A couple of months ago, only West Coast law firms had deferred their summer classes to early 2024. Now large law firms rooted in the East Coast and Midwest, such as Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, Katten Muchin Rosenman and Dechert, 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.