Follows Linklaters decision to suspend insight scheme
Shearman & Sterling has postponed its spring vacation scheme in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The US firm hosts two spring programmes in its London office, the first of which was due to commence on 16 until 27 March. This scheme has been postponed until a later date, according to the firm. No other activity has been affected.
Shearman is understood to be the first law firm to postpone its spring vac scheme amid the growing threat of the novel virus.
Legal Cheek understands other City law firms are now facing tough decisions as to whether to go ahead with their spring schemes, most of which start this month and are open to students from across the UK and overseas.
Magic circler Linklaters was reported today to have postponed its first-year insight scheme until May. A Links spokesperson said, however, that as of yesterday, “our spring vacation scheme is still going ahead; however, we are monitoring the situation very closely”. Its spring scheme is currently set to run from 30 March until 10 April.
On Wednesday we reported that banking giant Goldman Sachs had postponed its London legal internship, due to start on 30 March, as a precautionary measure in the wake of the global outbreak.
Coronavirus could also delay spring training contract start dates, as we reported last month. Legal Practice Course (LPC) grads returning from exotic ‘gap year’ locations across Asia, including China, Thailand, South Korea and Hong Kong, have been urged to heed quarantine advice.