Economic woes affecting young lawyers just starting out - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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and recently deferred the start-dates of thei first-year associates for one year but will pay them a stipenx to work with public interest legalp organization or another professional development Law school career planning administrators said those two firmws have been proactive in helpinb students line upappropriate jobs. Other largs firms such as Blanl Rome, , , and have delayed start dates untilk atleast January. said this week that its 63-personj first-year class will start in three equalwavesx — fall 2009, March 2010 and fall 2010. Firmas such as , , and have yet to announce such plans.
Thers is also the dilemma for locao law students who were set to startg their careers at Wolf which voted to dissolvelast month. Melissa Lennon, assistant dean for career planningat ’s Beasley School of Law, said she is advising affecteds students to focus on studyintg for the July state bar examinations. “Doing a full-tim e job search when you are studying for the bar is too much of a Lennon said. “So we will see what’s availablwe after that. We need to see what the worldd will looklike then.
” Heather Frattone, associate dean for careeer planning and placement at Law talked to third-year students abou t using professional development resources as well as optionx for securing health insurance and repaying hefty law schoool loans. ’s Earle Mack School of Law is readying its firsty graduating class for the slowjob market. Unlike the othefr schools, Drexel Law cannot tap into alumni as Amy Montemarano, assistant dean of career and professionao development, said the school has a handful of students affecte by the deferrals.
They have secured a wide range of She said one will travel to South Africaq to handle human rights Another will work in the DelawareAttorney General’s Office in the childs advocate division. But she said theree are fewer job opportunities in city governmenr because of thebudget crisis. the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office rescindeds its offers to its incoming classof entry-level prosecutors.
Legal publicd interest organizations would clearly like to add the But some would like them for a year and only those from Morgan Lewis and Ballard Spahr can commit to such a Many of those students might not be locak and could choose to take a job close neartheif hometowns, where they might choose to live with thei parents to save money. Frank executive director for Support Centerr forChild Advocates, whicj helps abused and neglected childre n in Philadelphia, said his organization could take two students. Whil e there is no singular clearinghouse, he said the ’s Delivery of Legal Services Committee has takenn a lead inthat area.
Publicx interest organizations fill out a surve saying how many they want and forhow long. Cervone said the law graduated will handle child abuse cases and providde backup to the more than 300 activw volunteer lawyers the agency uses at anyone