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First came the Biglaw layoffs, and now come the Biglaw recruitment problems.
Just a few weeks ago, people were pretty confident that the lateral recruitment process would go on as usual, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s come to a grinding halt at some Biglaw firms. Law.com International has the details:
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A spokesperson at Slaughters said in a statement to Law.com International’s Legal Week: “Given current circumstances, we have paused recruitment processes while ensuring we have the right resources in place to help our clients through the current challenges.”
Meanwhile fellow Magic Circle firm Linklaters is “pausing all bar the most essential recruitment” as a result of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, a spokesperson confirmed to Legal Week. …
Meanwhile a person with knowledge of the situation said CMS has also halted its associate recruitment program. A person at the firm said the firm is currently progressing “some key hires” but has stopped recruitment that was in the early stages. The person added that there will be a “higher bar” for new approval of hires.
Meanwhile, firms like White & Case and Bird & Bird are both reevaluating their associate hiring amid the uncertainty that’s been caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Perhaps Biglaw will circle back to associate recruiting in a few months, but for the time being, if you were hoping to leave your firm, you may be waiting for a while.
Slaughters, Linklaters Halt Associate Recruitment Amid Pandemic Disruption [Law.com International]
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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.