Biglaw

Biglaw Firm Skipping Their 2021 Summer Associate Program In Response To COVID-19

First Biglaw firm to forego this year's summer program.

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With the COVID-19 appreciation bonuses sweeping Biglaw, it’s easy to think the legal industry escaped the economic turmoil of the last year unscathed. And, while it is certainly true that, on balance, the legal industry did better than most, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

Indeed, lots of people in the legal industry lost their jobs during the raging pandemic. One firm that made news for their layoffs — not just staff layoffs, but associate ones as well — is Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr. A 2017 merger brought together Saul Ewing and Arnstein & Lehr to create the obviously named Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, and the firm seemed poised for growth, taking the 15th spot in the Vault ranking of most prestigious Mid-Atlantic firms, and ranking 131st on the 2020 Am Law 200 after raking in $239,077,000 in gross revenue in 2019.

But Above the Law has learned the COVID-19 upheaval hasn’t ended with layoffs at the firm. According to tipsters, the firm has communicated to law students interested in their 2021 Summer Program that they will not be hosting one. From the email students are receiving (available in full on the next page):

Unfortunately, given the uncertain nature surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Firm has made the difficult decision not to host a 2021 Summer Program.  The Firm remains committed to hiring excellent law students such as yourself and we hope you will consider keeping in touch and reapplying in the future.

Remember on-campus interviews at most law schools were pushed from the fall to January this year (again because of COVID). So while Saul Ewing is the first we’ve heard doing away with their 2021 summer program (2020 was its own special shit show), who knows what we’ll see before the cycle ends.

We reached out to the firm to ask for a comment on their 2021 Summer Program and a representative provided this statement:

It is not correct that we “canceled” our program. We had not planned to host a summer program in 2021 due to our desire to fully integrate other new lawyers into the firm from the Classes of 2019 and 2020 and the inherent difficulties of running the kind of program that we want in a virtual way. The decision was driven less by “economic upheaval” and more by the genuine desire to focus on our new lawyers, including those who will be first years in the fall, and to avoid a summer program that is in any way less effective than our traditional program because of the remote environment. We fully expect to return to our normal full program in 2022.

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If your firm or organization is cutting their summer program, slashing salaries, closing its doors, or reducing the ranks of its lawyers or staff, whether through open layoffs, stealth layoffs, or voluntary buyouts, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Our vast network of tipsters is part of what makes Above the Law thrive. You can email us or text us (646-820-8477).

headshotKathryn 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).

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