Talk
about
how
artificial
intelligence
will
someday
take
lawyers’
jobs
has
long
been
dismissed
as
much
ado
about
nothing
—
until
now.
Microsoft
has
been
conducting
layoffs
across
the
company
across
the
globe
since
mid-May,
and
while
in-house
attorneys
are
typically
safe
from
such
employment
woes,
the
rise
of
AI
may
be
to
blame
when
it
comes
to
the
companies
latest
cuts.
Microsoft
President
Brad
Smith
has
given
mixed
messages
about
whether
artificial
intelligence
was
behind
the
company’s
decision
to
conduct
layoffs,
first
saying
that
AI
was
“not
a
predominant
factor”
in
the
move,
and
later
saying
that
“[s]uccess
in
life
…
is
always
about
prioritization,
and
it’s
always
about
investing
in
the
future.”
To
date,
the
tech
company
has
laid
off
dozens
of
lawyers.
Corporate
Counsel
has
the
details
on
the
scope
of
the
layoffs
for
legal:
Microsoft
has
laid
off
15,000
employees
across
the
globe
since
mid-May.
Just
in
the
tech
giant’s
home
state
of
Washington,
the
reductions
have
cost
at
least
32
company
attorneys
and
five
paralegals
their
jobs,
according
to
state
filings
obtained
by
Law.com.A
layoff
notice
filed
with
the
state’s
Employment
Security
Department
shows
that
at
least
22
attorneys
and
five
paralegals
were
among
305
Redmond,
Washington,
employees
laid
off
after
Microsoft
announced
6,000
job
cuts
on
May
13.
The
second
round
of
layoffs,
announced
July
2,
displaced
9,000
more
workers,
830
of
them
in
Redmond,
Seattle
or
Bellevue.
At
least
10
of
the
830
were
lawyers,
a
layoff
notice
shows.
As
further
noted
by
Corporate
Counsel,
based
on
the
ratio
of
legal
layoffs
to
total
layoffs
at
Microsoft’s
headquarters
(3.1%),
the
company
could
potentially
be
looking
at
worldwide
legal
layoffs
in
the
hundreds,
about
465
legal
jobs,
to
be
exact.
Sean
Burke,
founding
partner
of
recruiting
firm
Whistler
Partners,
who
places
tech
attorneys
at
startups,
said
that
while
“[t]here’s
no
AI
that
completely
replaces
the
lawyer,”
he
thinks
the
lawyers
who
lost
their
jobs
may
be
on
the
younger
side.
“My
guess
is
that
the
lion’s
share
of
laid-off
attorneys
at
Microsoft
are
in
the
bottom
tranche,
lawyers
three
to
seven
years
out
of
law
school
that
are
more
easily
replaced,
where
you
can
get
less
lawyers
to
do
more
using
AI,”
he
said.
Best
of
luck
to
all
of
the
in-house
counsel
at
Microsoft
who
may
have
lost
their
jobs
thanks
to
AI
disruption.
If
your
firm
or
organization
is
reducing
the
ranks
of
its
lawyers
or
staff,
whether
through
deferrals,
open
layoffs,
stealth
layoffs,
or
voluntary
buyouts,
please
don’t
hesitate
to
let
us
know.
Our
vast
network
of
tipsters
is
part
of
what
makes
Above
the
Law
thrive.
You
can email
us or
text
us
(646-820-8477).
Thank
you
for
your
assistance.
If
you’d
like
to
sign
up
for
ATL’s
Layoff
Alerts,
please
scroll
down
and
enter
your
email
address
in
the
box
below
this
post.
If
you
previously
signed
up
for
the
layoff
alerts,
you
don’t
need
to
do
anything.
You’ll
receive
an
email
notification
within
minutes
of
each
layoff
announcement
that
we
publish.
Microsoft
Layoffs
Hit
Legal
Department
as
AI
Reshapes
Staffing
Strategy
[Corporate
Counsel]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
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and Threads, or
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on LinkedIn.