide and in London, has been hiring new attorneys throughout the year. In the 12-month period ending Oct. 31, it saw a net increase of 12 lawyers.

“Given our firm’s size and scale, these attorney transitions are expected and normal,” according to the firm’s statement.

Husch Blackwell representatives declined to comment on how many of those attorneys would come from the firm’s offices in Wisconsin. The firm has offices in Madison, Milwaukee and Waukesha County.

Firm representatives also declined to comment on whether the layoffs were connected at all to its recent expansion into Wisconsin.

Husch Blackwell merged in July with one of Wisconsin’s largest law firms, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, adding 133 attorneys in Wisconsin and 10 in Chicago. Follow @erikastrebel