Shoosmiths Trainees – Defer or Withdraw. And No you can't collect £200 when you pass GO!
There may well be times when standing out from the crowd is a good thing but we don’t think this is one of them…
Shoosmiths has asked its 2009 trainees to withdraw from their contract with the firm or defer until 2011 without any offer of financial compensation .
The news was leaked in a letter to Legal Week ; it is understood that the firm has asked 20 future trainees who were due to start at the firm in 2009 to consider withdrawing from their training contract. If the firm does not receive the required uptake of withdrawals or voluntary deferrals for its 2009 intake, the firm will consider compulsory deferrals. Furthermore, the choice between deferral and withdrawal has been made compulsory for the September 2010 intake of 21 trainees. If they opt to defer, their start dates will be put back to either September 2011 or September 2012.
Apparently, the firm also stated in the letter that trainees kept on may be required to work at a different location than offered in the training contract but that “no relocation expenses or other costs associated with working in a different office will be paid.” Not wanting to put you off or anything!
Now, it doesn’t take a genius to realise that things are tough out there and that well managed trainee deferrals may be a sensible cost saving in the short term, but who on earth is going to withdraw and give up a training contract? You’d be mad to. The market is not exactly awash with jobs at the moment and even King Merv doesn’t seem to know when things might get better. What the market is awash with, is lots of qualified jobless associates and many more students turning to the supposed security of a law career in place of banking etc (i.e. a shitload of competition). Plus there are no jobs elsewhere either – just thousands of other students with good grades on the hunt for a job.
So apart from not offering deferring trainees any compensation; to really set themselves apart, Shoosmiths are asking trainees to withdraw. Nice. We can see this announcement leak being memorable for all the wrong reasons.
March 31, 2009
very poor
March 31, 2009
ba$tardds
March 31, 2009
That will be very damaging for their reputation when they come to actually start recruiting again
March 31, 2009
That really is shoddy treatment in this climate. Sympathy for those affected.
March 31, 2009
Absolute disgrace. I hope other firms don’t get any funny ideas about this being the right way to go.
March 31, 2009
To do this to young graduates in this climate without any form of compensation is remarkably shoddy. The bad PR from cock-ups like this take a long time to be forgotten. It would be interesting to know what the firm’s clients think of this sort of behaviour. I look forward to reading stories of doom and gloom at this firm as the recession deepens
March 31, 2009
I’m disgusted that a firm of that size can behave like that. Students take note for the future.
March 31, 2009
seem to have gone for the worst of both worlds – bad solution and bad PR. Why not just ask trainees to defer? If some want to exit leave that to them to ask. Why make that part of the offer along with “no relocation expenses…” – looks really bad reading between the lines.
April 1, 2009
I was due to start at Shoosmiths this year.
Please show your support for our situation here:
http://petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=4393
April 3, 2009
wouldnt expect anything less from this firm, considering how they have dealt with previous redundancies etc….