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Law360 (April 22, 2020, 9:29 PM EDT ) Fox Rothschild LLP, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Shearman & Sterling LLP are the latest law firms to confirm they are changing their summer associate programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shearman is considering either shortening or postponing its summer program, and has decided to defer all bonuses and pay increases, according to a firm official, who noted that most of the firm's promotions in 2020 occurred in January.
"We're doing everything we can to take care of our people and to assist our clients and our communities," said David Beveridge, a senior partner with the firm. "We're enacting a number of changes at the firm which will allow us to manage the firm effectively and then emerge from this crisis in a positive position."
Fox Rothschild is planning to hold either a fully virtual or a hybrid summer program, depending on when the firm is able to operate again from its offices, said Zoe Shore, a spokeswoman for the firm. As of now, Fox Rothschild expects the majority will be virtual, she said.
Cleary has yet to decide on the start date for its summer associate program, but knows that nothing will occur on site before July 6, according to the firm. A virtual start may commence before then for the program, which typically kicks off in May, according to the firm.
The news follows a slew of announcements from other firms about their own summer associate programs.
On Tuesday, Baker McKenzie, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP and Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP confirmed rollbacks to their programs. Baker McKenzie said it has decided on a shorter virtual program, Morgan Lewis said its program will be remote and run from June 1 through July 10, and Kilpatrick Townsend is preparing for a six-week program to start on June 22. Morgan Lewis plans to pay its summer class for the full 10 weeks despite the now-shortened duration.
On Monday, Latham & Watkins LLP and McDermott Will & Emery LLP were among four firms that announced adjustments to their summer programs.
Over the past week, Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, Hogan Lovells, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP also confirmed they planned to delay the start dates of their summer programs.
--Additional reporting by Michele Gorman, Xiumei Dong and Emma Cueto. Editing by Michael Watanabe.
Update: This article has been updated to include further information on Morgan Lewis' adjustments to its program.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.
