Quinn Emanuel to slash summer associate program; savings will go to signing bonuses
A powerhouse litigation firm plans to slash its summer program, announcing in an internal memo Monday that it believes its money can be better spent.
Instead of hiring about 50 summer associates, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan plans to reduce its program to include only five to 10 law students and focus its recruiting efforts on third-years and judicial clerks, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog (sub. req.) reports.
“We will redirect money saved on the summer associate program to signing bonuses for summers, third-year students and judicial clerks who join us on a permanent basis,” partner John Quinn wrote in the email.
He described work assignments for summer associates as “unavoidably unrealistic to a degree,” given the nature of the firm’s trial work, and said the legal eagles the firm wants to recruit “will appreciate our efforts to put more money in their pockets as they come in the door rather than excessively spending on summer programs that many view as a waste of time.”
