Clerks
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Clerkships, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Job Searches, Law Schools
A Top Law School 'Fesses Up: Yeah, We're Violating the Law Clerk Hiring Plan -- What You Gonna Do About It?
A leading law school announces that it's not following the Law Clerk Hiring Plan -- and explains why. -
Blogging, Clerkships, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Job Searches, Law Schools, Media and Journalism, Weirdness
Whither Clerkship Scramble? Popular Blog Mysteriously Disappears
A popular blog about clerkships, the Clerkship Scramble, recently vanished from the internets. What happened? - Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use. -
Clerkships, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Job Searches, Law Schools, Martha Minow
The Law Clerk Hiring Plan, R.I.P.
The Law Clerk Hiring Plan appears to be dead. At least one top law school has openly abandoned it....
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2nd Circuit, 9th Circuit, Alex Kozinski, Brett Kavanaugh, Clerkships, D.C. Circuit, Diarmuid O'Scannlain, Fabulosity, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Holidays and Seasons, Judicial Nominations, Munger Tolles & Olson, Parties, Pictures, Pierre Leval
Some Federal Judicial Congratulations -- and a Bit of Trivia
Which circuit judge has the most former clerks who are now judges themselves? And how is Judge Kozinski spending the Memorial Day weekend? -
5th Circuit, Clerkships, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Job Searches
Want to Clerk for the Judge Who Took on Obama?
Interested in clerking on the Fifth Circuit for the controversial Judge Jerry Smith? There's something you should know.... -
Advertising, Career Center, Clerkships, Shameless Plugs, This Is an Ad
Career Center: Making the Judicial Clerkship Work for You
While the writing and researching experience is invaluable, there are additional opportunities law clerks should look into before their clerkship ends. Here are some helpful tips.... -
Clerkships, Federal Judges, In-House Counsel, Job Searches, Litigators
House Rules: In Defense of Clerkships in Flyover Land
Last week there appeared a column on this site that denigrated clerkships in the middle of the country. I could not decide if the author was attempting satire, but it seemed to be a straight piece. I would like to offer a counterpoint. I began my career at Biglaw in New York City. The firm […] -
Clerkships, Federal Judges, In-House Counsel, Job Searches, Litigators
The Clerkship Archipelago
The People's Therapist, Will Meyerhofer, thinks it's hard to conjure up bad stuff to say about clerking. It's an honor, and an all-expense-paid ticket on an exclusive legal gravy train. If you're lucky enough to clerk for a federal district or circuit court judge, you can rest assured you're looking good and feeling good. You might even shoot the moon and sing with the Supremes. In that case, you're good to go: You'll never have to practice actual law again.... - Sponsored
Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so… -
Alex Kozinski, Clerkships, Federal Government, Federal Judges, Feeder Judges, Job Searches, New York Times, Richard Posner
The Price of Prestige: Clerkship Application Chaos
Over the weekend, we mentioned a very interesting New York Times article on the chaotic state of the clerkship application process, and said we'd have more to say about it later. Well, now is later, quite a bit later -- so let's discuss.... -
9th Circuit, Alex Kozinski, Clerkships, Federal Judges, Job Searches, New York Times, Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day: The Early Bird Gets the Worm
At birth. — Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, explaining when he begins recruiting law clerks. (Chief Judge Kozinski is quoted in a very interesting New York Times article on the chaotic state of the clerkship application process, which we’ll have more to say about later.) UPDATE […] -
Clerkships, Crime, Lawsuit of the Day, Ridiculousness, Rudeness, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns, Violence
Lawsuit of the Day: This Law Clerk Needs Thicker Skin
Reports the Billings Gazette: "A lawsuit has been filed against Fergus County District Court Judge E. Wayne Phillips by a female law clerk who alleges that the judge slapped her in the buttocks with a legal file." If the clerk's allegation is true, was Judge Phillips's action inappropriate? Certainly. Was it rude? Most definitely. But should it spawn a civil lawsuit, as well as possible criminal charges? Absolutely not. And wait until you hear what the clerk is claiming in damages.... -
Biglaw, Blind Item, Clerkships, Cold Offers, Federal Judges, Law Schools, No Offers, Summer Associates
Biglaw Blind Item: An Ice-Cold Offer
Now that Labor Day is behind us, fall is fast approaching. You can tell by the chill in the evening air. Or is that just the cold offers we're feeling? We recently heard a story about a pretty cold offer. This summer associate, who wasn't the most popular person in her class, received a full-time employment offer "contingent upon obtaining a federal clerkship." Given how hard it is to land a federal judicial clerkship, that's a pretty cold offer. But wait, it gets better.... -
Biglaw, Bonuses, Clerkships, Fabulosity, Money, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Clerks
Supreme Court Clerk Bonuses Are Heading Higher
As in past years, many of the October Term 2010 Supreme Court law clerks are joining private law firms -- which welcome them with six-figure signing bonuses. These bonuses are paid on top of base salaries reflecting their seniority, as well as the usual year-end bonuses. For the past few years, law firm signing bonuses for members of The Elect have hovered around $250,000. But this year, at least a few firms are offering even more. So how much are we talking about?
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Legal AI: 3 Steps Law Firms Should Take Now
If 2023 introduced legal professionals to generative AI, then 2024 will be when law firms start adapting to utilize it. Things are moving fast, so…
Sponsored
Early Adopters Of Legal AI Gaining Competitive Edge In Marketplace
How to best leverage generative AI as an early adopter with ethical use.
Sponsored
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Is The Future Of Law Distributed? Lessons From The Tech Adoption Curve
The rise of remote work has dramatically reshaped the relationship between Lawyers and Law Firms, see how Scale LLP has taken the steps to get…
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Navigating Financial Success by Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Maximizing Firm Performance
In this CLE-eligible webinar, we’ll explore the most common accounting pitfalls and how to avoid them for your firm.
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Biglaw, Clerkships, Federal Judges, In-House Counsel, John Roberts, Law Professors, Law Schools
Inside Straight: How The Legal System Brands The Beef
Many prominent people have raised their voices about the increasing irrelevance of academic writing to practicing lawyers and judges. Yet, despite railing at the academy, those judges -- and law firms, and sophisticated purchasers of legal services -- all rely on the academics to identify talented lawyers. Law schools brand the beef, and purchasers buy based on the brand. Why is that process natural and appropriate? -
Books, Career Alternatives, Clerkships, Facebook, Media and Journalism, Saira Rao
Tropical Depression: The Latest in 'Clerkship Lit'
Move over, chick lit. Make way for “clerk lit”! Over the past few years, we’ve seen a number of novels focused on the clerkship, a professional rite of passage for many a prestige-obsessed young lawyer. In these books, plucky law-clerk protagonists have tried to do justice while also holding on to their jobs (and their […] -
Clerkships, Federal Judges, Judge of the Day, Judicial Divas
Iowa Judge Warns Prospective Clerks Not To Expect A 'Balanced' Life
Who says the Midwest is more laid back than the coasts? Who says Midwesterners are more polite than people who live in big cities? Who says working in a place like Iowa affords a higher quality of life and a better work/life balance than working in a place like Chicago? Not United States District Court […] -
9th Circuit, Clerkships, Federal Judges, In-House Counsel, Litigators
Inside Straight: 'Standard of Review Decides Cases'
Ed. note: This is the latest installment of Inside Straight, Above the Law’s column for in-house counsel, written by Mark Herrmann. Here are two stories, from nearly thirty years apart. They’re bookends on the subject of why standard of review counts. Travel back with me, if you will, to the summer of 1983. I’m ten […] -
Attorney Misconduct, Clerkships, Job Searches, Legal Ethics, pls hndle thx
Pls Hndle Thx: The Informant
Ed. note: Have a question for next week? Send it in to advice@abovethelaw.com. Dear ATL, I am an assistant clerk at a state court. I graduated in May 2010 and worked hard to find a decent job after taking the July bar. I have noticed over my past few months that a co-worker, also a […] -
9th Circuit, Clerkships, Lawsuit of the Day, Racism, Weirdness
Lawsuit of the Day: Fun With Hawaii Birth Certificates
Orly Taitz and the Birthers aren’t the only people obsessed with Hawaiian birth certificates. A young lawyer by the name of Adam Gustafson — a 2009 graduate of the Yale Law School and former vice president of the Yale Federalist Society, who’s currently clerking in Hawaii for Judge Richard Clifton (9th Cir.) — is making […] -
Biglaw, Clerkships, Job Searches
Open Thread: Law Clerks' Post-Clerkship Employment Prospects
Summer is just around the corner, with Memorial Day just a few weeks away. Summer associates are starting to arrive at law firms. Meanwhile, in government, many law clerks are getting ready to leave chambers. Summer is traditionally the season when clerkships turn over. (At the Supreme Court, July is the magic month for the […]