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Law360 (April 29, 2020, 6:55 PM EDT ) Six firms, including Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and Covington & Burling LLP, confirmed Wednesday that they have changed their plans for summer associate programs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Five of the six firms — Davis Wright, Covington, Venable LLP, Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP and Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC — said they planned to move ahead with shortened or delayed programs, while Southern California firm Irell & Manella LLP said it will keep its program at 10 weeks but give summer associates the option to start later in the year to increase the amount of time they can spend in person at the firm.
The adjustments add to a growing list of changes to summer associate programs disrupted by COVID-19.
"We are moving forward with our summer program," Kristy Werness, Irell's director of marketing and communications, said in a statement to Law360. "The program will begin on May 18, although we offered each of our incoming summer associates the choice of moving his or her start date to June 8 to increase the amount of time we might be able to spend in person."
Irell's program will start remotely, the firm said.
"We hope to transition to an onsite program at some point, but that will depend on state and local stay-at-home guidelines," Werness said. No matter when they choose to start, summer associates will be paid the full amount they were initially offered, the firm said.
Following a series of cost-cutting announcements on Tuesday, Seattle-based Davis Wright also said it is moving to a shortened, six-week virtual summer associate program.
The program will start on June 15, the firm confirmed Wednesday. The summer associates will be paid for the six-week duration, while offer decisions will be made at the end of the program, a firm spokesperson said.
Washington, D.C.-based Covington is offering an eight-week remote summer program, delaying the start date to June 8, a firm spokesperson told Law360 on Wednesday.
"Depending upon the recommendations of public health officials, we may have an in-person program in July should our offices re-open," the spokesperson said in the statement.
Venable, which is also based in Washington, D.C., confirmed Wednesday that it will not be starting its 10-week summer associate program as planned on May 18, but would not say how it was adjusting the program.
And Fried Frank, which had previously told Law360 that it'd plan to move ahead with the summer associate program, on Wednesday said that it will run a five-week virtual program, from June 29 through July 31.
"It will be virtual and the firm will compensate summers for the same number of weeks that they originally indicated they would work with us," the firm said in a statement to Law360. "The firm's top priority continues to be the safety and wellbeing of the Fried Frank community, including our summer class. We look forward to welcoming them to the firm in June."
Pittsburgh-based Buchanan also said Wednesday that it is shortening its summer associate program to a four-week program starting in July.
"While we expect to welcome our summer associates to our offices in July, we are fully prepared to provide an excellent experience remotely, if need be," CEO and managing director Joseph Dougherty said in a statement.
Buchanan has extended the full-time employment of all its second-year summer associates, Dougherty said. It is also deferring the start of the fall first-year associate class to January 2021.
--Additional reporting by Emma Cueto. Editing by Jay Jackson Jr.
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