Baker McKenzie is set to cut hundreds of business services roles around the world, including positions in London and Belfast, following a review of its back office functions.
In a statement, the firm said it had undertaken a ‘careful review of our business professionals functions, aimed at rethinking the ways in which we work’, including its use of AI and a desire to increase efficiency, and that it was now ‘proposing a series of changes to how we operate and deliver important business services.’
It is understood that the firm expects the review to result in a headcount reduction of no more than 10% across its business professional ranks.
Bakers employs around 12,500 people across 77 offices, around half of which are business services staff, meaning that cuts of 10% would equate to as many as 600 roles.
The firm’s statement added: ‘Subject to consultation processes in applicable jurisdictions, some roles will likely be phased out, while others will evolve.’
‘We have not taken decisions around these proposed changes lightly, but felt it was necessary to deliver on our long-term plans. We appreciate the valuable contributions our impacted colleagues have made to the firm and will be supporting them.’
The firm has services centres in London and Belfast, both of which support high-volume, large-scale projects including document review, due diligence and legal research, alongside marketing and administrative roles.
It also has a large business services centre in Manila, which was established in 2000 to support the firm’s global offices in IT, HR, operations and marketing, and is one of the global firm’s largest bases.
Bakers saw turnover rise by 3.4% to $3.4bn in 2024, a smaller increase than many of its peers, with the rest of the world’s top 10 largest law firms all posting double-digit revenue increases. Profit per equity partner rose by 6% during 2024 to $2.1m.
The review marks the second major round of back office cuts for the firm in recent years, which in 2018 launched a three-year review of business services staff in a drive to improve profitability. In June 2019, the firm cut at least 46 London roles, and placed another 33 at risk.
Other major law firms have also restructured their back office teams in recent months, with Clifford Chance reviewing over 500 roles across areas including finance, HR and IT at the end of last year. The review was expected to see 50 redundancies, as well as role changes for up to 35 others.
Other firms cutting jobs include BCLP, which announced in May 2025 that it was undergoing a ‘business modernisation programme’ that would impact approximately 8% of its workforce.
