Thoughts on Alternatives to Canceling Summer Programs
Since writing that summer programs should be canceled, Hugh Simons has heard of alternative suggestions such as shortened programs or advance pay. He offers his take on those options.
April 06, 2020 at 02:58 PM
3 minute read
Editor's note: This is a follow up to a piece the author wrote urging firms to cancel summer programs. That piece has also generated opposing views, captured here.
In a piece last week, I made the case for firms to cancel their summer programs. In brief, I argued to cancel the program and offer would-have-been summer associates full-time positions for when they graduate. The piece struck a chord, garnering an unusual number of responses (for which, many thanks, and please keep them coming). I believe two particular ideas from the responses are worth sharing: one on helping students financially, the second on running a shortened program.
I heard from a Fordham 2L bound for a top-tier firm in New York. He observed that the program's cancellation would be a financial hit (no surprise) but went on to offer a practical solution (yes, this guy has good lawyerly instincts). He suggested firms offer a salary advance to those would-have-been summers who accept their full-time positions.
I don't believe law schools would see this as an inappropriate inducement. James Leipold, Executive Director at the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), informed me that NALP doesn't have a position on this particular idea, adding "This situation is unprecedented, and it will have a disparate impact on different firms. NALP does not believe there is one solution that will serve all firms."
There is precedent for salary advances to delayed new associates. It was offered by firms who pushed off the arrival of the Class of 2010 to January 2011. Back then, the common structure was $10,000, offset from salary over the first year at the firm. This time, one could see offering something like one-third to a half of what the summers would have earned if the program had operated as normal.
The second idea I heard quite a bit was running a shortened program, with some suggesting halving its duration, and even more suggesting curtailing it to just two weeks. As mentioned in the original piece, it's hard for me to imagine how having associates around during what portends to be a difficult summer will be of benefit to anyone.
My sense is that the shortened program suggestions are born of a desire to project stability and of not wanting to appear to overreact. I believe canceling is simply prudent. These are strange times. As a Roger Federer fan, I was saddened to see Wimbledon canceled. If in response to the virus the All England Lawn Tennis Club can cancel this centerpiece of the summer sporting calendar for the first time since the second world war, then Big Law can forego its signature summer programs.
Hugh A. Simons Ph.D. is formerly a senior partner and executive committee member at The Boston Consulting Group and chief operating officer and policy committee member at Ropes & Gray. Early retired, he now researches and writes about the business side of law firms and does some consulting for old friends. He encourages reader reactions at [email protected].
|This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllFrom ‘Deep Sadness’ to Little Concern, Gaetz’s Nomination Draws Sharp Reaction From Lawyers
7 minute readDechert 'Spark Tank' Competition Encourages Firmwide Innovation Focus
Akerman Opens Charlotte Office With Focus on Renewable Energy, Data Center Practices
4 minute readLaw Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1The Growing PFAS Morass: Why Insurance Should Cover These Products Liability Claims
- 2Dallas Jury Awards $98.65M in Botham Jean Killing by Dallas Officer
- 3In Talc Bankruptcy, Andy Birchfield Skipped His Deposition. Could He Face Sanctions?
- 4Pharmaceutical Patents: Benefits and Challenges
- 5Where Do Web-Tracking Class Actions Belong? 8th Circuit Weighs the Issue
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250