Lucent cuts legal force

REDUNDANCIES: Barclays axing lawyers who do not 'add value'

Lucent Technologies has slashed more than 200 legal jobs as a result of its de-merger with communications giant AT&T four years ago, it emerged last week.

From 1 October the legal department will have 175 lawyers - 375 lawyers less than in 1996.

Jasper Myers, Swindon-based corporate counsel of the $30 billion company, told the International Bar Association conference in Amsterdam last week that 205 of the job cuts were a result of the spin-off.

Intellectual property and corporate advice consumes the lion's share of the international company's legal spend.

Mr Myers said: 'The legal function has been very affected by the market that we are in - by deregulation and globalisation.'

Meanwhile, Barclays' group general counsel, Howard Trust, told the same session for corporate counsel that his company is chopping legal jobs which do not 'add value' to the company.

Mr Trust said that up to 70% of the 212 Barclays lawyers have processing roles, while the rest were giving advice of financial benefit to the company.

He said: 'We are in the process of restructuring that.'

The 500 billion company has 30 lawyers in the UK, where around 70% of gross income is generated.

'We will probably have 50 fewer legal professionals around the world than we currently have.

I suspect the gross loss will be higher than that.'

Although Barclays is making cuts, Mr Trust said that legal will be recruiting mergers and acquisitions lawyers.

Anne Mizzi