Dentons asks trainees to defer

Denton Wilde Sapte has emerged as the first City law firm to ask some of its trainee solicitors to push back their start dates into late 2012.

The firm contacted its future London trainees, who were due to start in September 2009, March 2010, March 2011 or September 2011 today (3 April), inviting them to defer their start dates by one year.

Graduate recruitment partner Jeremy Cape said: “We have asked our September 2011 intake to defer because our 2009 deferrals will certainly have a knock-on effect on the rest of our intakes. This will hopefully even out our trainee numbers and make sure they get the best training possible.”

Those traineees who agree to defer will received a cash payment of £7,000, with an additional £3,000 if they choose to pursue a specific charitable or pro bono project during the course of their deferral year.

Though Dentons has not closed applications for training contracts starting in 2011 Cape conceded that once the firm has a clearer picture on the number of future trainees who agree to defer it may have to reduce the number of vacancies for the next recruitment round.