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Law360 (April 9, 2020, 9:41 PM EDT ) Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP on Thursday delivered welcome news to its summer associates, promising to hire them on a full-time basis after they graduate and provide compensation despite challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the firm is still working out the details of the program, which will likely occur as the country continues to grapple with the virus, according to an email obtained by Law360 on Thursday.
In the email, Davis Polk hiring partners Maurice Blanco and Dana Seshens told the 133 associates that they wanted to eliminate uncertainty and anxiety surrounding the summer program, adding that the firm's goal is to still provide a "meaningful summer associate experience."
What that could mean remains up in the air, they said. Planning is ongoing and will evolve "as the COVID-19 crisis necessitates," per the email.
"At this point in time, we are not able to provide further details other than our strong desire to hold our summer program, in whatever form it takes, this year," Blanco and Seshens said.
The announcement comes as a number of other firms have made changes to their summer associate programs, including Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, which this week suspended its program but still vowed to pay associates who had been selected. Meanwhile, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Cooley LLP, Vinson & Elkins LLP, DLA Piper and Sidley Austin LLP have all pushed back start dates to June 1 or later and shortened their summer programs.
In a statement provided to Law360 last week, a Cooley spokesperson said the firm is "confident that, even with a six-week schedule, our summer associates will benefit from high-quality assignments and be able to fully experience the firm's unique culture."
Still, a handful of other firms — like Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, Covington & Burling LLP and Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP — have said they plan to move forward with their programs, though many of the new hires may end up working remotely.
Natasha Harrison, a managing partner at Boies Schiller, told Law360 late last month, "These are unprecedented times, but one of the first things we did was make sure we could honor all our obligations to our summer associates."
Even before the coronavirus pandemic cast a shadow over the future of summer associate classes, BigLaw had been tightening up summer programs, with the average class size falling to 13 in 2019 after years of holding steady at an average of 14. And firms were expected to continue the trend for 2021 classes as they had already feared a potential recession after 10 years of a bull market, according to Michelle Fivel, a recruiter with Major Lindsey Africa.
But some firms are still anticipating a flood of legal work once the economy shifts back into gear, a factor that could mean those firms won't be forced to cut too deeply into future class sizes.
In Thursday's email, Davis Polk asked the summer associates to "bear with us as we work on the details."
"As we consider what is best for the entire Davis Polk community this summer, we want to reinforce the firm's commitment to each of you, to the program and, importantly, our conviction as to the continued long-term growth of our firm," Blanco and Seshens said.
--Additional reporting by Xiumei Dong, Emma Cueto and Natalie Rodriguez. Editing by Daniel King.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.
