Lawyr.Org

Come May 19, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft will host 58 summer associates, down from 101 in 2007. While the reduction comes at a time when the firm is hurting from the market crunch -- it laid off 35 attorneys in January -- the hiring committee's Paul Mourning says the decision has nothing to do with the economy and everything to do with retention. "We made a decision in spring 2007 that we would consciously shrink the summer program so we could improve the experience of summer associates," Mourning says.