Bass, Berry & Sims Delays Start Date for New Associates (1)

Nashville-founded law firm Bass, Berry & Sims has delayed the start date for its incoming first-year class to January from September and offering stipends to affected attorneys.

The firm, which has roughly 300 lawyers across offices in Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville and Washington DC, is the first firm known to be implementing a delay after several took the step during a post-pandemic downturn.

“The decision to start our incoming class in January is purely based on a professional development strategy aimed at best positioning both our incoming class and our current junior associates for long-term success,” said Kerry Price, chief strategy officer at Bass, Berry & Sims.

Firms that imposed delays post-pandemic included Perkins Coie, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Cooley and Fenwick & West. The firms delayed the start dates for their fall 2023 classes until January 2024.

While there might be some delays from other firms, Atlanta-based Major, Lindsey & Africa recruiter Rebecca Glatzer said doesn’t see it happening broadly across the legal industry this year.

“I don’t think this is a ‘canary in the coalmine’ situation,” Glatzer said. It could be an instance of right-sizing as law firms make decisions about class size years in advance and some firms are still dealing with the over-hiring in 2021, she said.

“I continue to see an uptick in needs across the South and Southeast since the beginning of the year, which is an indicant of a healthy market,” she said.

Price said Bass, Berry & Sims developed its strategy as its transactional practices see an uptick in activity during a nationwide rebound in demand.

“Our junior associates will benefit from a few additional months of direct experience leading and managing the interesting variety of transactional matters before us,” Price said. “This is a chance to elevate our current associates now while simultaneously looking forward to continued opportunities when the next class joins in January.”

Nashville has been one of the centers of consolidation in the legal industry over the last year. Holland & Knight completed its merger with Nashville-headquartered Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis in March. New Orleans-founded Phelps Dunbar and Farris Bobango, with offices in Memphis and Nashville, combined in February, creating a law firm of about 400 lawyers.