Beachcroft has deferred a number of trainees who were due to start their training contract at the firm this September.

Ten of the 29 trainees from the firm's September intake have agreed to defer for one year, while four more are likely to take paralegal roles – including one in Auckland and another with a Beachcroft client – before commencing their training contract in one year's time.

The decision will have a knock-on affect on Beachcroft's September 2011 and 2012 intakes, with the firm now expecting to fill its 2012 trainee places with deferrals.

As a result, the applications process for 2012 training contracts has been closed, while the firm has also cancelled the vacation placement scheme which was due to run in June and July this year.

The news, first reported on RollonFriday, comes after the firm recruited a number of qualified lawyers over the past year.

A Beachcroft spokesperson commented: "The firm has had a solid year and has continued to invest in its core areas. As part of this investment we have recruited significant numbers of qualified lawyers into certain teams. Furthermore, and more importantly, the way in which we deliver work in some areas of our business is changing. This is a development which will be reflected across the legal profession over the next few years and we are very much at the forefront of this change.

"This does not mean that we will no longer have a requirement for solicitors or that they will not have a fulfilling career with us but we feel we need to consolidate our position now regarding newly-qualified opportunities in the coming 12-24 months."

Last month Beachcroft announced increased revenue and profits for 2009-10, while the firm also recently signed an outsourcing deal with Williams Lea which could see staff from the firm's regional offices transferred over to the business process outsourcing company.

In addition, in May the firm announced that it has delayed its partner promotions round until November this year, a decision the firm said was taken following a period of significant investment which has seen the addition of 13 new partners in recent months.