80 jobs face the axe at law firm with office in Sheffield

Freeths, which has 13 offices, had hired staff to meet ‘anticipated work demands’. But lockdown put a sharp end to the firm’s growth and chairman Colin Flanagan says a ‘significant realignment of resources is necessary’.

The company, which has an office in 3 St Paul’s on Norfolk Street in Sheffield city centre, says it acheived its target of £100m turnover in the last financial year.

But bosses have launched a redundancy consultation period following a ‘cautious analysis of the prospects for economic recovery’.

It is likely to result in the loss of about 80 jobs, split ‘more or less evenly’ between lawyers and support staff.

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Mr Flanagan said: “I am greatly saddened and disappointed that, as a result of external circumstances beyond our control, we are going to lose some of our excellent team members.

“It is a matter of huge regret that we are faced with some contraction in our work for the first time since the financial crisis, and that we find ourselves needing to reduce our staff numbers. I am, however, confident that this action is in the interests of the business and our clients and will allow us to move forward with renewed confidence for a successful future.”

The firm is meeting potentially affected staff to set out alternatives such as paid sabbaticals and reduced hours, which it is hoped will reduce the number of redundancies, he added.

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It follows previous measures including pay cuts for board members and staff.

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