The other 32 will begin work in January 2010.
The firm had promised its incoming class that each member would be informed of their fate by last Friday, but this never happened.
Pillsbury offered $60,000 to incoming associates who would voluntarily leave, and public interest fellowships are available to those deferred.
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is an international law firm with offices located throughout the US and globally, including key financial centers New York, London, Tokyo and Shanghai.