Call to come clean on job cuts as Dentons axes 70

PROFIT FALL: fee-earners, secretaries, support staff go in cull

City firm Denton Wilde Sapte is to make up to 70 staff redundant from its London office owing to a flat market and end-of-year profit fall - and has called on other firms to be more up-front about job cuts.

Up to 40 fee-earners, 20 secretaries and ten support staff will leave the firm in June following a formal consultation with employees.

Chief executive Virginia Glastonbury would not specify which departments would bear the brunt of the redundancies.

However, she said the cuts would not affect the dispute resolution and competition departments, and that some banking departments will also be spared.

Ms Glastonbury said the firm's latest financial figures showed a dip in profits, because 'although more was billed than last year, there were also higher costs'.

Ms Glastonbury said: 'It is a very sad day for the firm, but the decision was founded on a realisation that this was the best way to manage the business...

this is a decision about moving forward.'

She added: 'City law firms have been exiting people on a rolling basis, but this was not a way that we wanted to do things.

This is a more transparent and open way of doing it.'

'I hope that other firms will be encouraged to do this, as it causes resentment when staff are let go in such a way, and not all firms are following the correct procedures.'

Jeremy Fleming