Fed. Magistrate Judge Clerkship-->Salary Progression/Bonus Forum

[FitterHappier289]

Hey all,

Apologies if this is somewhere on the site, but I couldn't find it. Saw similar threads, but not this exactly.

Do most NYC V100 firms give salary progression and a bonus for Fed. Magistrate Judge Clerkships as they do for Art. III and COA judges? It sounds like a great gig, but given loans, it seems analogous to a PI job salary whilst interest is accruing, and might ultimately not be worth it. Or is it, even if there is no salary progression/bonus, for the resume ink alone?

Thoughts?

[augusta1985]

As a current mag clerk, here are my two cents: Yes, it's great experience - especially since you'll be handling discovery disputes (which is about 75% of what you'll be doing in a law firm lit dept). You'll end up with a ton of great connections in both the federal government (AUSAs, SEC, other judges, etc.) and in the mid/biglaw world. However, there's definitely a "prestige gap" between mag clerks and district judge clerks; partly because district judge clerks are drafting case dispositive orders. Based purely on anecdotal evidence, I don't think firms pay bonuses to mag clerks, and I'm unsure whether they'll hire you on as a second-year associate.

[Anonymous User]

I am a bankruptcy court clerk and can tell you that the bonus situation is not the same as it is for people with article 3 clerkships. Bonuses for bk clerks are usually done on a case-by-case basis, which is to say that if you're D. Del. or SDNY you might have a fighting chance, but otherwise you're boned. I suspect the same will hold true for your magistrate clerkship. The good news though, as mentioned: Clerking is an amazing learning experience, a lot of fun, and generally the hours aren't as bad as biglaw, so enjoy it.

[FitterHappier289]

Thanks for the input fellas. Forgetting bonuses for a second: do you guys have something lined up for after your clerkship (read: will firms hold offers open if you do BK or Magistrate Clerkships) or is that a concern for you?

[augusta1985]

Thanks for the input fellas. Forgetting bonuses for a second: do you guys have something lined up for after your clerkship (read: will firms hold offers open if you do BK or Magistrate Clerkships) or is that a concern for you?

My term is up in May, and haven't started looking yet - partly because I'm unsure whether I want to pursue a firm job. I'll probably start testing the waters in January.

[20160810]

Thanks for the input fellas. Forgetting bonuses for a second: do you guys have something lined up for after your clerkship (read: will firms hold offers open if you do BK or Magistrate Clerkships) or is that a concern for you?

My experience is that any federal clerkship, A3 or no, is a win-win. If you have an offer, it will more than likely be held open for you. If you don't have one, this is a second bite at the apple firm-wise after the clerkship

[keg411]

Thanks for the input fellas. Forgetting bonuses for a second: do you guys have something lined up for after your clerkship (read: will firms hold offers open if you do BK or Magistrate Clerkships) or is that a concern for you?

Regarding this + bonus... just ask your firm. If they give the same bonus and credit, go clerk and enjoy.

[Anonymous User]

How different is a fed. magistrate clerkship compared to a fed. district court clerkship? Will employers see a big difference between the two?

[djpelagic]

Just to weigh in here. I had a big law offer after my summer associate job, and recently accepted a clerkship with an SDNY mag judge. The offer is being held open, and the firm is paying the std $50k bonus.