Prominent Regional Firm To Delay Start Date For First-Year Associates

While some major law firms are handing out summer bonuses, others are delaying start days for incoming associates.

Regional powerhouse Bass, Berry & Sims — a firm with offices in Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, and Washington, D.C. — recently announced that it would be postponing the start date for its new first-year associates, from September to January. Affected lawyers will receive stipends. Bloomberg Law has the scoop:

“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.

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 told Bloomberg. “This is a chance to elevate our current associates now while simultaneously looking forward to continued opportunities when the next class joins in January.”

Best of luck to those impacted by the Bass, Berry & Sims deferral decision.

If your firm or organization is reducing the ranks of its lawyers or staff, whether through deferrals, open layoffs, stealth layoffs, or voluntary buyouts, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Our vast network of tipsters is part of what makes Above the Law thrive. You can email us or text us (646-820-8477). Thank you for your assistance.

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Bass, Berry & Sims Delays Start Date for New Associates [Bloomberg Law]

Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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