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Law360 (May 12, 2020, 9:04 PM EDT ) Jones Day, Allen & Overy LLP and K&L Gates LLP are the latest firms to confirm that they have opted to amend their summer associate programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jones Day will begin its summer program on May 18, "with the goal of giving our summer associates a meaningful and multifaceted experience akin to the live program originally planned, albeit virtually," said David Petrou, a spokesman for the firm, in an email to Law360 on Tuesday.
Jones Day plans to extend offers at the end of the program to qualifying participants, as it does annually, he said.
Allen & Overy's program is slated to begin on June 22 and run for six weeks, with participants still receiving 10 weeks' worth of pay, the firm confirmed on Tuesday.
K&L Gates will shorten its summer associate program to three weeks and conduct it virtually, the firm confirmed on Monday.
Ballard Spahr LLP and Thompson Hine LLP also confirmed Monday that they have postponed their summer associate programs. Ballard Spahr shortened its program from nine to six weeks and pushed back its start date to June 15, while Thompson Hine said it postponed its start date to July 7 to increase the likelihood of "face-to-face" interactions.
Ballard Spahr was supposed to start this year's summer program on May 26, while Thompson Hine had an initial start date set in early June.
"Our summer program has been and remains a critical part of the firm's growth strategy and source of lawyers who contribute immediately to the firm," Ballard Spahr chairman Mark Stewart said in a statement to Law360. "The structure of the program has changed by necessity, but our commitment to it has not diminished."
--Additional reporting by Xiumei Dong. Editing by Jay Jackson Jr.
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