US firm Wildman Harrold has retracted the job offers it made to ten of its new associates.
The American Lawyer reports that the Chicago firm first deferred the start date for its 14 new joiners, and then told ten of them that they couldn't start at all. Charming. Nor will the intake rise any time soon - it also announced that it had only offered jobs in autumn 2010 to four out of 17 summer interns jobs. A spokesman for the firm said that "we have concluded that it is in the best interest of our firm and our clients to restructure our recruiting efforts with a focus on a smaller class of first-year lawyers, and an increased focus on recruiting for experienced laterals and staff attorney".*
Retracting that number of job offers is brutal - even Shoosmiths stopped short of terminating the contracts of its new joiners. But at least it doesn't seem to be illustrative of a wider problem. Whilst Wildman Harrold was doing over its staff, local competitor Katten Muchin Rosenman was asking six of its deferred new joiners to start early. Sidley Austin and Mayer Brown also asked people to start early the same last month, and in the UK A&O called in some of its trainees from the beach.
*Translation: "we can make much far more money beasting paralegals on low level work than paying full time attorneys a living wage."
Tip Off ROF
The American Lawyer reports that the Chicago firm first deferred the start date for its 14 new joiners, and then told ten of them that they couldn't start at all. Charming. Nor will the intake rise any time soon - it also announced that it had only offered jobs in autumn 2010 to four out of 17 summer interns jobs. A spokesman for the firm said that "we have concluded that it is in the best interest of our firm and our clients to restructure our recruiting efforts with a focus on a smaller class of first-year lawyers, and an increased focus on recruiting for experienced laterals and staff attorney".*
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Harrold! |
Retracting that number of job offers is brutal - even Shoosmiths stopped short of terminating the contracts of its new joiners. But at least it doesn't seem to be illustrative of a wider problem. Whilst Wildman Harrold was doing over its staff, local competitor Katten Muchin Rosenman was asking six of its deferred new joiners to start early. Sidley Austin and Mayer Brown also asked people to start early the same last month, and in the UK A&O called in some of its trainees from the beach.
*Translation: "we can make much far more money beasting paralegals on low level work than paying full time attorneys a living wage."