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Do firms pay clerkship bonuses to those who clerk after having worked for a 2-4 years? I have heard conflicting information on this. A general discussion of firms' policies would be really helpful as would anecdotes of real situations. Is it a hard and fast rule that only Associates who clerk out of law school get bonuses?

Anonymous User wrote:Do firms pay clerkship bonuses to those who clerk after having worked for a 2-4 years? I have heard conflicting information on this. A general discussion of firms' policies would be really helpful as would anecdotes of real situations. Is it a hard and fast rule that only Associates who clerk out of law school get bonuses?

Very few firms that I know of, esp. V100 firms, will pay a clerkship bonus for current associates who take a clerkship sabbatical.

what if you switch firms after clerking?

anon168 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Do firms pay clerkship bonuses to those who clerk after having worked for a 2-4 years? I have heard conflicting information on this. A general discussion of firms' policies would be really helpful as would anecdotes of real situations. Is it a hard and fast rule that only Associates who clerk out of law school get bonuses?

Very few firms that I know of, esp. V100 firms, will pay a clerkship bonus for current associates who take a clerkship sabbatical.

No anecdotes to share, but I am pretty sure a clerkship is not considered a sabbatical at any level. What are you basing this on?

Anonymous User wrote:what if you switch firms after clerking?

OP here. I second this question. I'll definitely be switching firms. It's a circuit clerkship if that makes a difference.

Anonymous User wrote:

anon168 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Do firms pay clerkship bonuses to those who clerk after having worked for a 2-4 years? I have heard conflicting information on this. A general discussion of firms' policies would be really helpful as would anecdotes of real situations. Is it a hard and fast rule that only Associates who clerk out of law school get bonuses?

Very few firms that I know of, esp. V100 firms, will pay a clerkship bonus for current associates who take a clerkship sabbatical.

No anecdotes to share, but I am pretty sure a clerkship is not considered a sabbatical at any level. What are you basing this on?

When I say "sabbatical" I mean it in terms of the firm letting you take time off to clerk and then come back.

What do you mean by sabbatical?

Are firms ok with people leaving after a year to clerk (take a sabbatical) and then coming back to the firm? Seems to make sense because you get clerkship experience plus not having to pay a bonus to the returning associate.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:what if you switch firms after clerking?

OP here. I second this question. I'll definitely be switching firms. It's a circuit clerkship if that makes a difference.

It won't be a "clerkship bonus," but rather a "signing bonus." So you may get a bonus bump for your COA clerkship, even if it is not designated a pure "clerkship bonus." Again, this will depend on the firm.

tyl123 wrote:Are firms ok with people leaving after a year to clerk (take a sabbatical) and then coming back to the firm? Seems to make sense because you get clerkship experience plus not having to pay a bonus to the returning associate.

Depends on the firm.

Ya seems like some people are working for a year or a few and then coming back to clerk. I guess it doesn't make sense from a bonus perspective if your firm doesn't pay bonuses to those who leave. But seems like working can help pay off loans and put some money in the bank before clerking. And if your firm is ok with it, you can come back with the years experience.