CB Interview question: Do you want to clerk? Forum

[Anonymous User]

What's the protocol? They'd want you to clerk, right? Interested specifically for Mayer Brown NYC and O'Melveny NYC. Thanks.

[anon168]

What's the protocol? They'd want you to clerk, right? Interested specifically for Mayer Brown NYC and O'Melveny NYC. Thanks.

Look at the bios of the satellite offices you are interviewing with. If they have a bunch of former clerks in their lit dept., then yes, they probably would want (or like) that you clerk.

Of course, I fully expect the general TLS wisdom to say that it's a covert way for the firm to "defer" your start date.

Good luck, either way.

[Anonymous User]

If you want to do litigation and they ask I'd say it was definitely something I'd consider. Clerking looks great for you and would probably look great for the firm.

I don't see any scenario in which saying that you'd be interested or at least consider clerking would be a negative.

[Anonymous User]

You may be reading too much into it. I got the question a lot during CBs and answered honestly ("Not really, but if I do decide to, it'll be after a few years in private practice.") It did not stop me from receiving offers at 3/4 firms who asked. I think it's just another question like, "so how do you like X law school?" There's not really a right or wrong answer, just a stock question that's relevant to law students.

[Aberzombie1892]

Sometimes the question also means that they won't seriously consider you for a summer associate position until you have acquired a clerkship. In this situation, you would be a summer associate between 3L and the clerkship.