The cocktail of choice these days for many large law firms seems to be one part layoffs, one part summer program curtailment and one part deferral of start dates -- sometimes with a twist of salary cuts. Amy Montemarano, assistant dean of career and professional development at Drexel University's Earle Mack School of Law, says students are taking the deferrals in stride. Meanwhile, it may be the law school graduates who chose the public interest sector over law firm life who may be feeling the most threatened.

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Some in the community think making salary cuts a bigger part of that equation could reduce the need for the other ingredients.

Dechert was the latest firm to push back its first-year associate start dates, and it took the less common staggered approach in doing so.

The firm will have three waves of start dates for the 63 first-year associates that were slated to start this fall. One-third of the group will begin on Oct. 19, a few weeks after the normally scheduled start date. The other two groups will start either March 22, 2010, or in the fall of 2010, a firm spokeswoman said.

All three groups will receive their bar stipend, the March group will receive $17,500 for their troubles and the fall 2010 group will be paid $75,000, she said. The March and fall 2010 groups are "expected" to find jobs in the public interest sector during their deferral periods and the firm will help them do so, she said.

Dechert has given the first-years the opportunity to choose which start-time they would want and the firm will take that into consideration along with the firm's practice area needs when deciding who will start when, the spokeswoman said.