Mintz Levin: Defers Class of 2010 to ... 2012

If you spent your summer at Mintz Levin in 2009 and received an offer, congratulations! You must be very proud. Now wrap it up very tightly and put it in a safe place, because you won’t be pulling it out again until 2012. Multiple sources report that Mintz just deferred its 2009 summer associate class to 2012 — but the deferral is to January 2012, so those associates will taste a little bit of Biglaw life before the rapture.
One tipster put it this way:

We just found out that we are not starting until January 2012 at the earliest. This is ridiculous and they said that we still have to wait until April to find out if more information. They say nothing about stipends or salary advances or anything. Only that they will pay for the bar course and bar exam. Please publish this info because we are all pretty freaked out.

I’m not sure how publishing this story will make you less freaked out. I mean, you’re not starting until 2012. It just seems to me that as you sit there and just stare at the numbers, 2-0-1-2, and contemplate just how far away that is, and think about what you could possibly do to fill that time in the middle of a recession — well, if it were me I think having it published would make me more freaked out.
Mintz Levin has confirmed this news. We have a statement from the firm.


Mintz Levin confirmed that 2009 summers — i.e., class of 2010 law school graduates — wouldn’t be starting work until January 2012. The firm wasn’t able to share any information about what (if any) deferral stipend they are considering for the new recruits. Here’s the statement:

Yes, when offers were extended to these incoming associates they were told that a start date had not been set, but that it would be deferred. We recently have notified each of them that they will be starting in January 2012.

You might remember that Weil Gotshal is also deferring some 2009 summers to 2012, but their program is voluntary. And Weil will be offering a stipend. Here’s a flashback to the Weil’s plan, announced back in July:

Earlier today, we informed our 2009 summer associates of the following:
* We are offering each summer associate who receives an offer of permanent employment at the conclusion of this year’s Summer Program the option of deferring his or her start date from January 2011 to January 2012.
* Each incoming associate electing to defer will receive a $75,000 stipend and health care benefits. In order to receive this stipend, the deferring associate must spend 1,000 hours during the deferral year performing some form of Firm-approved public service work in the US or abroad, including interning for a judge, or working for a Firm client.
* An incoming associate may decide to travel or take a paid position during the deferral year. The Firm will only pay the stipend to those people doing public service work. However, the Firm will provide health care benefits to all deferring associates.

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And, as 2009 Cravath summers know, not every firm is looking for a way to delay the arrival of the class of 2010. Cravath recently announced that it would be holding a lottery to allow some people to start on time.
Maybe Mintz will reconsider and move up the start date of some of its 2009 summers, provided that 2010 goes well? But in the meantime, Mintz offerees with have to put their Biglaw dreams on hold.
Earlier: Weil Gotshal Defers Current Summer Associates to 2011 or 2012
Cravath ‘Un-Defers’ Some in Class of 2010 via Lottery System

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