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My clerkship with a federal district court judge is about to conclude and I have been struggling to find anything post-clerkship. I finally got a phone interview with a personal injury/immigration firm in a border town over 10 hours away from where I live. I got the interview after applying to a general job posing online that did not indicate the name of the firm or even its location.

The attorney interviewing me was very aggressive and straight-forward. He told me the pay would be around $50K per year including bonuses, but didn't indicate what the base salary was. He also said they are a very "lean operation" meaning I would be responsible for purchasing my own office supplies as well as covering expenses associated with my license (annual fees, CLEs, etc). I say he was aggressive because right at the outset of the interview he acknowledged that I was clerking for a federal judge, but said the clients I would work for "wouldn't give a damn" about that experience. As such, he said that I should not expect any perks or bonuses other firms give law clerks.

He then said that, "if I want," I can come to his office for a call-back interview. However, he added several caveats and warnings. He said I wasn't the strongest candidate they were considering because: (1) I had no ties to the area (2) I didn't speak Spanish (3) they rarely went to federal court, so my "experience" wasn't as valuable, and (4) I didn't do moot court/mock trial in law school.

So with that in mind, should I spend a couple of hundred dollars to travel to this interview? My judge has been very accommodating with my job search, but I am getting slammed with a couple of cases, so losing over a day will put me behind for a while. Plus I have never been to this city nor have any desire to live there, but I don't want to be unemployed.

Anonymous User wrote:My clerkship with a federal district court judge is about to conclude and I have been struggling to find anything post-clerkship. I finally got a phone interview with a personal injury/immigration firm in a border town over 10 hours away from where I live. I got the interview after applying to a general job posing online that did not indicate the name of the firm or even its location.

The attorney interviewing me was very aggressive and straight-forward. He told me the pay would be around $50K per year including bonuses, but didn't indicate what the base salary was. He also said they are a very "lean operation" meaning I would be responsible for purchasing my own office supplies as well as covering expenses associated with my license (annual fees, CLEs, etc). I say he was aggressive because right at the outset of the interview he acknowledged that I was clerking for a federal judge, but said the clients I would work for "wouldn't give a damn" about that experience. As such, he said that I should not expect any perks or bonuses other firms give law clerks.

He then said that, "if I want," I can come to his office for a call-back interview. However, he added several caveats and warnings. He said I wasn't the strongest candidate they were considering because: (1) I had no ties to the area (2) I didn't speak Spanish (3) they rarely went to federal court, so my "experience" wasn't as valuable, and (4) I didn't do moot court/mock trial in law school.

So with that in mind, should I spend a couple of hundred dollars to travel to this interview? My judge has been very accommodating with my job search, but I am getting slammed with a couple of cases, so losing over a day will put me behind for a while. Plus I have never been to this city nor have any desire to live there, but I don't want to be unemployed.

lol at clerking

I wouldn't go because that job sucks and you prob won't even get it.

Anonymous User wrote:My clerkship with a federal district court judge is about to conclude and I have been struggling to find anything post-clerkship. I finally got a phone interview with a personal injury/immigration firm in a border town over 10 hours away from where I live. I got the interview after applying to a general job posing online that did not indicate the name of the firm or even its location.

The attorney interviewing me was very aggressive and straight-forward. He told me the pay would be around $50K per year including bonuses, but didn't indicate what the base salary was. He also said they are a very "lean operation" meaning I would be responsible for purchasing my own office supplies as well as covering expenses associated with my license (annual fees, CLEs, etc). I say he was aggressive because right at the outset of the interview he acknowledged that I was clerking for a federal judge, but said the clients I would work for "wouldn't give a damn" about that experience. As such, he said that I should not expect any perks or bonuses other firms give law clerks.

He then said that, "if I want," I can come to his office for a call-back interview. However, he added several caveats and warnings. He said I wasn't the strongest candidate they were considering because: (1) I had no ties to the area (2) I didn't speak Spanish (3) they rarely went to federal court, so my "experience" wasn't as valuable, and (4) I didn't do moot court/mock trial in law school.

So with that in mind, should I spend a couple of hundred dollars to travel to this interview? My judge has been very accommodating with my job search, but I am getting slammed with a couple of cases, so losing over a day will put me behind for a while. Plus I have never been to this city nor have any desire to live there, but I don't want to be unemployed.

Yeah, I'd pass on that shit. Sounds like a total waste of time.

Anonymous User wrote:My clerkship with a federal district court judge is about to conclude and I have been struggling to find anything post-clerkship. I finally got a phone interview with a personal injury/immigration firm in a border town over 10 hours away from where I live. I got the interview after applying to a general job posing online that did not indicate the name of the firm or even its location.

The attorney interviewing me was very aggressive and straight-forward. He told me the pay would be around $50K per year including bonuses, but didn't indicate what the base salary was. He also said they are a very "lean operation" meaning I would be responsible for purchasing my own office supplies as well as covering expenses associated with my license (annual fees, CLEs, etc). I say he was aggressive because right at the outset of the interview he acknowledged that I was clerking for a federal judge, but said the clients I would work for "wouldn't give a damn" about that experience. As such, he said that I should not expect any perks or bonuses other firms give law clerks.

He then said that, "if I want," I can come to his office for a call-back interview. However, he added several caveats and warnings. He said I wasn't the strongest candidate they were considering because: (1) I had no ties to the area (2) I didn't speak Spanish (3) they rarely went to federal court, so my "experience" wasn't as valuable, and (4) I didn't do moot court/mock trial in law school.

So with that in mind, should I spend a couple of hundred dollars to travel to this interview? My judge has been very accommodating with my job search, but I am getting slammed with a couple of cases, so losing over a day will put me behind for a while. Plus I have never been to this city nor have any desire to live there, but I don't want to be unemployed.

I would say hell no. Save the time for an interview that may pan out into something you want, something located somewhere you want, or both.

.

Sounds like a horrible job, but I'd go to the interview if you think you would rather work than be unemployed. You can always renege if something better comes along.

If you would take that job after being unemployed for a year, you might as well take it now and keep looking for something better.

Despite what others say about you not getting the job, I'm inclined to think the attorney's comments are more about negotiating/bolstering rather than your success of landing the gig. This guy would probably love to have you on the payroll just so he could take dumps on you all day long.

Welcome to the profession.

Go to the shitty interview, talk to the shitty lawyer, put the offer on the shitty backburner. Better than having nothing. Keep looking.

Lol @ "you probably aren't qualified because you didn't do moot court."

yet another reminder that an AIII in no way makes you safe if your credentials were iffy to begin with.

Nah. Hell no. Dude sounds like a dick. i got pissed off just reading what you wrote. I'd rather see you work as an Account Executive at WestLaw.

I agree with most posters here. My friend told me a career sk a marathon and not a sprint. Sometimes it is worth it to wait a bit and avoid some shittorneys like this dude.

This is the same guy running an ongoing flame right

DELG wrote:This is the same guy running an ongoing flame right

I really hope so.