City law firms urged to take trainees as US firm set to close London office

The City of London Law Society (CLLS) has issued a letter to the senior partners of its membership asking for assistance in finding new roles for trainee lawyers of a US firm that is closing its City office.

It was revealed last month that US firm Armstrong Teasdale is closing its London office, after launching into the City three years ago with the acquisition of London firm Kerman & Co.

The firm is leaving Europe, by closing its London and Dublin offices while also reducing its presence in the US. Speaking at the time, global managing partner, Richard Engel said in the coming months “the firm will likely no longer have a direct physical presence in the UK or Europe”.

However, this has resulted in issues for ten current and future trainee solicitors of the US law firm.

CLLS chair Colin Passmore issued a letter on Tuesday to all senior partners of its membership, which includes top City law firms such as Linklaters, Latham & Watkins and Mayer Brown.

He stated that the “London office managing partner of US-headquartered law firms has late last week contacted CLLS in relation to the imminent closure of that office meaning that the firm would welcome any assistance in finding new roles for its current and future trainees.”

“It has only very recently become clear that they will not be accommodated as part of any employee transfer” he added.

He noted in the letter if any firm “would be prepared to engage in an urgent conversation” to see if they might be able to assist.

“Typically, when firms run into difficulties such as this, law firms rally round to rehome the more junior lawyers and I very much hope that this will be the case again,” he detailed.

In his letter, Passmore addressed the letter he had to send out last year when the legal body was trying to find new law firms for trainees from the Ince & Co. after the troubled firm went into administration under its new structure, Axiom Ince.

He noted that “almost exactly a year ago” several member law firms “stepped in” and “as a result of which many of their junior lawyers were placed into other roles”.

A source familiar with the matter told City A.M. that the representation body is seeing a positive response from City law firms following outreach.