Some of the UK's largest law firms are reviewing their graduate recruitment practices in the wake of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) last week confirming that it would be withdrawing its support for the graduate recruitment code at the end of this month.

Linklaters is one of five UK top 20 firms looking at the issue following the SRA's decision to abandon the voluntary code, which advises that training contracts should not be offered to students before 1 September in their final year of undergraduate study.

Eversheds and DAC Beachcroft have committed to leaving their graduate recruitment policies unchanged, rather than bringing recruitment forward to hire potential trainees at an earlier stage, as would be possible outside the code.

Linklaters has come out in support of the code and is currently investigating how it can stay in line with the agreement without the SRA's involvement. Herbert Smith Freehills, Addleshaw Goddard, Ashurst and DWF have all confirmed that they are considering their policies in light of the SRA's move. Pinsent Masons said it did not expect its recruitment practices would be impacted.

A spokesperson for Hogan Lovells said it was "early days", but that it plans to contribute to the ongoing debate through two of the other three signatories to the code alongside the SRA – the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) and the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).

The regulator's withdrawal has prompted concerns that firms could start recruiting trainees from a younger pool of talent. It had previously not been expected to impact on this year's recruitment cycle, which ends on 1 September; however, the SRA confirmed last week that it would withdraw from the code from the end of March.

The AGCAS and the final signatory to the code, the Junior Lawyers Division, had previously urged the SRA to reconsider its decision over concerns that it would trigger a rush of inexperienced recruits. 

The SRA explained its withdrawal in a statement, saying: "It is not its regulatory role to be involved in deciding the dates and processes by which individual employers and employees make recruitment choices."

Linklaters graduate recruitment partner Simon Branigan said: "Linklaters has always welcomed and adhered to the SRA's voluntary code of good practice in the recruitment of trainees as we feel it is in the best interest of students to be able to evaluate all of their training contract offers at the same time to make fully informed decisions about their career options."

Branigan added that Linklaters is in discussion with other firms, the AGR and the Law Society to determine whether there is "an appetite to continue the code even without the SRA's involvement". A meeting between firms and the AGR is expected to take place in April.

Eversheds said it would continue to recruit in line with the principles of the code. "Eversheds is committed to graduate recruitment that is fair, accessible and enables those seeking a career in the legal profession to make their career choices at an appropriate stage in their academic studies," said Margot King, the firm's head of recruitment and HR projects.

She added that Eversheds would continue operating its graduate recruitment programme "in line with our peers" in a way that does not put "undue pressure" on students to make career decisions too early on.

Meanwhile, a DAC Beachcroft spokesperson said the firm will continue to recruit candidates who are in the final year of their law degree or are completing their Graduate Diploma of Law, adding: "As we currently use a wide net of schools and universities to recruit for both trainee solicitors and legal apprentices, we will not be changing any recruitment practices at this stage."

Half of the UK top 20 declined to comment: Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, DLA Piper, Slaughter and May, Clyde & Co, Simmons & Simmons, Bird & Bird, Berwin Leighton Paisner and Irwin Mitchell. Norton Rose Fulbright was unreachable for comment.