"[W]hen a Biglaw firm tells 85 percent of a class of senior litigation associates they have to go, the problem is a lot more likely to be with the firm than the associates.

That’s certainly how tipsters at Cahill Gordon are reacting to reports that the overwhelming majority of senior litigation associates in a particular class (we’re not publishing the exact year to protect their anonymity) are being asked to leave the firm, before they’ve even had the chance to go up for partnership. Multiple sources report the associates were told they weren’t partner or counsel material, given only a portion of their bonus and told they had six months to get out of Dodge. And even though pushing out these associates is being framed as connected to their inability to make the leap to the next level, sources say most of them weren’t even able to hear any reviews of their work."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3429260&forum_id=2E#37617216)