Best and worst judges to clerk for Forum

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Mar 09, 2013 4:34 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote: She struck me as a valley girl type.
What does that mean?
She talks like shes in the movie clueless. She is also
Blinging with jewelry.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Mar 17, 2013 11:48 am

Bump.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Apr 06, 2013 5:33 pm

Anyone have anything new to share?

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 19, 2013 6:03 pm

Anybody have info on Judge King (CDCA)? I've heard it described as an intense clerkship.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 29, 2013 4:03 pm

bump

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 29, 2013 4:22 pm

I hear that Berman (SDNY) is horrible to work with and that he routinely fires clerks.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Thu May 02, 2013 2:31 am

Anonymous User wrote:I have consistently heard bad things about Real and Anderson in C.D.Cal.
Where have you heard these things? And what things are you referring to? What it's like to clerk for them? Something else?

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Thu May 02, 2013 12:16 pm

I don't know about Anderson, but Google "Judge Manuel Real" and see what you find.

I don't think any of the articles have anything to say about what it's like to clerk for him, but the other information is definitely worth knowing about before you apply.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Thu May 02, 2013 12:42 pm

Anonymous User wrote:I don't know about Anderson, but Google "Judge Manuel Real" and see what you find.

I don't think any of the articles have anything to say about what it's like to clerk for him, but the other information is definitely worth knowing about before you apply.
Experience clerking for him ≠ experience litigating in front of him.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Thu May 02, 2013 1:31 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Experience clerking for him ≠ experience litigating in front of him.
Obviously. In fact, his clerks seem to be some of his staunchest defenders.

But judges have reputations, and clerking for a judge (and listing their name on your resume) might create some minimal degree of association with that judge. It might not be fair, but I think it's got to be true on some level. Accordingly, some applicants may be hesitant to clerk for a judge whom some members of Congress have recently tried to impeach, and whose actions a Ninth Circuit disciplinary panel said had "tended to undermine the public's confidence in the judiciary[.]"

I should of course note that he was not impeached, nor was he disciplined. But if this thread is about applicants getting more information so that they can distinguish between the 1000+ federal judges out there, I think this is relevant info.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Tue May 14, 2013 10:31 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Sloviter (3rd) and Smith (EDVa) are two that I have consistently heard negative things about.

Positive things: Almost all of the 9th Cir. judges in Southern Cal (must be the weather) have reputations as thoughtful judges, though some have a reputation for having huge expectations. Kozinski is rumored to openly pit clerks against each other in an effort to get more out of them, but my guess is if you have a shot at Kozinski, you don't really care about that kind of work environment and view the opportunity as worth the demands.
Kozinski work hours: Weekdays 9:30 am - 1:30 am, with a 2 hour break for dinner, business formal attire; Weekends 10-12 am - 1:30 am. No holidays, you work 365 days a year, including Christmas, New Years, etc. Kozinski's placement power in the SCT is also not as strong as when O'Connor was on the court. If you want a feeder judge there are probably at least a dozen on the same level with a more humane work experience.
Mind telling me which in the 9th Circuit (feeder judge who is more chill??)

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Tue May 14, 2013 10:35 am

I had a dream yesterday that some important lawyer who was acting as my mentor was treating me like shit and I couldn't treat him back the same way. It was horrible.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by imchuckbass58 » Tue May 14, 2013 10:39 am

Anonymous User wrote: Mind telling me which in the 9th Circuit (feeder judge who is more chill??)
Reinhardt and O'Scannlain are the other big feeders on the 9th Circuit. No real idea of how chill they are.

Betty Fletcher was a big feeder and also really nice supposedly, but she unfortunately passed.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Tue May 14, 2013 10:48 am

imchuckbass58 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote: Mind telling me which in the 9th Circuit (feeder judge who is more chill??)
Reinhardt and O'Scannlain are the other big feeders on the 9th Circuit. No real idea of how chill they are.

Betty Fletcher was a big feeder and also really nice supposedly, but she unfortunately passed.
Reinhardt is not "chill"--the clerkship is less intense than a Kozinski clerkship, certainly, but it's still a 6-day-a-week affair (clerks get Sundays off) with long hours.

PP omits Willy Fletcher, who is both a "big feeder" (certainly more so than his mother and O'Scannlain; roughly equivalent to Reinhardt) and relatively "chill." But it's worth remembering that no 9th Circuit clerkship is going to be easy work; the docket is too crowded with cases for that. Even Fletcher clerks often work evenings and weekends.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Tue May 14, 2013 11:12 am

In terms of chambers atmosphere, mentoring and the like, which 2d Cir. judges are best to work for?

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Sat May 18, 2013 12:04 pm

i'm surprised Gilman (6th) hasn't come up here yet in the best judges to work for conversation

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Tangerine Gleam » Sat May 18, 2013 12:13 pm

imchuckbass58 wrote:Reinhardt and O'Scannlain are the other big feeders on the 9th Circuit. No real idea of how chill they are.

Betty Fletcher was a big feeder and also really nice supposedly, but she unfortunately passed.
You might be confusing the Fletchers. Betty sent a few to the Supreme Court over the years, but her son William has sent many more, and is definitely still an active "feeder."

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Sat May 18, 2013 2:36 pm

What's the word on best/worst QOL on the Second Circuit?

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Sun May 19, 2013 4:05 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Sloviter (3rd) and Smith (EDVa) are two that I have consistently heard negative things about.

Positive things: Almost all of the 9th Cir. judges in Southern Cal (must be the weather) have reputations as thoughtful judges, though some have a reputation for having huge expectations. Kozinski is rumored to openly pit clerks against each other in an effort to get more out of them, but my guess is if you have a shot at Kozinski, you don't really care about that kind of work environment and view the opportunity as worth the demands.
Kozinski work hours: Weekdays 9:30 am - 1:30 am, with a 2 hour break for dinner, business formal attire; Weekends 10-12 am - 1:30 am. No holidays, you work 365 days a year, including Christmas, New Years, etc. Kozinski's placement power in the SCT is also not as strong as when O'Connor was on the court. If you want a feeder judge there are probably at least a dozen on the same level with a more humane work experience.
Mind telling me which in the 9th Circuit (feeder judge who is more chill??)
Watford seems good, and most agree he will be a feeder;
Willy Fletcher;
Ikuta has sent a few in recent years. She's a lot like Watford in terms of her resume and location, but not the same buzz about her as Watford;

Reinhart is the famouse super-liberal feeder;
O'Scainlain is the most right wing judge on the 9th (In my opinion), but he sends a good number to Scalia and Thomas.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Sun May 19, 2013 11:50 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Sloviter (3rd) and Smith (EDVa) are two that I have consistently heard negative things about.

Positive things: Almost all of the 9th Cir. judges in Southern Cal (must be the weather) have reputations as thoughtful judges, though some have a reputation for having huge expectations. Kozinski is rumored to openly pit clerks against each other in an effort to get more out of them, but my guess is if you have a shot at Kozinski, you don't really care about that kind of work environment and view the opportunity as worth the demands.
Kozinski work hours: Weekdays 9:30 am - 1:30 am, with a 2 hour break for dinner, business formal attire; Weekends 10-12 am - 1:30 am. No holidays, you work 365 days a year, including Christmas, New Years, etc. Kozinski's placement power in the SCT is also not as strong as when O'Connor was on the court. If you want a feeder judge there are probably at least a dozen on the same level with a more humane work experience.
Mind telling me which in the 9th Circuit (feeder judge who is more chill??)
Watford seems good, and most agree he will be a feeder;
Willy Fletcher;
Ikuta has sent a few in recent years. She's a lot like Watford in terms of her resume and location, but not the same buzz about her as Watford;

Reinhart is the famouse super-liberal feeder;
O'Scainlain is the most right wing judge on the 9th (In my opinion), but he sends a good number to Scalia and Thomas.
I don't think Ikuta has sent more then 1-2 to the Court. I think only 1. O'Scannlain is definitely one of the most conservative judges on the 9th and screens for ideology.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Tue May 21, 2013 12:28 am

According to wikipedia's list of SC clerks, Ikuta hasn't sent anyone.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Tangerine Gleam » Tue May 21, 2013 12:31 am

Anonymous User wrote:According to wikipedia's list of SC clerks, Ikuta hasn't sent anyone.
http://abovethelaw.com/2012/06/supreme- ... term-2012/

She apparently sent a clerk (a GW grad) to Kennedy for OT2012.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Thu May 23, 2013 1:08 am

Berzon is also a liberal feeder, but she is far from chill.

Also, sorry I thought Ikuta had more. I was clerking for the 9th when she sent her one, and for some reason I thought it was a regular thing. She's nice and very smart. Slightly on the conservative side, in case that matters.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by Anonymous User » Fri May 24, 2013 1:33 am

Anonymous User wrote:Berzon is also a liberal feeder, but she is far from chill.

Also, sorry I thought Ikuta had more. I was clerking for the 9th when she sent her one, and for some reason I thought it was a regular thing. She's nice and very smart. Slightly on the conservative side, in case that matters.
Ikuta is trying to position herself as a feeder but isn't nearly there yet.

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Re: Best and worst judges to clerk for

Post by PDaddy » Fri May 24, 2013 2:12 am

Take a look at http://therobingroom.com/, as it can be very helpful. You can often assess a judge by his/her reputation amongst attorneys. Their courtroom behavior, diligence (or lack thereof) and the quality of the reasoning in their decisions can illuminate whether your experience with them will be fruitful.

Judges are at their best in open court; so if a judge is insufferable or abuses his discretion in front of the public, his clerks aren't likely to enjoy their experiences behind closed doors. You want to clerk for evenhanded judges whose decisions are well-reasoned and whose courtroom and chamber ethics demonstrate a high regard for the bench, the bar, the public's interests, and human rights.

Hit the link below and search any federal or state judge, commissioner or magistrate.

http://therobingroom.com/

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
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