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If a new associate isn't deferred, when would he or she traditionally start? September?

Even traditionally, it varied by firm. Some firms set a single start date sometime between Aug. - Nov. for everyone. Other firms allow incoming associates to pick a date to start (e.g. any Monday in Sept.).

Right, even traditionally it varied by firm, some giving one start date and others several.

I think, though, that traditionally it was uncommon not to have at least one optional start date before November or so. (i.e., some firms would let their incoming associates choose between e.g. Sept 15, Oct 15, Nov 15.)

TipTravHoot wrote:If a new associate isn't deferred, when would he or she traditionally start? September?

I think it depends on the firm. Some firms might want to wait until bar results come out, while others, feel comfortable enough having you start beforehand.

I even know some colleagues who started at a lower salary (law clerk pay-scale) and then had their salary bumped to the attorney pay-scale once they found out that they had passed the bar.

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TTT-LS wrote:

snootles76 wrote:

TipTravHoot wrote:If a new associate isn't deferred, when would he or she traditionally start? September?

I think it depends on the firm. Some firms might want to wait until bar results come out, while others, feel comfortable enough having you start beforehand.

I even know some colleagues who started at a lower salary (law clerk pay-scale) and then had their salary bumped to the attorney pay-scale once they found out that they had passed the bar.

This sounds like a midlaw/small-law type of thing. I have never heard of it being the case within a large firm (where the routine approach is to start new associates before they've found out about bar results, and to pay them attorney scale right from the start).

Yes....I should have made that clearer. You're correct -- this is more of a mid/small-law practice to do this. I didn't realize that the OP was referring to biglaw only.