biglaw doom & gloom: it's just what we do.

[cynthia]

Good afternoon. As if I opened the floodgates last week by starting our 2010 table of doom (not that I think I'm god, or anything), more firms have announced various cost-cutting measures that put law students and newly minted JDs on the front lines. A few glimpses:

Ballard Spahr, Thompson Hine, and Squire Sanders have all announced that they are canceling their 2010 summer programs. According to ATL, Thompson Hine chose to keep it real classy, not issue any formal announcement, and put the onus on law school recruiting offices to let students know.

Penn Law School sent this email out to its students, to aprise them of various changes in firm involvement in OCI:

"Dear Students, As we near the close of bidding, we wanted to provide you with an update on schedule changes that we received so far today. Akin Gump went from 40 interview slots in NYC and 40 interview slots in DC to 20 interview slots in NYC and 20 interview slots in DC. 

Paul Weiss went from 80 interview slots to 60 interview slots. 

Ballard Spahr will not have a 2010 summer program and, as such, has canceled on campus interviews."

In offer deferral news, we've got Weil Gotshal and White & Case. The former has deferred to 2011 or 2012, according to AmLaw Daily.

"[Weil Gotshal] is giving all of its current summers... the option of deferring their start date from January 2011 until January 2012, and it will pay any summer who chooses the 2012 option a $75,000 stipend and health benefits--provided the summer gets a firm-approved public service job."

White & Case has announced the current summers who are in receipt of offers will be able to join in fall 2011. The firm "fully expects" that "most, if not all" current summers will receive offers. No word on whether or not most, if not all will receive deferral packages.

Despite all this, there's Covington & Burling. Not to gloat and preen, of course, but the firm sent a memo to all its current summers in exultation of the fact that it has no plans to defer and will conduct fall recruiting in a "typically robust" fashion.

I've received some email tips about some other major firms canceling summer programs, so while we look into those, please take a moment and email me about anything you've heard.