Page 13 - CLT072020

NEWS JULY 20, 2020 ¦ 13

Incoming Law Firm Associates Unsure When
Their Jobs Will Start

By Karen Sloan

A new survey found that half of law firms have yet to set start dates for their new associate classes, in part due to

M uncertainty over when the bar exam will be given.
any law firm offices still don’t know when New associates typically start in August or Sep-
they will be bringing on their new class of tember, after sitting for the July bar exam. But a
associates. growing number of jurisdictions have moved the
Half of law firm offices don’t have an official start test into September and October this year. Some law
date for their incoming associates, according to a new firms are staggering new associate start dates de-
survey by the National Association for Law Place- pending on when each associate is scheduled to take
ment (NALP). And among the offices that have set the bar, among other factors, Leipold said.
start dates, 62% won’t welcome their new lawyers un- NALP surveyed more than 350 law firm offices and
til January 2021. That means hundreds of recent law 167 law school career services offices in the second
graduates are in the dark about when their jobs will be- half of June on everything from associate start dates
gin, and whether they should move for their new jobs. and summer associate programs to rescinded job of-
“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now,” said NALP fers and pay cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Executive Director James Leipold. “The bar exam is Nearly half of career services offices—49%—re-
a moving target—even jurisdictions that have made ported that at least one graduate had seen their job
decisions [about when to administer the exam] have offer rescinded. But rescinded offers have to this
had to make second and third decisions as the vi- point been rare and concentrated at smaller firms,
rus surges. So law firms are trying to plan start dates Leipold said. He said very few large firms have
around when they can get licensed lawyers.”
¦ Continued on PAGE 14

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