Kirkland & Ellis, Sidley Austin, Baker & Hostetler and other law firms announced this week that they are dramatically shortening their traditional summer associate programs—which are already being held virtually given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Kirkland's program will last two weeks with a June 15 start date, while Sidley's summer associate programs will be at least four weeks long, the firm said Thursday. Sidley's program in New York will start July 6 and end July 31.

Both firms are paying their associates what they were set to receive when the programs were running at full length. Kirkland is extending job offers to associates who graduate from law school in 2021, while associates who graduate in 2022 will be able to participate in next year's program.

Baker & Hostelter, which announced broad cost-cutting measures Thursday, is also slashing the length of its (now virtual) summer associate program, making it four weeks.

Best Best & Krieger, a California-based law firm that represents municipal governments and public agencies, cut its program to two weeks because of the inherent limits of a remote program, said Danielle Sakai, the firm's chief talent officer. A major part of Best's summer program is that the associates attend city council meetings and meet with public officials in person.

"That's not something we can provide safely at this point in time," Sakai said.

With in-person programs already a thing of the past for most firms in 2020, is it even worth the trouble to invite summer associates for such short periods?

Scott Westfahl, a professor of practice and the director of Harvard Law School's executive education program, said the answer is yes.

A two-week virtual program is better than no program at all, he said. Westfahl said a short visit can be useful, noting that law firms in the past have brought past summer associates back for two-week programs designed to reconnect with partners.

"If they are thoughtful about it, [the program] can provide a meaningful experience to build their networks among each other and among the lawyers at the firm," Westfahl said of the firms' efforts.

With Big Law already operating remotely amid the pandemic and shutdown orders across the country, two weeks might be the ideal amount of time, said Nathan Peart, the managing director of Major, Lindsey & Africa's associate practice group.

"It makes sense to condense it. It's very much about the substance over the length," Peart said.

He said meeting the goals of such programs—recruiting new lawyers and building a talent pipeline—are more important than any arbitrary stretch of time. If a firm is smaller, having only a one-week virtual program might even make sense, he added.

"Right now, there is no right or wrong answer," he said.

Westfahl said it's even possible these remote, mini-summer associates can find some meaningful work to do.

"A student could reasonably complete a research memo on a point of law in a two-week time frame," Westfahl said. "It'll take some preplanning and organization to identify the work projects that can be done in a two-week period."

Sakai said her firm will use the two weeks to get to know its summer associates and teach them about other aspects of the business of law that aren't normally covered, like practice management, law firm financials and the importance of marketing.

"Two weeks felt like the right amount," Sakai said. It would allow the summers to get a meaningful experience. We didn't feel it was appropriate to cancel it."

An earlier version of this story reported that Sidley Austin might host summer programs this year that run fewer than four weeks. It was updated after a Sidley spokesperson clarified that summer associates would spend at least four weeks in the firm's virtual program. 

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From Canceled to 'Business as Usual,' Law Firms Go Their Own Way on Summer Associate Programs