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Law360 (May 18, 2020, 8:00 PM EDT ) King & Spalding LLP, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLP on Monday confirmed changes to their summer associate programs as the legal industry continues to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While King & Spalding's virtual program will only run for two weeks in July, the firm said it will pay participants for the entire time they originally committed to. It has also already extended offers to second-year students to join the firm after graduation and to first-year students to return next summer, according to the firm.
Gibson Dunn's updated program will run for six weeks, but the firm will pay participants for the amount of time they had originally committed to it, according to Pearl Piatt, a spokeswoman for the firm.
"Whether the program will be virtual or in person will depend on local conditions and vary by office, but we still plan to provide the same robust training and work opportunities that are a hallmark of our program," Piatt said.
Willkie's new virtual program will run for six weeks, from June 22 to July 31. The firm will also pay participants for all the weeks they originally committed to, officials said.
Quinn Emanuel's virtual program will begin on June 15 and last for nine weeks, according to the firm. Participants will be paid for the originally scheduled 11-week program, according to Quinn Emanuel.
In recent weeks, many firms have chosen to modify their summer program offerings in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP confirmed that it plans to offer jobs to its summer associates at the same rate as usual, while Fennemore Craig PC said it decided to take the unusual approach of starting its shortened program earlier instead of delaying it.
Skadden previously announced that its summer associates could expect their full promised salaries despite the shortened program, which starts June 22 and will run for eight weeks. The firm's decision to delay and shorten the program, while still paying summer associates and providing reassurances about its 2021 hiring plans, is in line with the approach most large firms have taken.
Fennemore Craig, however, told Law360 that while the firm also chose to shorten its program, it has bucked the trend by moving the program's start to an earlier date. The all-remote program began May 11 and will end June 12, the firm said.
--Additional reporting by Emma Cueto. Editing by Emily Kokoll.
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