A couple of months ago, only West Coast law firms had deferred their summer classes. Now large law firms rooted in the East Coast and Midwest, such as Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, Katten Muchin Rosenman and Dechert, which is offering the option for its 2024 class to defer until 2025,  have reportedly joined the fray.

And the movement may continue spreading east, some legal industry observers say, as overcapacity, particularly in the associate ranks, continues to roil the Am Law 100.