“I have a training contract with a medium-sized London firm that starts in September 2009. The firm does a range of work including AIM deals, litigation, employment, corporate etc. Given that a large part of the firm’s work will be badly hit by the current economic conditions, I am worried about how safe my training contract is. Can they just call me and cancel it?

“My concerns are now more acute because I have recently heard that they have made a number of their support staff and fee earners redundant. Unsurprisingly these have been mainly in their corporate and real estate departments.

“What is the likelihood of training contracts being cancelled for 2009 in the current economic climate? And if my contract was cancelled what would I be entitled to from them? Would they have to pay compensation or help me get a contract elsewhere (I know that is unlikely)?”

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