Hires Fresh From Law School Start Late on Pandemic Uncertainty

Most law school graduates hired as first-year associates will start work after the new year, months later than usual because of uncertainties from the coronavirus pandemic, a survey released Wednesday said.

Of firms surveyed, 55.2% said the start date was January or February, according to the National Association for Law Placement. By comparison, 41.6% planned to bring first-year associates on board in the last four months of 2020, and 3.2% hadn’t decided when the new hires will begin.

The survey is another indication of how the coronavirus pandemic has upset norms in the legal industry. Third-year law students typically ...