Advice for judicial extern in bankruptcy court? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Anyone done so before? Did you take a bankruptcy course prior to working for the court? Is there anything I can do to prepare for it? I don't know much about bankruptcy and I am not sure how much I am expected to know.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone done so before? Did you take a bankruptcy course prior to working for the court? Is there anything I can do to prepare for it? I don't know much about bankruptcy and I am not sure how much I am expected to know.

I am doing an externship with a bankruptcy judge this semester. I took bankruptcy and have some other bankruptcy-related experience which was helpful but not necessarily required. I am clerking for a bankruptcy judge after graduation and spoke with a number of bankruptcy judges last fall during interviews. The consensus among those judges, as well as the judge/career clerk I am externing under now is that externs very rarely are and are not necessarily expected to be much help. As long as you do your best the judge and his/her current clerk will not have a problem with you. The judge/clerk won't think "oh good we have an extern this semester, we will be so much more productive..." If you do happen to do something clever while externing, it will be a bonus. But, as long as you are friendly, try your best, and are reasonably productive you will be fine. I don't think knowing about bankruptcy is necessary and they probably expect to get externs from time to time with no bankruptcy experience.

For your own sanity it may be good to do a little reading on bankruptcy before you start. Bankruptcy is pretty complicated and a little tough to learn on the fly (kind of like tax or something like that...) Maybe find like an "Understanding Bankruptcy" study aid or a nutshelll or a classmate's outline. Being familiar with the automatic stay, dischargeability, avoidable transfers, and other basic ideas would probably help.

[Anonymous User]

I externed for a BK judge last year... and I agree with what the previous poster said. In figuring out what to study beforehand, you should know that chapter 11 stuff will rarely comes forward unless you are in a NYC, DE and a few other places. The best way for you to prepare is to read the local rules, and maybe go through a chapter 7, 12, and 13 outline.

[SemperLegal]

Do most bankrupcty judges hire externs, or only the "big" jursdicitons

[Anonymous User]

Do most bankrupcty judges hire externs, or only the "big" jursdicitons

Each of the bankruptcy judges in the Central Islip courthouse of EDNY hired at least a couple of externs. I suspect most bankruptcy judges hire externs unless the judge is in a random outpost courthouse or is semi-retired.

[Anonymous User]

thanks for your help!