Eversheds, one of Britain’s largest law firms, has begun a second round of redundancy talks involving 45 staff, the firm said today.

Eversheds, which last week reported that half-year revenues had fallen 4 per cent to £188 million, said the consultation would focus on lawyers and support staff in its mergers and acquisitions, finance and insurance departments.

The firm is already in redundancy talks with 33 staff after it decided to close its Norwich office and make cuts in its nationwide real estate practice. That brings the total number of staff in consultation to 78, more than any of its major UK rivals.

David Gray, the chief executive, said: “Whilst regrettable, it is important to put the proposed redundancies in context.

"We will continue to employ 1,300 lawyers in the UK alone. We are also continuing to recruit with the recent arrival of 76 trainees and 22 additional lawyers with specific skills and capabilities in areas which are performing strongly, such as pensions, projects, anti-trust and restructuring."

News of the redundancy programme came after White & Case, the US law firm, said it was cutting 160 staff, equal to 3 per cent of its workforce, including some positions in London.

The Lawyer, the trade publication, estimates that over 800 jobs have come under threat in the UK sector since the economic downturn began last year. Firms that have already shed staff or announced redundancy talks include Howard Kennedy, Wragge & Co and DLA Piper.

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