Middletons Lawyers has dismissed one rumour that the firm had allegedly halved seasonal clerk numbers for 2009/10 due to the global financial crisis.

The response comes after a person, claiming to be the friend of a seasonal clerk applicant, recently posted a blog comment that accused Middletons' human resources manager of saying that "all the law firms were doing it [halving seasonal clerk numbers]" since work was "drying up". The writer also said that "disappointed" law students had resorted to extending their degrees, or considering non-law honours, until applications open for next year.

A spokesperson from the firm said the rumour was "incorrect" and cuts have not occurred. "Our firm has no plans for redundancies at the present time and has made none to date," the spokesperson added.

Macpherson + Kelley recently reduced its annual graduate intake from seven to four.