COVID-19 keeps on messing up… everything. And with a whole mess of states not even close to controlling the outbreak, well, it isn’t going to end any time soon.
In normal times, the Biglaw year has a certain rhythm to it. The Summer Associates start in June, on-campus recruitment starts in August, the class of new associates begin in September/October after they’ve taken the July bar exam… but the coronavirus has thrown a wrench into all of this. Sumer programs — to the extend they’re happening — have been thrown into chaos, and are mostly happening online. My colleague Joe Patrice has made a veritable cottage industry out of writing about how various states are changing (or not, yikes) the bar exam to deal with this new reality.
Now we’re focusing on when Biglaw firms will welcome their newest class of associates. Since firms are taking distinct approaches, it’s appropriate to start a chart to track exactly which firms are doing what.
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As always, our vast network of tipsters is part of what makes Above the Law thrive. If you have any additional information about new associate start dates, please let us know. We’ll be updating this chart daily. You can email us or text us (646-820-8477).
| Firm Name | Start Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alston & Bird | January 2021 | $7,500 stipend, paid out over four months. |
| Arnold & Porter | January 25, 2021 | Optional $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 loan repaid through paycheck deductions. |
| Baker Botts | 2021 | |
| Baker Hostetler | January 2021 | |
| Baker McKenzie | January 25, 2021 | |
| Ballard Spahr | January 2021 | |
| Benesch Friedlander | February 2021 | |
| Bryan Cave | January2021 | Fall stipend. |
| Cadwalader | January 2021 | $12,500 total stipend. |
| Clark Hill | January 2021 | |
| Cleary | January 2021 | The firm will increase the salary advance from $10,000 to $20,000. |
| Clifford Chance | No earlier than January 15, 2021 | |
| Cravath | October and November 2020 | |
| Crowell & Moring | January 2021 at the earliest. | |
| Cozen O’Connor | January 2021 | |
| Davis Polk | “We do not expect your start dates to be any earlier than October 2020” | $10,000 salary advance. |
| Debevoise | September 21 or October 19, 2020 | Associates in the NY office are not expected to go to the office immediately, but are expected to work from a quiet location from at least 8:45 am to 7:00 pm during orientation. |
| Dentons | January 2021, “with the option to begin earlier as client demands require.” | |
| Dickinson Wright | January 2021 | |
| DLA Piper | January 2021 | Additional $7,500 salary advance available. |
| Duane Morris | January 2021 | Additional stipend of $7,500. |
| Eversheds Sutherland | January 2021 | |
| Faegre Drinker | No earlier than January 4, 2021 | |
| Fish & Richardson | January 19, 2021 | Additional $10,000 stipend. |
| Foley & Lardner | February 1, 2021 | The firm will offer a second salary advance of $10,000 to be distributed in October. |
| Fox Rothschild | January 2021 | |
| Freshfields | October 19, 2020 | |
| Hogan Lovells | January 4, 2021 | |
| Holland & Knight | January 29, 2021 | Additional stipend of $10,000. |
| Hughes Hubbard & Reed | January 29, 2021 | Additional stipend of $10,000. |
| Jones Day | November 9th | $10,000 salary advance. |
| Katten | February 1, 2021 | Additional $20,000 stipend. |
| Kilpatrick Townsend | January 19, 2021 | Additional stipend of $12,000. |
| K&L Gates | February 1, 2021 | Fall stipend to be made available. |
| Kramer Levin | January 2021 | $8,000 interest free loan available. |
| Manatt, Phelps & Phillips | January 11, 2021 | |
| Mayer Brown | January 2021 | $15,000 deferral stipend, Benefits covered starting in October. |
| McDermott | Option of October 2020 or January 2021 | |
| McGuire Woods | November 2, 2020 | Salary advances available. |
| Milbank | October 12, 2020 and a date in January 2021 | Associate option on start date. Associates do not have to arrange housing near office at this time. Notice will be provided before new associates are required to be physically in the office. |
| Munger Tolles & Olson | 2021 | Salary advance is up to $25,000 for incoming associates. |
| Nixon Peabody | February 2021 | Deferred fall associates will receive a $10,000 salary advance. |
| Orrick | January 2021 | Additional stipend of $10,000 as well as a stipend to purchase health insurance coverage for the period of September 1, 2020 through January 1, 2021 through COBRA or in the marketplace. |
| Paul Weiss | “Our best estimate is that we will be able to welcome you to start at Paul, Weiss in the late fall.” | |
| Pillsbury | January 2021 | $5,000 additional stipend October through December 2020. |
| Proskauer | November 2020 | Will pay for secondary UBE bar registration, subject to approval. |
| Reed Smith | January 2021 | Associates “will receive a stipend for the Fall 2020, paid bar exam and study costs as planned, and will receive health insurance beginning in September 2020.” |
| Seyfarth Shaw | January 2021 | |
| Shearman & Sterling | January 2021 | |
| Simpson Thacher | Mid-late January 2021 | Contingent on associates taking the bar exam. Associates may received up to a $20,000 salary advance. |
| Squire Patton Boggs | January 2021 | |
| Thompson & Knight | January 2021 | |
| Troutman Pepper | January 2021 | The firm “will provide our entry-level associate class with financial assistance to help defray living expenses and costs associated with taking and studying for the bar exam this fall, as well as the ability to enroll in the firm’s health insurance plan.” |
| Vedder Price | January 2021 | |
| Venable | Early 2021 | $10,000 salary advance to be given. |
| Wachtell | October 5 and November 9 | Paid time off for those that have to take the February bar. Paid expenses for another UBE jurisdiction. |
| Willkie Farr | Early 2021 | |
| Winston & Strawn | February 1, 2021 | Paid expenses for another UBE jurisdiction. |
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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).