CMS Cameron McKenna and Dundas & Wilson have placed 60 support staff roles at risk following the duo’s recently announced union.
Confirmed today (21 March), there are 40 roles at risk at Dundas & Wilson, which will require a consultation process, while around 20 jobs are at risk within CMS and its third party suppliers Integreon, Initial and Xerox. CMS confirmed there will be no impact on any fee earning roles. The move was first reported on legal website RollOnFriday.
In a joint statement the firms said: ‘There is lots of activity currently underway to achieve the combination of CMS with Dundas & Wilson with effect from 1 May. To build the best structure for the combined business, we have looked at both firms and relevant third party suppliers. We have briefed our support teams about the roles at risk.’
‘This merger brings benefits to our clients and the majority of our staff, but as with any combination it is regrettably to be expected that there are some duplication of roles resulting in redundancy. This is an unsettling time for those potentially impacted and we will be doing our best to support them over the coming weeks.’
The move comes after CMS completed a redundancy programme in 2013 that cut 37 jobs across fee earner and support roles.
There have been a number of departures from the Scots practice in the wake of the December agreement to combine with CMS. Senior departures include construction partner Siobhan McCloskey-Oudahar; head of real estate disputes Andrew Walker; employment partner David Walker; head of environment Mark Brumwell; employment partner Mandy Laurie; IP/IT partner Allan Wardhaugh; and corporate partner and former chairman David Hardie.
Traditionally Scotland’s top law firm, Dundas had faced several years of difficult financial performance and senior departures ahead of agreeing the deal. The union will create a combined practice with revenues of around £300m and membership of the wider CMS international alliance.
Sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk
For more coverage see ‘Buy-side story: how CMS and Dundas & Wilson finalised their surprise merger’
