Other than clerkships, what are other prestigious but chill legal jobs? Forum

[Anonymous User]

currently in big law and thinking about taking a break for 1-2 years. Want to come back to big law after. Don't mind low pay.

Basically I want something chill so I can do my own legal research on the side and publish a few articles on subjects that I'm passionate about.

[Nebby]

Do you know how much work clerking is? It's definitely not "chill" in terms of how much work there is to do.

[zot1]

Government.

[Anonymous User]

Government.

Good call. Not sure how I forgot about htis.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Depends how you define prestigious, though. Hours and prestige are usually directly related.

[Anonymous User]

Thus far "chill" is not how I would describe clerking. Hours not as crazy as big law, but still not great. I work about 11 hours a day during the week and 4-5 hours on Saturday and Sunday.

that being said, it varies widely by court. The workloads are really uneven. You could pick a district that isn't busy and it would probably be chill.

[First Offense]

Do you know how much work clerking is? It's definitely not "chill" in terms of how much work there is to do.

Depends on the judge.

[Anonymous User]

Do you know how much work clerking is? It's definitely not "chill" in terms of how much work there is to do.

Depends on the judge.

Yeah it's equally stupid to say that clerking is "chill" as it is to say it's brutal. Some judges will literally work 9-5 or less, weekdays only. Some judges will work you harder than biglaw. Most fall in between.

[nealric]

In house for the right company.

[rpupkin]

Do you know how much work clerking is? It's definitely not "chill" in terms of how much work there is to do.

Depends on the judge.

Yeah it's equally stupid to say that clerking is "chill" as it is to say it's brutal. Some judges will literally work 9-5 or less, weekdays only. Some judges will work you harder than biglaw. Most fall in between.

This. In some ways my clerkship was easier than big law (no client deadlines/demands and no billing), but in some ways it was harder (one overbearing boss that you absolutely can't hide from).

[Anonymous User]

OP here. my housemate is a coa clerk in her second year of clerking and literally works 9-6 everyday with an hour lunch break. Makes sense that it would be vary by judge though.

[pancakes3]

Um, TCR is academia.

[Desert Fox]

[Anonymous User]

Finding right judge is critical. Would strongly encourage looking af senior judges. A friend of mine has a 2 yr clerkship and works 9-4 M-W and sometimes Thurs. Judge plays golf/tennis on Fridays and sometimes Thurs

[rpupkin]

Finding right judge is critical. Would strongly encourage looking af senior judges. A friend of mine has a 2 yr clerkship and works 9-4 M-W and sometimes Thurs. Judge plays golf/tennis on Fridays and sometimes Thurs

A senior-status judge with a light caseload is credited if your goal is to work as little as possible. But it may not be credited if you want to maximize the value of your clerkship.

[WokeUpInACar]

Find some shitty college where you can be an adjunct and teach UG law classes.

[MyNameIsFlynn!]

Finding right judge is critical. Would strongly encourage looking af senior judges. A friend of mine has a 2 yr clerkship and works 9-4 M-W and sometimes Thurs. Judge plays golf/tennis on Fridays and sometimes Thurs

A senior-status judge with a light caseload is credited if your goal is to work as little as possible. But it may not be credited if you want to maximize the value of your clerkship.

Def true but I don't think the people ITT are really interested in maximizing that value

[A. Nony Mouse]

Find some shitty college where you can be an adjunct and teach UG law classes.

Lol. Even that's not easy to get. And not actually that chill.

[Desert Fox]

[A. Nony Mouse]

Find some shitty college where you can be an adjunct and teach UG law classes.

Lol. Even that's not easy to get. And not actually that chill.

Adjuncts are like part time volunteer gigs.

At law schools. At undergrads they're what all the PhDs without jobs are fighting for.

[rpupkin]

Find some shitty college where you can be an adjunct and teach UG law classes.

Lol. Even that's not easy to get. And not actually that chill.

Adjuncts are like part time volunteer gigs.

At law schools. At undergrads they're what all the PhDs without jobs are fighting for.

Yeah. It's like a summer associate position, except you get $300/month (instead of $3,000/month), and there's a 5% chance (instead of a 95% chance) that your stint will turn into a long-term, tracked position. Good times.

[CanadianWolf]

Hopefully both options pay more.