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Do Firms Pay Moving Costs if You Clerk?

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 1:50 pm
by onionz
How does the firm paying for moving costs work if you clerk out of law school? Are there people who work at the firm the summer before who can collect it? Am I SOL?

Re: Do Firms Pay Moving Costs if You Clerk?

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 1:59 pm
by DELG
you mean to move to the city where you are going to work after clerking?

Re: Do Firms Pay Moving Costs if You Clerk?

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:07 pm
by Anonymous User
My V5 will pay moving costs to move from the city where I'm clerking to New York, but won't pay for me to move from law school to the city where I'm clerking. If you're going to be clerking in X City and then staying there to work, you'll have to ask the firm if they will reimburse you for your moving costs, and whether they will might vary by firm. Ethical rules will probably prevent you from accepting any pre-clerkship payments.

Re: Do Firms Pay Moving Costs if You Clerk?

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:22 pm
by onionz
Anonymous User wrote:My V5 will pay moving costs to move from the city where I'm clerking to New York, but won't pay for me to move from law school to the city where I'm clerking. If you're going to be clerking in X City and then staying there to work, you'll have to ask the firm if they will reimburse you for your moving costs, and whether they will might vary by firm. Ethical rules will probably prevent you from accepting any pre-clerkship payments.

Should have been more specific. I meant if I go to school in Chicago, but clerk and then work in ny, if there was any chance my initial move to ny for the clerkship technically would be covered. Sounds like no.

Re: Do Firms Pay Moving Costs if You Clerk?

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 6:23 pm
by BVest
onionz wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:My V5 will pay moving costs to move from the city where I'm clerking to New York, but won't pay for me to move from law school to the city where I'm clerking. If you're going to be clerking in X City and then staying there to work, you'll have to ask the firm if they will reimburse you for your moving costs, and whether they will might vary by firm. Ethical rules will probably prevent you from accepting any pre-clerkship payments.

Should have been more specific. I meant if I go to school in Chicago, but clerk and then work in ny, if there was any chance my initial move to ny for the clerkship technically would be covered. Sounds like no.
I've not heard of a firm willing to do that, though I'm not willing to say it couldn't happen. Your judge might have a problem with it as well.

Re: Do Firms Pay Moving Costs if You Clerk?

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 6:45 pm
by XxSpyKEx
onionz wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:My V5 will pay moving costs to move from the city where I'm clerking to New York, but won't pay for me to move from law school to the city where I'm clerking. If you're going to be clerking in X City and then staying there to work, you'll have to ask the firm if they will reimburse you for your moving costs, and whether they will might vary by firm. Ethical rules will probably prevent you from accepting any pre-clerkship payments.

Should have been more specific. I meant if I go to school in Chicago, but clerk and then work in ny, if there was any chance my initial move to ny for the clerkship technically would be covered. Sounds like no.
you're not moving to NY to work at your firm. You're moving to NY to clerk, and will already be there by the time you start at your firm. I don't see why the firm would pay your moving costs (not to say that it couldn't happen, but I doubt it). If you moved within the city (e.g. to be closer to your firm) after the clerkship, I could see the firm possibly paying those moving costs.

Re: Do Firms Pay Moving Costs if You Clerk?

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:37 pm
by TooOld4This
Moving expense reimbursement is generally tax code driven. Your commute to your new job has to be 50 miles further than your commute to your old job to trigger the provision. Between this and the ethics rules (official or chambers driven), it would be highly unusual to reimburse a pre-clerkship move.

Re: Do Firms Pay Moving Costs if You Clerk?

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:43 pm
by mr.hands
TooOld4This wrote:Moving expense reimbursement is generally tax code driven. Your commute to your new job has to be 50 miles further than your commute to your old job to trigger the provision. Between this and the ethics rules (official or chambers driven), it would be highly unusual to reimburse a pre-clerkship move.
Yep. There are a ton of ethical issues this raises. Unlikely