Morgan Lewis lays off 216 firmwide

Morgan Lewis & Bockius said Monday it's laid off 55 lawyers and 161 support staff across all U.S. offices. The firm said it would not break down the layoffs by city or practice group. Philadelphia-based Morgan Lewis had 1,412 lawyers & 1,710 support staff in the U.S. as of March 2. It has 1,506 lawyers firmwide. In the Philadelphia area, the firm has 314 lawyers & 306 staff. Morgan Lewis has over 250 attorneys in its DC. office. The firm said the layoffs in Philadelphia were largely in transactional practices that have been hit by the weak economy. No lawyer who were laid off were partners. Morgan Lewis Chairman Francis Milone said in a memo to firm personnel, which was released to the press, that the firm reached the point where