Law firm reels from COVID impact - Workers laid off for two months

Fifty-eight employees of DunnCox, a local top-flight law firm, have been laid off for two months as the coronavirus pandemic continues to unleash economic hardships on economies across the globe.

However, the affected staff have been invited to reapply for work “on a reduced scale and with varied compensation”, Courtney Bailey, a partner in the firm, told employees in an email.

The layoff ends on June 30.

The firm’s 13 partners are not among those who have been laid off.

Emile Leiba, president of the Jamaican Bar Association, is a partner at the firm.

There are also six associates and eight consultants, according to its website.

“We have organised our affairs in the best interest of our clients and the DunnCox team during this challenging time that has affected us all,” the firm said in a statement this afternoon.

“We are pleased that our entire team has responded positively to our reorganisation,” it added.

DunnCox has departments covering a range of areas including commercial and corporate law, civil litigation, property law and estate planning.

The temporary working arrangement will run for the two-month layoff period and workers who participate will not get a fixed salary.

“Instead their remuneration will be variable, based on the sums collected by the firm as fee income by the end of the month,” Bailey said.

The calculation will also be based on the number of salaried workers who participate, as well as money left from covering operating expenses.