The future of Bingham McCutchen’s Lexington location appears uncertain following reports of layoffs and a deal involving 227 partners at the law firm signing on under Philadelphia-based Morgan Lewis & Blockius.
Back in 2012, Bingham McCutchen’s arrival in Lexington was heralded as a game-changer by Mayor Jim Gray, Governor Steve Beshear, and a host of high-ranking officials.
"They're depositing that energy and that talent, and that imagination and creativity, right here in our city. That's a big deal," Gray told the crowd at the official welcome event.
But two years later, few appear eager to discuss the firm’s possible departure. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports chatter among Bingham employees about layoffs and a rumored target date for closing the firm’s services center in June, though none have gone on record.
A representative for Morgan, Lewis, & Blockius did not return a phone call from WUKY, but spokesman Eliott Frieder has said the deal between Bingham and his firm was “not a merger.” Still, questions remain about the fate of the Lexington center.
The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development says that so far Bingham McCutchen has yet to take advantage of the millions in economic incentives that were approved for the project.
