WATERLOO, ONTARIO -- Fresh off the departure of its global sales chief last week, RIM could be gearing up to lay off thousands more workers in the coming weeks, according to several media reports.

The company today said chief legal officer Karima Bawa is retiring.

However, the bigger news came on Saturday in the form of a news report by the Toronto Globe and Mail asserting the company has near-term plans to lay off 2,000 workers, or 12% of its workforce. Separately, Reuters today said RIM's workforce could drop by 40% over the nine months.

Famous for the legions of "Crackberry" users, RIM once dominated the smartphone market. However, its share has dropped to about 7%, according to the latest IDC research,