Clifford Chance AI-driven redundancies hit London business service roles
Law firm Clifford Chance is preparing for dozens of redundancies after launching a restructuring of its London business services team.
Around 10 per cent of the 550 employees are set to lose their jobs, according to the Financial Times.
It was reported that the magic circle firm told staff last month that greater use of AI and reduced demand for some business services meant that it needed to cut jobs.
It was also cited that work was being done in hubs, such as Poland and India.
The firm’s revenue for the fiscal year ending 2025 was £2.4bn, marking a 9 per cent increase from the previous year. Its equity partners pocketed over £2.1m each.
It was reported that employees were unhappy that the job cuts were announced in the run-up to Christmas. However, the changes will not take place before January 2026.
The surge of AI has placed many business service positions and junior roles in jeopardy.
Over the last year, Mishcon de Raya initiated redundancy consultations as it moved some positions to cheaper hubs. BCLP also had a redundancy round on its business services department, with AI quoted as the reason.
Clifford Chance’s main AI providers are Microsoft Copilot and Azure OpenAI.
A spokesperson for Clifford Chance said the proposed changes to ‘some’ of its London-based business services roles were “in line with our strategy to strengthen our operations”.
“The proposed changes could see the creation of new roles, changes to the scope of roles, revised team structures, and in some cases a reduction in roles,” they added.