Biglaw

Not All Biglaw Firms Are Pushing Their First-Year Start Dates Into 2021

A handful that we know of are starting remotely this fall -- and one firm is even onboarding associates in person.

By Staci Zaretsky on October 19, 2020 11:44 am

Biglaw firms across the country have delayed the start dates of their incoming associates to January 2021 (or later) out of an abundance of caution thanks to the coronavirus. At the time these announcements were made, remote work was still new and we were in a state of economic upheaval. Now that almost a year has passed, these COVID accommodations are no longer so novel and there’s plenty of of work to be had. That said, several firms have decided to start their first-years remotely in 2020 — and one is even bringing its freshmen attorneys into the office.

Biglaw firms that are onboarding their incoming associates in 2020 include:

  • Fenwick & West
    • Start date of October 19
  • Goodwin Procter
    • Start date of October 19
  • Latham & Watkins
    • Start date in late October/early November
  • McDermott Will & Emery
    • Start date of October 14 or January 2021 (up to associates)
  • McGuireWoods
    • Start date in November — in person, if possible
  • Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
    • Start date sometime in November

UPDATE (1:00 p.m.): Sources tell us Kirkland & Ellis is doing remote onboarding for first-years in New York today. Locke Lord also started first years today as well. Jones Day will start its first-years nationwide on November 9 (whether they’ll be remote or not is a different story).

The American Lawyer has more information on what’s going on at McGuireWoods:

The firm has been working at a roughly 30% occupancy rate as of late, said managing partner Tracy Walker. Much like its hybrid summer associate program, the policy in completely voluntary, Walker added.

“We have these 40 new people coming in, and like our summer associates we want an environment where they can excel,” Walker said. “Working remotely in teams is a lot easier when the team [members] know each other.”

Walker added that the firm made the decision in May to start its associates in the fall, after projecting its finances in the depths of the pandemic-induced recession. He said it was important that associates had the certainty and job security to hold them steady through the extremely uncertain summer.

Does Walker have any concerns about starting new associates in person? “Looking back now in mid-October, I believe we made the right decision,” he said.

We know that more than half of the Am Law 100 will be bringing in their first-year associates come January or later. But will these first-years hosted remotely or in person? What is your firm up to? Please email us at [email protected] or text us at (646) 820-8477 to let us know.

As Others Delay, These Firms Proceed With First-Year Onboarding ‘At a Distance’ [American Lawyer]

Staci ZaretskyStaci 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.