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Baker McKenzie Lays Off Hundreds Amid AI Pivot
The Chicago-based law firm is cutting up to 10% of its global workforce, citing AI as a factor.
Published on Feb. 11, 2026
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The multinational law firm Baker McKenzie is laying off up to 1,000 employees, primarily support staff roles in functions like know-how, research, marketing, and secretarial work. The firm cited its increased use of AI as a factor in the decision, sparking concerns that AI could lead to widespread white-collar job losses.
Why it matters
The Baker McKenzie layoffs could be an early sign of how AI adoption may impact the legal industry and other white-collar professions. There are concerns that some companies may be using AI as an excuse to justify job cuts driven by other financial reasons, rather than having robust AI replacements ready.
The details
According to reports, the layoffs at Baker McKenzie could affect up to 10% of its global workforce, or between 600 to 1,000 people. The cuts will impact 'dozens of roles in London and Belfast' as well as hundreds of positions across the firm's support functions. A spokesperson said the review was 'aimed at rethinking the ways in which we work, including through our use of AI, introducing efficiencies, and investing in those roles that best serve our clients' needs.'
- The layoffs were announced on February 11, 2026.
The players
Baker McKenzie
A multinational law firm headquartered in Chicago.
Anthropic
An artificial intelligence company that recently released the Claude Cowork AI agent, which sparked concerns about AI's impact on legal jobs.
Peter Cappelli
A professor at the Wharton School who is skeptical that many companies have robust AI replacements ready to justify the job cuts they are making.
What they’re saying
“This review was aimed at rethinking the ways in which we work, including through our use of AI, introducing efficiencies, and investing in those roles that best serve our clients' needs.”
— Baker McKenzie spokesperson (RollOnFriday)
“Companies are saying that 'we're anticipating that we're going to introduce A.I. that will take over these jobs.' But it hasn't happened yet. So that's one reason to be skeptical.”
— Peter Cappelli, Professor, Wharton School (New York Times)
“The layoffs, whether 'AI-washed' or actually inteded to replace human grunts, will come back to haunt them.”
— An anonymous employee, On the chopping block (RollOnFriday)
What’s next
The legal industry will be closely watching to see if other firms follow Baker McKenzie's lead in using AI as a justification for layoffs, and whether the technology can truly replace the roles of the support staff who were let go.
The takeaway
The Baker McKenzie layoffs highlight the growing concerns around how AI adoption may impact white-collar jobs, with critics arguing that some companies are using AI as an excuse to cut costs rather than having robust replacement technologies in place. This case underscores the need for transparency and careful evaluation of AI's capabilities and limitations in the workplace.
