MO Lawyers Blog

St. Louis-based Bryan Cave is among the firms that have pushed off start dates on new associates to 2012.

The firm’s St. Louis office made 14 total offers last fall to 2010 law school graduates, but told seven of those individuals at the time that they wouldn’t be starting until January 2012, said managing partner Peter Van Cleve. The other seven were extended offers to start in January 2011.

“We haven’t changed anything recently,” Van Cleve said.

Things are continuing to look up at the firm, he said.

Thompson Coburn also extended delayed offers to some of this year’s graduates.

In March, the St. Louis firm’s chairman, Tom Minogue, said some of eight new hires will start in January 2011, with the rest delayed until January 2012. The breakdown of start dates wasn’t available in March and Minogue could not be immediately reached for comment today.

Bryan Cave, which had $554.8 million in revenue in 2009, is the largest firm in the state, according to Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s MOney 20 rankings. Thompson Coburn, which had $159.5 million in 2009 revenue, ranks fifth.