Health forced me to quit clerkship...screwed? Forum

[Sealamd54]

Hello,

In 2018 I graduated from a pretty good regional school in the midwest (think Illinois, Notre Dame, Minnesota) and in Sept. of my 3L year I was offered a state clerkship but it was with a judge I really connected with and actually was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I have type 1 diabetes (not sure how familiar everyone is with it...but when things go bad, they can go bad quickly.) My blood sugars were wildly out of control and I ended up needing to be hospitalized for nearly a month. Of course, I had to quit the clerkship as I was completely useless to my judge, though he was understanding, there weren't many other options. I basically worked as his law clerk for 2 1/2 months.

Now I am in this horrible situation of having secured employment prior to graduation, but was able to only work for a few months and I am really struggling on cover letters how to explain this. I don't want it come off as rambling about my personal health problems or project some sort of victim mentality.

Any suggestions on possible ways to word what happened in a way that doesn't make me sound too bad? Would be amazingly appreciated!

Thanks!

[cavalier1138]

I don't see why you can't word it similarly to the way you did here. Some variation of "I clerked for approximately 3 months, but I encountered severe health issues that unfortunately lasted so long that I could no longer continue in the position." seems appropriate.

[Npret]

I don't see why you can't word it similarly to the way you did here. Some variation of "I clerked for approximately 3 months, but I encountered severe health issues that unfortunately lasted so long that I could no longer continue in the position." seems appropriate.

It’s so tricky because you’re sending up a red flag to employers. I don’t know how to address this but I wouldn’t say “severe health problems” maybe something less dramatic that makes it clear that it lasted long enough to force you to quit.

I guess you couldn’t take a leave of absence and return?

[Anonymous User]

Do you have a CGM? You should get one when you find a job; I work in biglaw and it is a true lifesaver. Type 1 is a pain in the ass and your control will never be perfect, but you have to get it to a point where it doesn’t sideline you for weeks. I’m not trying to be a jerk, but it is a manageable disease if you put in some work on the front end, and I would encourage you to do whatever you have to do to get to that point.