all the depressing info we could find on your future, all in one place.

[brian lauter]

Law firms and government agencies have been having a tough time dealing with the economic crisis. You’ve no doubt heard or read about the massive layoffs that have hit the legal industry.

As is probably to be expected, the metaphorical excrement has recently been rolling even farther downhill. Many firms have rescinded offers to 3Ls, deferred 3Ls’ start dates, and made adjustments to their 2009 summer programs.

A variety of sources, most notably ATL, have been covering the effects of employers’ actions on law students’ prospects, but we thought it might be helpful to have all of the information in one place. We also thought it might be helpful to have this “one place” be a chart. Who doesn’t love a good chart?

We want to do a good job, and we’d love to have your input. Let us know if you spot any inaccuracies and, if you hear about offers being rescinded, start dates being deferred, or summer programs being adjusted, please send us your tips so we can put them up on the big board.

Ed. Please check back regularly as we get more fallout news. Also, please feel free to share this post with your internet world by using the "Share This" button below.

UPDATED 10/21 to include more info on Squire Sanders

UPDATED 9/28 to include more info on Proskauer Rose; Mintz Levin; Bryan Cave; Baker & McKenzie; Alston & Bird; Arent Fox; Chadbourne & Parke UPDATED 6/12 to include more info on Cravath; UPDATED 5/21 to include Fish & Richardson; UPDATED 5/18 to include Massachusetts Superior Court; UPDATED 5/15 to include Pillsbury; UPDATE 5/8 to include updates on Sildey Austin and Kirkland & Ellis; UPDATED in 5/5 to include new info on Dewey; Shearman; UPDATED 5/4 to include updates on Seyfarth; Foley; Paul Weiss; Faegre & Benson; Irell; MoFo; and new additions: Stroock; Bryan Cave; Cahill; Curtis; Davis Polk; Davis Wright; Debevoise; Jones Day; K & L Gates; Kaye Scholer; Wilson Sonsini; UPDATED 4/27 to include Kilpatrick; Dechert; Bingham; Andrews Kurth; UPDATED 4/23 to include Buchanan Ingersoll and Contra Costa County DA's office; UPDATED 4/20 to include expanded info on Mayer Brown; UPDATED 4/15 to include Allen & Overy; Baker Botts; Cooley Godward Kronish; DLA Piper; Finnegan; Goldberg Kohn; Goodwin Procter; Kramer Levin; LeClair Ryan; Mintz Levin; Schulte Roth & Zabel; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; Snell & Wilmer LLP; Sutherland; Wiley Rein; and MoFo's summer program; UPDATED 4/9 to include Winston & Strawn; Baker & McKenzie; WilmerHale; Sonnenschein; UPDATED 4/9 to include Faegre & Benson; Holme, Roberts & Owen; Linklaters; Mayer Brown; Paul Weiss; Perkins Coie; Proskauer Rose; Sidley Austin; Sullivan & Cromwell; UPDATED 4/8 to include Vinson & Elkins; Schiff Hardin; UPDATED 4/6 to include Arent Fox; Baker Hostetler; Cadwalder; Cleary; Foley and Lardner; Goldberg Kohn; Greenberg Traurig; Jenner & Block; Latham; McDermott Will & Emory; Paul Hastings; Quarles & Brady; Skadden; Wachtell; Willkie Farr; UPDATED 4/3 to include Ventura County DA's Office; Shearman & Sterling; Locke Lord; Dorsey & Whitney; UPDATED 3/31 to include Fulbright & Jaworski; UPDATED 3/30 to include Fried Frank; further info on Alston + Bird; UPDATED 3/27 to include Edward Angell Palmer & Dodge; and more info on Clifford Chance; Weil Gotshal; Squire Sanders; Alston Byrd; King and Spalding; UPDATED 3/25 to include Ballard Spahr; UPDATED 3/24 to include Dewey and Debevoise; UPDATED 3/23 to include Hunton & Williams and extended info on Katten; UPDATED 3/20 to include Weil Gotshal, Troutman Sanders; UPDATED 3/19 to include Katten, Ropes & Gray; UPDATED 3/18 to include Squire Sanders, Dechert and Pepper Hamilon; UPDATED 3/17 to include Holland & Knight, Sughrue Mion and Morris Manning & Martin; UPDATED 3/16 to include Winstead

Economy v. Law Students: A "Chart"

FIRM	OFFERS TO 3LS RESCINDED	3L START DATES DEFERRED	2009 SUMMER PROGRAMS	SOURCE
Akin Gump			2009 summer programs in LA and NY closed early and some 2L offers rescinded	The American Lawyer
Allen & Overy		3L start dates deferred until September 21, 2009		Above the Law
Alston + Bird		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010; $10k stipendStart dates deferred indefinitely	Summers shortened to nine weeks	Tip; further info at Above the Law; Above the Law
Andrews Kurth		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010; $10k stipend		Above the Law
Arent Fox		3L start dates deferred to November 1, 2009 or February 1, 20210	2009 summer programs in LA and NY closed early and some 2L offers rescinded; Rescinded offers to "some associates" with $20k in parting money	Above the LawAbove the Law
Ballard Spahr		3L start dates deferred until September, 2010; $45k public service stiped; $5,500 health benefits stipend		Above the Law
Baker Botts		3L start dates deferred to no earlier than October 1, 2009 and no later than November 12, 2009 (Houston associates)/td>		Above the Law
Baker Hostetler		3L start dates deferred until October 15, 2009		Above the Law
Baker & McKenzie		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010; Start dates deferred to June 2010, at which point some offers may be revoked, $5k per month deferral stipend until June 2010		Above the Law; Above the Law
Bingham McCutchen		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010; $10k stipend	2009 summer program shortened to seven weeks	JD Journal
Blank Rome		3L start dates deferred until January 19, 2010; $10k stipend		Above the Law
Bryan Cave		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010; offering incoming associates $70k not to start		Tip via Philly.com; Above the Law
Buchanan Ingersoll		3L start dates deferred until February 2010	2009 summer program shortened to seven weeks	The Legal Intelligencer via Law.com
Cadwalader		3L start dates deferred until October 5, 2009		Tip via Philly.com
Cahill Gordon		3L start dates deferred until January 2010		Above the Law
Chadbourne & Parke		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010Start dates deferred indefinitely		Above the LawAbove the Law
Cleary		3L start dates deferred until September 14, October 12, November 9, 2009 or January 11, 2010		Above the Law
Clifford Chance		3L start dates deferred until late October, 2009; $40k stipend for public interest work or just straight deferral		Above the Law; Above the Law
Contra Costa County DA's office	3L offers rescinded			Cal Law
Cooley Godward Kronish		3L start dates deferred until January 4, 2010; $35k stipend, including bar stipend		Above the Law
Cravath		3Ls have choice of October, November, or December, 2009 start dates available on first-come, first-served basis; optional year-long deferral offered, $80k stipend, $1k per month for student loan repayment, full medical benefits	Summers shortened to 10 weeks	Above the Law; AmLaw Daily
Curtis Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle		3L start dates deferred to October 19, 2009		Above the Law
Davis Polk		3L start dates deferred to September 14, October 19, or November 16, 2009		Above the Law
Davis Wright Tremaine		3L start dates deferred to January 2010; $7.5k stipend		Above the Law
Debevoise & Plimpton		3L start dates flexible by request to September 21, October 12, October 26, or November 16, 2009		Above the Law; Above the Law
Dechert		3L start dates deferred to fall 09, March 2010, or fall 2010 (voluntary date selection); $17.5k stipend for those deferred to March 2010, $75k public interest stipend for those deferred to fall 2010	Summers shortened to 10 weeks	Above the Law; Above the Law
Dewey & Leboeuf		3L start dates deferred to January, 2010; salary advance of $5,000 available for all incoming first years; Community Service Fellowship available; optional year-long deferral available, not contingent on public service; stipend of 1/3 of salary, full benefits, $1k toward loan repayment		Above the Law; Above the Law
DLA Piper		3L start dates deferred until January 11, 2010; $10k stipend		Above the Law
Dorsey & Whitney		3L start dates deferred to November, 2009		Tip
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge		3L start dates deferred to March, 2010	Summer program canceled	Above the Law
Faegre & Benson		3L start dates deferred until "at least" October, 2009 October or January; $7.5k stipend		Above the Law, Above the Law
Finnegan		3L start dates deferred until November 2, 2009	Summer shortened to 10 weeks	Above the Law
Fish & Richardson	One third of 3L offers rescinded	One third of 3L start dates deferred until October 2010		Above the Law
Foley and Lardner		3L start dates deferred to September 7, 2009 (Boston Office) February 1, 2010; $10k stipend	Summer shortened to 10 weeks	Above the Law; Above the Law
Fried Frank		3L start dates deferred to January 28, 2010	Summer shortened to 10 weeks	Above the Law
Fulbright & Jaworski		3L start dates deferred to January 11, 2010		Above the Law
Gibson Dunn			Summers shortened to 10 weeks	Above the Law
Goldberg Kohn		3L start dates deferred indefinitely, March 2010 at the earliest		Above the Law
Goodwin Procter		3L start dates deferred until January 2010 for 50% of incoming associates; October 2010 for the remainder with $60k pro bono stipend		AmLaw Daily
Greenberg Traurig		3L start dates deferred to January, 2010		Above the Law
Heller Ehrman	All 3L offers “rescinded” when firm dissolved			The Recorder
Hogan & Hartson		3L start dates deferred until November, 2009		Above the Law
Holland & Knight		3L start dates deferred until Jan. 11, 2010	Summers shortened to eight weeks	Above the Law
Holme, Roberts & Owen		3L start dates deferred until October, 2010; $15k lump sum or $30k in installments for those who pursue public interest work		Above the Law
Howard Rice		3 of 8 3L start dates deferred until September, 2010 with undisclosed stipend for public interest work
Hunton & Williams		3L start dates deferred		Tip via Above the Law
Irell & Manella	Some offers made to 3Ls through 3L recruiting process rescinded	3L start dates deferred to November 1, 2009 "at the latest"		Above the Law; Above the Law
Jenner & Block		3L start dates deferred to November, 2009		Above the Law
Jones Day		3L start dates deferred to October 26, 2009		Above the Law
Katten Muchin Rosenman		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010	Summers shortened to 8 weeks; compensation cut by 20%	Above the Law AmLaw Daily
Kaye Scholer		3L start dates deferred until January 11, 2010		Above the Law
Kilpatrick		3L start dates deferred until April, 2010; $17k salary advance		Above the Law
King & Spalding		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010		Tip
Kirkland & Ellis		3L start dates deferred until November 16 or 30, 2009	Summers shortened to 10 weeks	Above the Law Above the Law
K & L Gates		3L start dates deferred to January 4, 2010		Above the Law
Kramer Levin		3L start dates deferred until October 26, 2009		Above the Law
Latham & Watkins		3L start dates deferred until December, 2009; option to defer until October, 2010 and pursue public interest work with $75k stipend		Above the Law
LeClair Ryan		3L start dates deferred until January 2010		Above the Law
Linklaters		3L start dates deferred until September, 2009		Above the Law
Locke Lorde		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010		ABA Journal
Lowenstein Sandler	3 of 18 3L offers rescinded; option for placement in public interest job and funding at agency’s normal rate for 1 year			Above the Law
Luce Forward	All 3L offers rescinded		2009 summer program cancelled	Above the Law
Mayer Brown		3L start dates deferred to January 19, 2010; optional year-long deferral with a $5k per month stipend		Above the Law; Above the Law (more info)
Massachusetts Superior Court	All clerkship offers rescinded			Above the Law
McDermott Will & Emory		3L start dates deferred to December 1, 2009		Above the Law
McGuire Woods		3L starting salaries decreased by 10% (160k to 144k)		Above the Law
Milbank Tweed		3L start dates deferred until late October, 2009		Above the Law
Mintz Levin		3L start dates deferred until January 11, 2010; $15k salary advance; Start dates deferred to April 2010 for half of the 2009 class, January 2011 for the other half		Above the Law; Above the Law
Morgan Lewis		3L start dates deferred until October, 2010 with optional $5k monthly stipend for public interest work	Start dates for alumni of 2009 summer program will likely be 2011 with possible $5k monthly public interest stipend	Above the Law; National Law Journal
Morris Manning & Martin	Rescinded all 3L offers			Summer programs canceled	Above the Law
Morrison & Foerster		3L start dates deferred until November 2009 OR April, 2010 (approx. 40 associates); $5k per month stipend; optional year deferral to January 4, 2011; $5k per month stipend and $15k stipend if 10 months of deferral are spent working for a non-profit	2009 summer program shortened to 8 weeks	Above the Law; Tip; Above the Law
Nixon Peabody		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010 with $10k deferral stipend		Above the Law
O’Melveny & Meyers		3L start dates delayed until December, 2009	Summer shortened to 10 weeks	Above the Law; Tip
Orrick		3L start dates deferred until January or March of 2010; option to defer to winter of 2010 and pursue public interest work with $75k stipend; option to leave firm altogether for $18,500		Above the Law
Paul Hastings		3L start dates deferred to October 12, 2009		Above the Law
Paul Weiss		3L start dates deferred to September 14, 2009 January 19, 2009; $10k stipend, health insurance, $5k salary advance		Above the Law; Above the Law
Pepper Hamilton			Summers shortened to 8 weeks	Above the Law
Perkins Coie		3L start dates deferred to January 4, 2010; $7,500 stipend		Above the Law
Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office	All 3L offers rescinded			The Legal Intelligencer
Pillsbury	Offers rescinded on a voluntary basis; $60k to those who accept	32 3L start dates deferred to January 11, 2010, 22 start dates deferred to January, 2011; optional year-long deferral for pro-bono work; $60k stipend and $15k salary advance		Firm release
Proskauer Rose		3l start dates deferred until March 2010; $20k stipend, pro bono deferral option with Junary, 2011 start date and $60k stipend; Start dates deferred to Nov 2010		Above the Law; Above the Law
Quarles & Brady		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010		Above the Law
Ropes & Gray		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010. Options available to 3Ls to pursue public interest fellowships, sabbatical opportunities, and "non-billable training" options.		Above the Law
Sacramento District Attorney’s Office	All 3L offers rescinded			Tip
Schiff Hardin		Summer program shortened to 8 weeks	3L start dates deferred to January, 2010	Above the Law
Schulte Roth & Zabel			3L start dates deferred until January 28, 2010; $20k stipend; limited number of pro bono deferrals available with start dates in Fall 2010 and $70k stipend	Above the Law
Seyfarth Shaw		3L start dates deferred until October, 2009 2010	2009 summer program "shortened"	Above the Law; Above the Law, updated
Shearman & Sterling		Voluntary deferral program to fall 2010; $65k stipend and $1k/month for loan repayment	Summers shortened to 9 weeks	Above the Law; Above the Law; Above the Law
Sidley Austin		3L start dates deferred to November 2 or 16, 2009; optional year-long deferral; pro bono stipend of $75k	Summers shortened to 9 weeks	Above the Law Above the Law
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett		3L start dates deferred to September 21, October 26, or November 30, 2009		Above the Law
Skadden		3L start dates deferred until October, 2009		Above the Law
Snell & Wilmer LLP		3L start dates deferred until December 2009; $5k stipend		Above the Law
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal		3L start dates deferred until mid-November, 2009; one third of start dates deferred to January, 2010 (see second ATL link for more info and confusion)	2009 summer program shortened to 8 weeks	Above the Law; Above the Law
Squire Sanders		3L start dates deferred until January, 2010; half of deferred class deferred indefinitely	Summer program cut to 7 weeks; 2Ls who summered there as 1Ls are not invited to participate in 2009 summer program	Above the Law; Above the Law; Above the Law
Stroock	Offers rescinded voluntarily; incoming associates can accept $75k if they "leave" the firm by July 1, 2009	Voluntary deferrals to January 2011; $50k stipend; required deferalls to January 2010; $10k advance		Above the Law
Sughrue Mion	One-third of 3L offers rescinded; firm paying severed 3Ls $5,000 each		Summer program canceled	Above the Law
Sullivan & Cromwell		3L start dates deferred to November 2, 2009		Above the Law
Sutherland		3L start dates deferred until January 2010		Above the Law
Thacher Profitt & Wood	All 33 3L offers “rescinded” when firm dissolved; now asking that 3Ls repay salary advances early			Legal Times
Thelen Reid	All 3L offers “rescinded” when firm dissolved			Legal Pad
Troutman Sanders		3L start dates deferred to January, 2010. No stipend or loan will be made available.		Above the Law
Venable		All 3L start dates deferred until January, 2010 with bar stipend and $10k stipend in September, 2009		Above the Law
Ventura County DA'S Office	Rescinded all offers to 3Ls			Tip
Vinson & Elkins		3L start dates deferred to either November 2, 2009 or January 4, 2010; $10k incentive to take later date		Tex Parte Blog
Watchell		3L start dates deferred to September 14 or October 12, 2009; deferred to November 2, 2009 for clerks only		Above the Law
Weil Gotshal		3L start dates deferred to October, 2009; associates who push back start dates to 2011 receive $75k	Summer program cut from 12 weeks to 10	Tip; Above the Law
Wiley Rein		3L start dates deferred to January 11, 2010 or October 2010; $5k/month stipend		Above the Law
Willkie Farr		3L start dates deferred to September, October, or November, 2009		Above the Law
WilmerHale		3L start dates deferred to January 20, 2010 or March 17, 2010; $10k stipend for former, $15k stipend for latter; voluntary deferral to fall 2010; $75k stipend		Legal Times
Wilson Sonsini		3L start dates deferred to January 2010; $10k stipend		Above the Law
Winstead			Canceled 2009 summer program	Tex Parte via ABA Journal
Winston & Strawn		3L start dates deferred until January 19, 2010; $15k stipend, benefits to kick in September, 2009		Above the Law
White & Case		60% of 3L start dates deferred until 2010; remaining 40% will start November, 2009		Above the Law

Comments

[anonymous]

OMM summer has been shortened to 10 weeks, we all received emails with our start/end dates.

[Cynthia]

Thanks, anonymous. I'll add it to the OMM line item.

[anonymous]

Blank Rome delays starting dates. Details here:

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/41194907.html

[Dutch Oven Guy]

Cool, but this is not a chart. It is a TABLE.

[Cynthia]

Dutch Oven Guy,

You're right. Good eye.

[Insider]

Weil Gotshal deferred start dates 1 month to October 2009.

[anonymous]

Skadden deferred start dates by 1 month, to October 2009 as well. Also, there is an optional deferral program offered to incoming associates with a $55k stipend.
http://abovethelaw.com/2009/03/skadden_deferral_option.php

[sbfy23]

It's Alston & Bird, not Alston Byrd.

[Cynthia]

sbfy23,

You're right. Not sure what I was thinking when I typed that? Creative spelling on my part.

[Deferred and sad]

Locke Lorde deferred to January via abovethelaw.com yesterday

[dude]

how about putting lines into the table?

[guest]

mofo's summer program is only 8 weeks

[Concerned A&O Summer]

What was Allen & Overy's original start date? September 21 doesn't sound like much of a deferral.

Also, if the summer program has been shortened to nine weeks, they have yet to notify us summers. And a search of Allen & Overy on AboveTheLaw does not reveal anything about a shortened A&O summer program, so you want to check your facts.

[Cynthia]

Concerned,

That was an editing error - we've received no information that the summer program has been shortened at Allen & Overy. I'll change the table now. Thanks for pointing it out. I'm not sure what Allen & Overy's exact start date is, but most firms start first years around the end of August/beginning of September.

[cc]

For Clifford Chance, not all of the 3Ls are starting in Oct 2010; 20 are starting in Jan 2010. The Jan associates get $10K; the Oct associates get $40K for the year or $60K if they do public interest.

[Cynthia]

To clarify my response to Concerned's comment: I'm not clear on what Allen & Overy's ORIGINAL start date was, but I believe it to be around late August/early September.

[Concerned A&O Summer]

Thanks, Cynthia. Looking back, I realize my tone may have been a little snarky; for that I apologize. I think I just panicked a little bit when I saw the table.

And I guess I hadn't thought about the fact that A&O could originally have had an August start date. The deferral makes sense now though.

Overall, I think you guys have been doing a great job here, so keep up the good work.

[Cynthia]

Concerned,

No worries at all. I can understand how seeing news that your program has been shortened when you haven't heard a word about it would be panic-inducing. I'm glad you pointed it out to me.

Also: I've noticed a fair number of firms (A&O as well as others) are doing September deferrals - it seems to be something of a mini-trend. If we assume that most of these firms have August start dates, we're looking at a deferral of one to two pay periods. Not sure how effective it will be as a cost-cutting measure, since two pay periods isn't exactly a long time, but maybe firms are thinking it's a way to balance bad PR with payroll savings.

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[Irell]

The information for Irell is incorrect.

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I've noticed a fair number of firms (A&O as well as others) are doing September deferrals - it seems to be something of a mini-trend. If we assume that most of these firms have August start dates, we're looking at a deferral of one to two pay periods. Not sure how effective it will be as a cost-cutting measure

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