JD Journal » deferred start dates

Brown Rudnick Restores Start Dates for 11 Deferred Associates

Erik Even — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:32:19 +0000

Brown Rudnick, which had deferred the start dates of its 27 incoming associates for 2009, has restored start dates for 11 associates, due to an increase in bankruptcy and litigation work.

The 11 associates will now begin on September 14th, rather than November 39th.

Three associates will still start in November, and another 12 won’t start until sometime in 2010. One associate has taken a job with an overseas firm.

Founded in 1948, Brown Rudnick is a full-service international law firm. It employs over 200 attorneys at offices in the US and Europe.

Buchanan Ingersoll Slashes Associate Salaries

Erik Even — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:35:10 +0000

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, which in April deferred start dates for first-year associates to February 2010, will cut all associate salaries between 5% and 10%.

It is unclear if the salary cuts, which affect all class years, will be based on a billable hours requirement.

The firm says some associates will get higher or lower cuts based on “individual circumstances,” but did not elaborate on what this means.

Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney PC is a large US law firm and lobbying group based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The firm has over 500 lawyers in sixteen offices nationwide, and was ranked 82nd on the National Law Journal’s 2008 list of the 250 largest law firms in the United States.

Pinsent Masons Defers Start Dates

Erik Even — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:06:15 +0000

Pinsent Masons, which is in the midst of a redundancy consultation, has asked 25% of its incoming trainees to defer their start dates.

If you have any additional information about deferrals at Pinsent Masons, or about their redundancy consultation, please — send us a confidential tip!

Pinsent Masons LLP is a full-service commercial law firm. The firm ranked amongst the top 15 law firms in the UK and internationally ranks in the Global 100. Pinsent Masons has UK offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London and Manchester, and internationally in Beijing, Brussels, Dubai, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

WilmerHale Asks Lawyers to Please Go Away Soon

Erik Even — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:08:53 +0000

WilmerHale has informed an undisclosed number of associates and counsel that they will lose their jobs this Fall. The firm stresses that these are not “layoffs,” although rational persons are hard-pressed to tell the difference.

Those affected are being given “a number of months” to find new jobs. The cuts are the result of a new “up or out” program. If a lawyer is not promoted within a certain time frame, he or she is asked to leave the firm.

In April, WilmerHale deferred start dates for its 2009 associate class.

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP has twelve offices across the US, Europe and Asia. It was created in 2004 through the merger of the Boston’s Hale & Dorr and the Washington’s Wilmer Cutler & Pickering, and employs more than 1,100 attorneys worldwide. As of 2008, it was the 23rd largest law firm in the world in terms of revenue. In 2007, the National Law Journal ranked the firm as the 22nd largest in the United States by number of attorneys.

Ropes & Gray Cuts Up to 40 Associates [Update]

Erik Even — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:02:33 +0000

Ropes & Gray, which deferred start dates in March, has let go between 30 and 40 associates.

Blawgs are reporting that the layoffs include eight two first year associates.

If you have any details, please send us a confidential tip!

Ropes & Gray LLP is a national law firm with offices located in Boston, New York City, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Hong Kong and Tokyo; and a conference center in London. The firm has over 1,000 lawyers worldwide.

UPDATE

The firm confirms it has sent home only two first year associates, not the 8 to 10 initially reported online.

Dewey & LeBoeuf Offers 18-Month Deferral Program

Erik Even — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:53:02 +0000

Dewey & LeBoeuf, which in March deferred start dates for its 2009 incoming class to January 2010, has now announced a new year-long deferral program called “DL Pursuits.”

Associates who sign on for the plan will get one-third of their salary, full medical, $1,000 in student loan repayment, and bar fees.

First year associates can take the plan for 18-months instead of 12.

Program members who take on a paying job while deferred still get the salary stipend.

Dewey & LeBoeuf is a white shoe law firm formed in 2007 by the merger of Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae. The firm has 24 offices in 14 countries.

Stroock Offers First-Years $75,000 to Go Away Forever

Erik Even — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:51:31 +0000

According to an internal memo leaked online, New York’s Stroock & Stroock & Lavan is making three offers to incoming associates.

First, deferrals:

…the start date for the incoming class will be January 11, 2010. Prior to this date, you will be expected to take and pass the New York bar exam. We will cover related expenses for both the bar review course and the bar exam itself. We also will make available to you a cash advance of $10,000 in September to help cover your expenses. In addition, if applicable, we will reimburse your moving expenses to New York, up to $2,000.

Or, later deferrals:

Second, we offer the opportunity to defer your start date until January 2011. If you select this option, we will provide you with the cash advance in September and, starting in January 2010, will provide you with an annual stipend of $50,000 to be paid monthly for so long as you secure an approved position in the public interest field… for a period of up to one year… Following this deferral, the current expectation is that you would start with the Firm in January 2011, although this is subject to change depending upon our hiring needs at the time…

Or finally, a big cash incentive to just go away.

Lastly, the Firm recognizes that you may wish to pursue other opportunities, outside of Stroock. If this is the case, we will make a total payment to you of $75,000, half payable in September 2009 and half in January 2010. By accepting this payment, it should be understood that you would have no current or future obligation to Stroock, nor would we to you.

In March, Stroock laid off 10% of its associates and staff.

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP is based in New York City, with approximately 350 lawyers in three offices, including Miami and Los Angeles. It was founded in 1876.

Rumor: Baker McKenzie Cuts Associate Salaries

Erik Even — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:01:31 +0000

Tipsters are informing blawgers that Baker & McKenzie has cut salaries between 10% and 25% for some associates.

We reported two weeks ago that the firm laid off 124 people. They also deferred start dates for trainees.

If you have any details about salary cuts (or anything else) at Baker & McKenzie, please send us a confidential tip. Remember to mention what law firm you’re talking about!

Baker & McKenzie was founded in Chicago in 1949 by Russell Baker and John McKenzie. One of the first law firms to be truly global, it employs more than 3,900 lawyers in more than 70 offices in 38 different countries.