Cooley’s offer to pay incoming first-year corporate associates $100,000 to defer start dates for a year presents an interesting quandary for them—take the money, or work in a different practice group come January.
What should they do? The differing opinions Cooley associates receive—should they ask for them—will leave them feeling as stumped as the toughest question they faced in their bar exam.
Associates should accept the offer to defer, as they now lack leverage over their careers as newly minted law school graduates and soon-to-be-lawyers, said Katherine Loanzon, managing director of Kinney Recruiting. “The current market conditions, unfortunately, don’t give them many choices,” she said.
Associates should consider transitioning to a different practice area or explore alternative opportunities, such as clerkships or in-house roles, said Summer Eberhard, a partner at recruiter Major, Lindsey & Africa. “The importance of starting work sooner rather than later may be worth the effort,” she said.
The differing opinions underscore the challenge Cooley associates face in making up their minds—and the sense of paralysis that threatens those who don’t see a clear path. “I don’t think there’s a clear answer,” said Stephanie Biderman, also a legal recruiter at Major, Lindsey & Africa.
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