Top law firms are starting to delay start dates for summer associate programs. Here's everything we know so far.

REUTERS/Noah Berger

First-year law student Christopher Healy studies in Doe Library at the University of California at Berkeley in Berkeley, California .

• Three top law firms have delayed the start dates of their summer associate programs, Business Insider has learned.
• U.S. law firm Sidley Austin, along with Canada law firms Torys LLP and Stikeman Elliott, all now have June, instead of May, start dates.
• We're compiling a list of what top law firms are doing with their summer associate programs, so please feel free to reach out and tell us what you know.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Three top law firms are delaying the start dates of their summer associate programs because of the spread of the novel coronavirus, Business Insider has learned.

U.S. law firm Sidley Austin, along with Canada law firms Torys and Stikeman Elliott, all now have June start dates instead of May.

Other law firms including Paul Weiss, Quinn Emanuel and Littler Mendelson were still assessing the situation as of Wednesday, according to representatives at those firms, but more are likely to delay, according to law firm advisers.

"Candidly, we are still evaluating how (and for how long) we could give these developing professionals a meaningful 'experience' if we remain in a remote environment," Jeremy Roth, co-president of Littler, told Business Insider in an email.

"At this point, we have made no decisions to change our approach, although changes could come depending on how the crisis evolves."

Even for the firms that did delay their start dates, spokespeople said the June start dates were not definitive.

"We are still waiting to see how the situation progresses before setting any date in stone," said a spokeswoman for Stikeman Elliott.

Said a Sidley spokeswoman: "I can confirm that our summer program will not start any sooner than June 1."

"Start dates for each office will be flexible in order to accommodate local circumstances in their particular city," she said.

The developments are significant because thousands of law students are anxiously awaiting news about whether they will be employed this summer, and if so, how they will experience a summer internship, according to interviews with law students.

Typically, 1Ls and 2Ls at law school relish the opportunity to work at a law firm over the summer to gain experience and build relationships with future colleagues. While they aren't admitted to the bar at that point, they help with tasks that don't require legal judgment, like research, and enjoy colorful outings with firm associates and partners.

Quinn Emanuel, for instance, has been known for taking its summer associates on grueling hiking trips, including through Olympic National Park in Washington State, and up Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.

The excursions have yielded priceless stories. During one, years ago, the firm's managing partner, John Quinn, joked to a summer associate that if he swam across a glacial lake in Wind River Range in Wyoming, he would give him a job offer. The summer associate took him up on it, stripped down, dove in and got the job, according to a 2006 feature story published in The American Lawyer.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore, meanwhile, has been known to rent out the Central Park Zoo for cocktail parties, though lately firms have been trying to host their summers for more alcohol-free activities, like axe-throwing, to avoid any potentially embarrassing situations that might arise otherwise.

This summer, though, law students are faced with the prospect of not being able to show up to the office at all, even if their summer associate classes go forward as planned.

If you're a law student or practicing lawyer - or if you're working on Wall Street more broadly - we want to hear from you. Contact this reporter at csullivan@businessinsider.com, DM on Twitter @caseyreports, or Signal message at 646 376 6017.

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