Latest Clerkship Bonus Market Forum

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know if magistrate judge clerkship are the same for fed clerkship bonuses or if they’ll bump you down?

I am under the impression firms do not give bonuses for magistrate judges, but I am not 100% certain about all firms

This is wrong. I was an MJ clerk in N.D. Cal. and I received multiple offers with market clerkship bonuses. The wrinkle might be that I clerked in N.D. Cal. though. It may be different for MJ clerks from less competitive districts.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know if magistrate judge clerkship are the same for fed clerkship bonuses or if they’ll bump you down?

I am under the impression firms do not give bonuses for magistrate judges, but I am not 100% certain about all firms

This is wrong. I was an MJ clerk in N.D. Cal. and I received multiple offers with market clerkship bonuses. The wrinkle might be that I clerked in N.D. Cal. though. It may be different for MJ clerks from less competitive districts.

I'm clerking for an MJ in SDNY and cannot get a job. Somebody please kill me.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know if magistrate judge clerkship are the same for fed clerkship bonuses or if they’ll bump you down?

I am under the impression firms do not give bonuses for magistrate judges, but I am not 100% certain about all firms

This is wrong. I was an MJ clerk in N.D. Cal. and I received multiple offers with market clerkship bonuses. The wrinkle might be that I clerked in N.D. Cal. though. It may be different for MJ clerks from less competitive districts.

Apologies. I didn't mean to misinform. I must have been mistaken.

[Anonymous User]

I have a 105k offer from firm A and a 70k offer from firm B. Firm B is my top choice. Does anyone have ideas on how I should go about negotiating with firm B?

[Anonymous User]

Very stealthy rolling this out in the middle of EOY bonus season, but apparently MTO is now at 80k/105k for clerkship bonuses now.

https://www.mto.com/careers/judicial-clerks

This is big. I wonder how many will follow MTO, though. They're pretty elite in the post-clerkship landing circle, as far as I know.

I know traditional big law firms (e.g., Latham, Kirkland, GDC) have not offered 80k/105k for all candidates, but does anyone know if they've matched MTO or higher bonuses on an individual basis for a candidate who they really like?

I have an offer from a traditional big law firm and am wondering if I spend spend time interviewing at MTO/boutique firms who offer higher bonuses only for negotiating leverage.

Anyone?

You can try but I doubt it works. Others have tried this strategy, and I've never heard of it succeeding.

Isn’t the market slightly different now? HH has always had above market clerkship bonuses. This is new for MTO, which competes with other boutiques and firms that have only paid the traditional market clerkship bonuses.

I doubt it. Some big firms, like Munger, simply march to their own drum beat (Wachtell, Boies, Williams & Connolly, ...). Quinn has had a $105k/$125k clerkship bonuses for years and it hasn't changed the bonus market. Munger has more in common with Quinn than it does Latham.

Keker also upped their bonuses, so I am not sure it is correct to say the market hasn't changed.

[Anonymous User]

Keker also upped their bonuses, so I am not sure it is correct to say the market hasn't changed.

They increased their standard amount to match Munger?

[Anonymous User]

This is big. I wonder how many will follow MTO, though. They're pretty elite in the post-clerkship landing circle, as far as I know.

I know traditional big law firms (e.g., Latham, Kirkland, GDC) have not offered 80k/105k for all candidates, but does anyone know if they've matched MTO or higher bonuses on an individual basis for a candidate who they really like?

I have an offer from a traditional big law firm and am wondering if I spend spend time interviewing at MTO/boutique firms who offer higher bonuses only for negotiating leverage.

Anyone?

You can try but I doubt it works. Others have tried this strategy, and I've never heard of it succeeding.

Isn’t the market slightly different now? HH has always had above market clerkship bonuses. This is new for MTO, which competes with other boutiques and firms that have only paid the traditional market clerkship bonuses.

I doubt it. Some big firms, like Munger, simply march to their own drum beat (Wachtell, Boies, Williams & Connolly, ...). Quinn has had a $105k/$125k clerkship bonuses for years and it hasn't changed the bonus market. Munger has more in common with Quinn than it does Latham.

Keker also upped their bonuses, so I am not sure it is correct to say the market hasn't changed.

Keker is a litigation boutique. It's closer to Kellogg ($175k clerkship bonus) than it is to Munger.

[Anonymous User]

Keker also upped their bonuses, so I am not sure it is correct to say the market hasn't changed.

They increased their standard amount to match Munger?

Yes.

[Anonymous User]

Boies went up to 110K for one clerkship

[Anonymous User]

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