Top Atlanta Law Firm Slashes Staff

King & Spalding, one of Atlantas oldest and largest law firms, has laid off 37 attorneys and 85 staff.

Chairman Robert D. Hays said Friday that the continuing decline in the U.S. and global economies made the move necessary.

Hays said a severance package was being offered to the laid-off workers.

King & Spalding spokesman Les Zuke, based in New York, would not say how many of the firms cuts were from the Atlanta office. King & Spalding has 13 offices. King & Spalding was founded in Atlanta in 1885.

Its clients include Georgia blue chip companies, from Coca-Cola and Home Depot to SunTrust, as well as General Motors and Ernst & Young.

(AP)