Canceled Summer Program Watch: Howard Rice & Eckert Seamans Join the Party
The firms might not be particularly well known, but every time a firm cancels its summer associate program, a 2L angel loses his wings.
Tipsters report that the Pittsburgh-based firm Eckert Seamans let people know it was canceling its 2010 summer program on its website:
The firm is not actively recruiting law students at this time.
The firm did not respond to our request for immediate comment. But sources report that interested 2Ls shouldn’t waste the time sending in a resume.
After the jump, let’s check in with Howard Rice.
Earlier this week, Howard Rice decided to cancel its 2010 summer program as well. Some students grumbled that Howard Rice made the decision after OCI bidding had closed.
But what is really surprising is that Howard Rice decided to cancel its summer program after noting an uptick in business. Here is the official statement from Howard Rice:
Our firm has decided not to have a summer associate program in 2010. We have seen a substantial increase in business over the last quarter, and we are cautiously optimistic that the economy has improved. However, the future is never certain, and we already expect large incoming associate classes in 2010 and 2011. One of the hallmarks of our firm is that every lawyer who comes to Howard Rice is given interesting work right from the very beginning, and is constantly challenged with new and exciting work. We believe that the best way to ensure that tradition continues is to take a one-year break from our summer program. We continue to value our strong relationships with the schools at which we recruit, and we look forward to going back on campus next fall.
Luckily for 2Ls, firms that have decided to skip a year of recruiting are still in the minority.
Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of Canceled Summer Programs — 2010
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firsty
firsty
PittsburgH Has an "h" at tHe end of it.
HAHAHAHA
"request for immediate comment"?
I know what you are trying to say Elie, but its terrible writing. Do yourself a favor and take some classes.
Maybe I am being too harsh,...is English your second language?
How you like me now?
Pittsburgh has an "h" at the end; Harrisburg does not.
At one point, the Postmaster General ordered towns to "Americanize" their names, and many did. Once the order was rescinded, Pittsburgh put the H back on. Others did not.
The more you know . . . .
Pittsburgh is still the pits.
Maybe it wasn't the postmaster. Some government bureaucrat, no doubt.
heh heh, eckert seamens...
The ship be sinking...
can i haz regular PE column pleeze? kthxbi.
This is turrible. Just turrible.
Seamen does not have an "h" at the end of it.
Lat
5, if you're going to criticize Elie's writing, you should learn to use contractions properly.
Does every Elie post have to turn into a spell/grammar/syntax check? Get some lives, people.
Come on Elie, you can do better than that on the title!
How bought "Eckert Seamens Shoots Blanks" or "No New Commers at Eckert Seamens This Summer" or even "Howard Rice Can't Stand The Pressure Cooker"
How about some fact-checking, guys? Eckert Seamans hasn't had a summer program in five years. There was nothing to cancel.
Follow up to 16: http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202432406996
Former Howard Rice associate here, and this is not a surprise. Howard Rice is like a 70 year old broad who continues to try to dress up and wear makeup to pretend that the glory days are still around. They hurt a lot of people back in the 2002/3 timeframe with stealth layoffs and blackballing and the chickens are coming home to roost. Payback is a bitch, ain't it Larry and Jeff?
Tsk, tsk. Improper use of "let's" in this post. Should be "lets".
7 -- You've obviously never been to Pittsburgh. It's a cool town.
With all these cancellations, I am sure you young bucks yearn for hybrid tough love.
I can't speak for my brother's firm, but my firm will be taking in at least two summer vagabonds...uh, associates in 2010. Resumes should be sent to my recruiting coordinator, RoryShackleford at gmail dot com.
19 = epic fail.
19, if you were trying to be ironic, kudos to you. If not, your comment is a legendary fail.
Same goes to 15.
For those whinging about grammar, head over to the sister site famous for the annoying grapes ad, and clap your eyes on some truly and wilfully pathetic grammar. I don't see interminable rants there regarding the possible relationship of bad grammar to the authors' parentage and whether more competent people might have taken their place in graduate school, the junior high summer leadership academy they were rejected for in favor of some allegedly lazy latina, or in line at Quiznos. I know you all are proud of the editorial standards you enforce with iron rule at the Lewis and Clark Journal of Admiralty Law, but please cut it out.
Howard Rice has been slowly sinking for a few years. That place is done. Their rates are too high and the firm's partners don't bring in enough business. But hey, they only hire people in the top 10% at Hastings, which makes up for that.
"Our economy, I think, is still -- the fundamentals of our economy are strong."
This was a long time coming for Eckert Seamans - from what I have heard this has been in the plans for a long time (and isn't really driven by the recession). They haven't seen value in their 1st years. PE would be proud.
Following up on 16 and 17, the sad part is that ATL already acknowledged that ES hasn't had a summer program in years with an earlier post.
http://abovethelaw.com/2009/05/morning_docket_051209.php
"* The Legal Intelligencer has launched a series looking at the way the legal industry is changing. First part of the series gives kudos to Eckert Seamans for recognizing that first-year associates are worthless. [Legal Intelligencer]"
Can't you guys even keep track of your own earlier posts??
16 is correct. You cannot cancel something that never existed.
26 is wrong. Howard Rice-a-roni hasn't been the San Francisco treat for more than a few years. They had a few bright spots with Schwab when the e-broker segment was hot for a year or two and then the PGE bankruptcy, but they are otherwise a non-player, even in the local market. They're under 100 attorneys (they have a bad habit of leaving departed attorneys up on their website for a very long time) and had to whore themselves out to none other than Tower Snow to get back in the news.
Stories about firms no one has ever heard of that are located in places no one wants to go.
QUINN REMAINS
They should change their name to Rice LLP.
Howard Rice? Let's randomly combine two schools' names and make it our law firm. Tulane Emory. Longwood Colgate. Morehouse Vanderbilt.
6, Isn't Obama President now?
Rick Santorum was with Eckert Seamans for awhile after he was done being the dbag senator.
Love how these firms try to talk about giving their newbies "new and exciting work". Yeah right. Someone's gotta do the grunt work, and it sure as hell isn't the partners. Work needs to get done, and firms don't agree to take on cases that only offer "new and exciting work".
Damn right, 38. Damn right.
I'm Barack Obama?
On another note does anybody have an idea when Orrick plans to extend offers?
39 -- I hear Orrick has openings in Wheeling, WV.
Howard Rice = grade snobs with no ability to bring in business
Howard Rice - wondering if they're still willing to pay the hefty SCOTUS clerkship bonus?
Howard Rice = three silent T's.
Re Howard Rice statement - "One of the hallmarks of our firm is that every lawyer who comes to Howard Rice is given interesting work right from the very beginning, and is constantly challenged with new and exciting work."
I call BS - I know a federal appellate clerk, who is a talented writer, who went there and did nothing but doc review for a year and quit.
44, if you're a business dept associate at Howard Rice the interesting work you get is a research assignment on Reg T or some obscure Delaware law issue that has already been done several times, but Rabkin knows his clients will pay for the useless memo that they get in three different iterations over a year or two.
Eckert Seamans uses a TON of contract attorneys. That's how they are avoiding bringing on SA's and 1st years.
PE outbopped the buzzard and the oriole.
I have it on good authority that PE keeps a stable of young boys all named Enrique at his disposal. He supposedly pays them an hourly rate for "companionship."
I am a partner in the Center City office of Eckert Seamans (and also a Superlawyer). I disapprove of articles of this type. Eckert has always grown through laterals, not organically through useless Summer Programs.
I am a partner in the Center City office of Eckert Seamans (and also a Superlawyer). I disapprove of articles of this type. Eckert has always grown through laterals, not organically through useless Summer Programs.