UP to 30 staff at leading Scottish law firm Dundas & Wilson face redundancy or relocation as it reduces its presence in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London.
The move comes after the firm, which has 369 fee-earning lawyers, revealed in February it was launching a review and job losses were likely.
Chairman David Hardie told The Herald: "It is not that we have taken out 30 people and shot them. It is about how can we find the best use of them for our business or do we have to let some of them go?"
He added: "The economy has changed and we need to reshape our business to reflect the current business needs."
Sources had previously suggested its property and corporate arms were to bear the brunt of the changes although it is not thought partner positions would be at risk.
Mr Hardie said: "We are not calling it a programme. It is not one thing being done to a lot of different people. It is individual discussions with individual outcomes."
He added: "We have more people than we need in certain areas and we might have to let some people go or reposition them in the business."
He emphasised that Dundas & Wilson is opening an office in Aberdeen and recently hired a team to beef up its banking operation in London. Dundas & Wilson's managing partner Donald Shaw stood down earlier this month, part-way through his term.
This had left the firm run on a temporary basis by head of performance and resources Caryn Penley, who also leads the firm's debt, recovery and restructuring practice, and head of operational excellence Allan Wernham, who also heads its real estate team.
A new managing partner is expected to be in place by September.
The news comes after redundancy rounds at several Scottish firms during the recession and its aftermath.
McGrigors shed around 40 people, Semple Fraser and DLA Piper 20 each with Burness, Morton Fraser, Brodies and Tods Murray among the others cutting posts.
Some firms also put staff on shorter working weeks, temporarily reduced pay and offered unpaid holidays as an alternative to redundancy.
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