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Sup Kid wrote:I would recommend not taking that -- it's the equivalent of just randomly showing up to court to watch trial all summer, and it won't give you any valuable experience. Better off working at an ice cream shop over the summer than that internship -- at least you'll be making money.

Edit: If you are a 0L, I could see this being somewhat valuable before beginning law school, but that's about it.

BlueDevil2007 wrote:"Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, clerkship, etc"

Anonymous User wrote:The judge referred to it as a clerkship, i.e "i hire a few clerks for the summer". And I'm a 1L looking for summer employment.

Yea, it'd be good to put on my resume "clerked for Judge X", but the presumed lack of legal experience is odd.

Maybe there's a misunderstanding, which is why I was hoping somebody else has experienced this sort of thing before.

Sup Kid wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:The judge referred to it as a clerkship, i.e "i hire a few clerks for the summer". And I'm a 1L looking for summer employment.

Yea, it'd be good to put on my resume "clerked for Judge X", but the presumed lack of legal experience is odd.

Maybe there's a misunderstanding, which is why I was hoping somebody else has experienced this sort of thing before.

You absolutely CANNOT consider this a clerkship -- clerks work for judges AFTER law school. This, at best, is an internship, but if all you'll be doing is sitting in court for a couple hours, and not writing memos, discussing cases with the judge/clerks, etc, you won't gain anything from it, and I don't see how you can talk about it significantly in future interviews (and hence the ice cream example, since at least you'll be making some money). However, a more realistic idea for your 1L summer is try to get an RA position with your professor, work for free in a solo practice in your hometown, etc, since at least then you'll get an experience you can discuss in future interviews.

vamedic03 wrote:

Sup Kid wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:The judge referred to it as a clerkship, i.e "i hire a few clerks for the summer". And I'm a 1L looking for summer employment.

Yea, it'd be good to put on my resume "clerked for Judge X", but the presumed lack of legal experience is odd.

Maybe there's a misunderstanding, which is why I was hoping somebody else has experienced this sort of thing before.

You absolutely CANNOT consider this a clerkship -- clerks work for judges AFTER law school. This, at best, is an internship, but if all you'll be doing is sitting in court for a couple hours, and not writing memos, discussing cases with the judge/clerks, etc, you won't gain anything from it, and I don't see how you can talk about it significantly in future interviews (and hence the ice cream example, since at least you'll be making some money). However, a more realistic idea for your 1L summer is try to get an RA position with your professor, work for free in a solo practice in your hometown, etc, since at least then you'll get an experience you can discuss in future interviews.

^ this. Internship =/= clerkship. To claim otherwise would be absolutely misleading.

ggocat wrote:"Internship" is the preferred term, but OP will not be misleading anyone by using the term "clerkship."

ggocat wrote:Interning for this judge a few hours per day to spend some time in the courtroom is a fine idea, but it would be good to also work part-time in a job/internship that allows you to write something that can be used as a sample (preferably a short memo or brief).

vamedic03 wrote:

Sup Kid wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:The judge referred to it as a clerkship, i.e "i hire a few clerks for the summer". And I'm a 1L looking for summer employment.

Yea, it'd be good to put on my resume "clerked for Judge X", but the presumed lack of legal experience is odd.

Maybe there's a misunderstanding, which is why I was hoping somebody else has experienced this sort of thing before.

You absolutely CANNOT consider this a clerkship -- clerks work for judges AFTER law school. This, at best, is an internship, but if all you'll be doing is sitting in court for a couple hours, and not writing memos, discussing cases with the judge/clerks, etc, you won't gain anything from it, and I don't see how you can talk about it significantly in future interviews (and hence the ice cream example, since at least you'll be making some money). However, a more realistic idea for your 1L summer is try to get an RA position with your professor, work for free in a solo practice in your hometown, etc, since at least then you'll get an experience you can discuss in future interviews.

^ this. Internship =/= clerkship. To claim otherwise would be absolutely misleading.

I disagree. Anyone looking at OP's resume will understand OP did not work in a post-grad clerkship even if he/she says it's a "clerkship." Many lawyers (and law students) still refer to part-time work during law school as a clerkship.

"Internship" is the preferred term, but OP will not be misleading anyone by using the term "clerkship."

G. T. L. Rev. wrote: I don't know what part of the country you're in, or what legal circles you move in (maybe the rules are different there), but in my experience, there is no question that calling OP's opportunity a "clerkship" would be seen as misleading. That some older judges or attorneys, or a few people in the deep south/west use the term differently does not negate the fact that the legal mainstream has a different, and very specific meaning in mind. Firms don't give "clerkship" bonuses for 2 hour internships, or indeed any internships at all. People don't list internships on their bio pages. Interns, unlike clerks, are unpaid in the overwhelming majority of circumstances. I could keep going, but the bottom line is that internships are not clerkships, and people look pretty silly when they refer to one when they mean the other.

I disagree. Anyone looking at OP's resume will understand OP did not work in a post-grad clerkship even if he/she says it's a "clerkship." Many lawyers (and law students) still refer to part-time work during law school as a clerkship.

"Internship" is the preferred term, but OP will not be misleading anyone by using the term "clerkship."

LoriBelle wrote:I thought the general policy was to put on one's resume whatever the employer chose as job title. If the employer calls the employee a "law clerk" or the position a "clerkship," it's misleading to list it otherwise.

Further, for the person who said internships are unpaid and clerkships are paid, OP's potential position might be a paid one, since he said he hires clerks. It may be different where y'all live, but 'round these parts (the South obv), if you're "hiring" me, you'd better be paying me. Further, every law firm around here refers to their summer employees as "law clerks," as does every county judge.

G. T. L. Rev. wrote:

ggocat wrote:I disagree. Anyone looking at OP's resume will understand OP did not work in a post-grad clerkship even if he/she says it's a "clerkship." Many lawyers (and law students) still refer to part-time work during law school as a clerkship.

"Internship" is the preferred term, but OP will not be misleading anyone by using the term "clerkship."

I don't know what part of the country you're in, or what legal circles you move in (maybe the rules are different there), but in my experience, there is no question that calling OP's opportunity a "clerkship" would be seen as misleading.