It’s usually an exciting time for both law school graduates and law firms. For one, it’s a chance to take all their dreams about the law and turn it into employment reality. For another, it’s an opportunity to add fresh energy and maybe even a future partner.
But both have been altered by the pandemic, to say the least. Even getting to take the bar exam is in doubt — who ever thought worries about passing the bar would take a back seat to logistics?
What’s a hiring manager to do?
WHEN WILL THE STARTING DATE … START?
Start dates have moved for Fennemore Craig hires, according to Chief Talent Officer Bob Kramer, who oversees attorney recruitment, professional development, onboarding and retention. And even those start dates come with the caveat that they could be nudged further down the road.
“Many law firms are seeing a strong downswing in work,” he says. “They have trouble finding enough work for their employees already in the door, let alone new hires. … We believe in transparency, so we just tell them the truth that a move to a January 1 start date doesn’t mean we’ll be able to do it by then.”
This period has been a huge adjustment for graduates — many who expected to celebrate now must take a wait-and-see approach to multiple parts of their plan.
The Mountain West regional law firm, with offices in Arizona, Nevada and Colorado, is also leaving out the guilt for those who must consider looking elsewhere. “We let them know how much we want them but that we also understand if they ended up taking another opportunity,” he says. “They have loans to pay and bills to pay — it’s a difficult situation.”
As far as the bar goes, many firms will have to wait on certain directives outside their control, but not everyone is in a holding pattern. Luke Malek, Co-owner of business law firm Smith + Malek, says two hires are taking the bar right now in his state, Idaho. At the time of this article’s publication, Utah is even willing to waive the bar exam in some instances. With this ongoing situation, it’s critical to stay informed as each state makes adjustments and to stay in communication with your hires.
