The cull of partners at Britain’s leading law firms worsened yesterday as Clifford Chance unveiled plans for job cuts across its 21-country global office network.

The announcement came just over a week after Linklaters, its rival, revealed restructuring proposals that could lead to dozens of its 500 or more partners leaving.

The shake-ups at the world’s largest and second largest law firms highlight how the financial crisis is now biting so hard that it threatens the partners who own and manage top legal businesses.

Clifford Chance said its changes were likely to lead to a reduction in its 633 partners, although it declined to say how many would be affected.

Financial Times