Yesterday, the Tribune ran a piece on the ~60 deferred associates who have taken placements of varying lengths in the Chicago public-interest community.  This phenomenon has played out in Chicago quite the same way that it’s played out in other large legal markets throughout the country.  Biglaw was “sitting with an oversupply and were forced to lay off hundreds and postpone the starting dates of law school graduates they had hired to begin in the fall of 2009.”  At the same time, the nonprofit, public-interest law offices were weathering their own financial storms, with caseloads swelling as funding depleted.

The opposite ends of Chicago’s legal profession found a way to come together out of economic necessity to partially consume the supply of highly educated young lawyers looking for work. Despite several challenges, the unusual experiment has paid dividends. It also has sparked discussions of whether a more permanent model of apprenticeships can be developed that would train law-school graduates at a lower cost and benefit public-interest legal organizations that are suffering from funding constraints while attending to a greater need because of the recession.

The piece, which looks specifically at how the placements have played out at Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, and Equip for Equality, notes that there was initial skepticism in the public interest community about how effective these placements would be.  Nonetheless, they have worked out remarkably well so far, with the deferred associates getting valuable hands-on practice experience while helping organizations to maintain service capacity. 

Sarah Song, an associate whose start date was deferred by Latham and Watkins, has made the most of her experience:

Song is working in the housing law division, which helps tenants, many of whom live in public housing or receive government subsidies, who are being evicted. She sent her resume to several groups and was hired by CGLA because she had prior experience in housing through summer internships and clinical work in law school, Acton said.

When asked what she has learned, Song said, “Where do I start? I’ve learned about courtroom etiquette and professionalism. I’m also working with clients on a daily basis. You learn to navigate relationships with different personalities and needs. I’ve also learned a lot about housing law.”

Most first-year associates never see the inside of a courtroom, let alone have daily client interaction.

Song added: “The experience has prepared me for my future.”

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The situation as reported in this story is in keeping with the picture painted during a focus-group meeting of Chicago-based deferred associates that NALP had convened in late January, in partnership with the Chicago Bar Foundation and the Public Interest Law Initiative.  The tone of that discussion was quite positive, with several focus-group participants highlighting the opportunities they had to immediately use their advocacy skills in court, to cultivate problem-solving skills, and to interact with clients.  And in conversations with directors at public interest host organizations which were hosting the associates, we learned that their contributions to serving clients during a lean fiscal time were invaluable.

It is good to see that this very strange set of circumstances, which would have been inconceivable two years ago, has resulted in more clients being served and in a bond forming between the deferred associates and their public-interest host organizations which may lead to continued collaborations for years to come.  The PSLawNet Blog still has some concerns about how the deferral phenomenon may affect students who are pursuing careers in public interest work.  These students are emerging from law school at a time when many of the employers they’d like to work for don’t have funding to hire them.  And in some sense, it seems unfair that they are now also competing with deferred associates who do not need salaries from their public interest host organizations.  Notwithstanding, having extra advocates to serve low-income clients – who have been hit harder than anybody during the recession – is, in the short term, a very positive development for the public interest community as a whole.