In a notable shift, Bass, Berry & Sims, a distinguished regional law firm with offices in Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, and Washington, D.C., has announced a deferral of start dates for its incoming first-year associates. Originally set to commence in September, the new start date has now been pushed to January. The firm has communicated that affected lawyers will be provided with stipends to mitigate the impact of this delay.
Kerry Price, the chief strategy officer at Bass, Berry & Sims, emphasized that the decision stems from a professional development strategy aimed at ensuring the long-term success of both incoming and junior associates. According to Above the Law, Price mentioned that this period of additional experience is expected to significantly benefit junior associates, who will gain more direct involvement in the firm’s increasingly dynamic transactional practices.
The firm’s strategy comes in the midst of a nationwide rebound in demand for transactional services. Price noted, “Our junior associates will benefit from a few additional months of direct experience leading and managing the interesting variety of transactional matters before us.” This approach aims to “elevate our current associates now while simultaneously looking forward to continued opportunities when the next class joins in January.”
For more detailed coverage, you can read Bloomberg Law’s report here.