It has not been a great offer season for firms in Philadelphia. Yesterday, we learned that Morgan Lewis & Bockius offered only 27.5% of its summer class.

The news coming out of Pepper Hamilton isn’t quite as bad. But it is not great. Multiple tipsters report that Pepper Hamilton made offers to seven summers, out of 13 people its summer program.

Last year, the firm brought on 38 summers and made offers to 30. Some of our tipsters expressed concern that Pepper significantly reduced the size of its summer program, but still couldn’t find offers for everybody:

There were only a dozen of us. If they didn’t need all of us, why bring us on for the summer? You’d think a major law firm would have better counting skills.

It’s a cautionary tale for 2Ls interviewing with law firms now. Just because firms are reducing the size of their summer programs, it doesn’t mean that the firms are planning on giving offers to all of their 2010 summer associates.

Earlier: Nationwide No Offer Watch: Rocky Balboa Division Blank Rome and Pepper Hamilton
Morgan Lewis No Offer Follow Up

As we mentioned earlier this week, it looks like firms are taking a small break from layoffs to focus on people who aren’t even employed yet. 3Ls who hoped to start working this fall and 2Ls who dream about summer lunches in bunches continue to be sorely disappointed.

The latest firm to push back start dates for incoming first years is Squire Sanders. The firm confirmed the news earlier today. A firm spokesperson released this statement to Above the Law:

We moved start dates to January 19, 2010. As we have advised those affected by our decision, while this is unwelcome news, we know you are aware of the unprecedented challenges facing businesses around the world, including law firms. Though we believe our firm is well positioned in the long term to deal with the current severe economic downturn, we are not immune from it. Our client base remains a very strong one, and we are actively pursuing and achieving new opportunities. We hope to emerge from this economic downturn as an even stronger firm.

Squire Sanders was one of the original gangsters on the salary freeze front. But this time, they are rolling right along with many firms that have already pushed back start dates.

After the jump, we move onto the 2Ls.

Our continuing coverage of no offers suggests that a 90% offer rate is actually outstanding. Today we have news from two more firms that fell short of 90% but still made offers to the majority of their 2008 summer associates.

Our tipsters were right on the money with the information that Blank Rome no offered 4 summer associates out of a class size in the mid-20s. According to Blank Rome spokesperson Topper Ray:

Our 2008 summer associate class was comprised of 28 summer associates -24 2L’s and 4 1L’s. 20 out of 24 2L’s received offers.

Ray also confirmed that the 4 1Ls received invitations to summer with the firm next year.

In this market an 83% offer rate isn’t terrible, even though Blank Rome was able to extend offers to all of their 2007 summer associates.

The news was a little worse at another Philadelphia powerhouse, Pepper Hamilton. According to Pepper Hamilton spokesperson Polly Coxe:

In 2008, Pepper Hamilton extended offers to 20 of 27 summer associates in Philadelphia (two students withdrew from consideration before we made offer decisions). Firm-wide, we made offers to 30 of 38 summer associates. This is approximately the same number of offers we extended the past two years.

More from the streets of Philadelphia after the jump.