Sonnenschein laid off 37 lawyers and 87 staff. “We will do everything we can to help the people we have separated, to give them as much support and compassion as we are able to provide,” said Mr. Portnoy. He added that the firm is working with headhunters and search firms, its alumni network, and its clients, to help the affected individuals find new opportunities.

Seems like a good time for law firms to organize their alumni contacts if they haven’t already. I am currently working with a firm of 250 attorneys, building a firm sponsored social network for their alumni. I know that there are several companies, such as Select Minds, that have been doing great work in this space for several years. Most alumni programs are behind the firm firewall so it’s not easy to see what is going on in this niche. Can anyone share creative approaches to alumni programs and if and how they are working? Is it marketing? Is it recruiting? Is it just nice to know information? Do you have both an online world and bricks and mortar events?