KLegal defers trainees again and slashes pay-off

KLegal has asked 30 of its trainees in London and Scotland to defer their 2003 training contracts for a year in return for a £2,500 pay-off.
Names were drawn out of a hat because it was “the fairest way to make the decision” between who was to stay and who was to go, according to a spokesman for the accountancy-tied firm.
This is the second time in a matter of months that KLegal has slashed its future trainee intake. As The Lawyer revealed in July, KLegal offered around half of its 2002 trainee intake a £10,000 lump sum if they deferred their start dates for 12 months. KLegal says the 2003 trainees have been offered a smaller package than their 2002 counterparts because they have been given a whole year’s notice.
The spokesman said both sets of cut backs are linked to current market conditions and KLegal’s recent merger with McGrigor Donald.
“We are spreading two years’ intake over three years to realign our intake,” he added. “There is no point in taking on more people than we have work for. But we are still committed to taking them on in a year’s time. ”