Triple Bad News for Law Students: Three Firms Ax Summer Associate Programs
Law students got some bad news from their career services offices today: Three law firms have canceled their 2010 summer associate programs.
Above the Law had the report, based on e-mail announcements forwarded to the blog from students at two law schools. The law firms canceling the programs are Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, Squire Sanders and Thompson Hine, according to the report.
Two e-mails sent to students at Duke Law School carried news of the canceled summer programs at Thompson Hine and Squire Sanders, Above the Law says. One e-mail said Squire Sanders “will re-evaluate their summer needs this spring,” but the firm is currently canceling student interviews.
The Duke e-mail quoted Thompson Hine as saying its recruiting needs for the next cycle have already been met, and it won’t be participating in on-campus interviews or collecting resumés.
An e-mail to students sent by the University of Pennsylvania Law School says Ballard Spahr “will not have a 2010 summer program and, as such, has canceled on campus interviews.”
Ballard Spahr later released this statement to the ABA Journal. “In view of our obligation to manage our firm in a responsible way, we have decided not to have a summer associates program in 2010. We are very pleased to have a new class of associates that will join us in the fall of 2010 and will make offers to this year’s summer associates to start in 2011. It would be unfair to have a summer associates program next year in light of the people to whom we have made commitments. If there are exceptional needs in a non-Philadelphia office, we will consider appropriate hires.”
Another law firm, Morgan Lewis & Bockius, announced cancellation of its summer associate program last week.
Updated at 7:20 p.m. to include statement from Ballard Spahr.
