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Clerkship Bonus Even If You Didn't Summer There?
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 10:01 pm
by Kenobi
I'm a current 3L, clerking on COA next year. Did two summers at a firm in a mid-size city (e.g., Seattle, Denver) where firms don't pay clerkship bonuses. Want to end up in the mid-size city eventually but considering a move to the coast after the clerkship to cut my teeth in Biglaw for a few years. Would they pay me a clerkship bonus? I would be coming straight from the clerkship, essentially as a lateral since I didn't summer there. Sorry if it's a dumb question, and I know firms will vary so just tell me what you know and what you think.
Re: Clerkship Bonus Even If You Didn't Summer There?
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 10:56 pm
by bdubs
Kenobi wrote:I'm a current 3L, clerking on COA next year. Did two summers at a firm in a mid-size city (e.g., Seattle, Denver) where firms don't pay clerkship bonuses. Want to end up in the mid-size city eventually but considering a move to the coast after the clerkship to cut my teeth in Biglaw for a few years. Would they pay me a clerkship bonus? I would be coming straight from the clerkship, essentially as a lateral since I didn't summer there. Sorry if it's a dumb question, and I know firms will vary so just tell me what you know and what you think.
Pretty sure the idea of the clerkship bonus is to attract top talent, so the firms probably only pay it to their own summers begrudgingly in order to keep them from jumping ship. I would assume that you will be eligible for bonus at almost all firms that pay them.
Re: Clerkship Bonus Even If You Didn't Summer There?
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:16 pm
by Anonymous User
Kenobi wrote:I'm a current 3L, clerking on COA next year. Did two summers at a firm in a mid-size city (e.g., Seattle, Denver) where firms don't pay clerkship bonuses. Want to end up in the mid-size city eventually but considering a move to the coast after the clerkship to cut my teeth in Biglaw for a few years. Would they pay me a clerkship bonus? I would be coming straight from the clerkship, essentially as a lateral since I didn't summer there. Sorry if it's a dumb question, and I know firms will vary so just tell me what you know and what you think.
If it's a major vault firm, in a major market, then you will probably get the market bonus. Firms pay the bonus to attract you -- they could careless (bonus-wise) if you summered there or not.