When to Bring Up Clerking
Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2020 12:41 pm
Incoming summer associate at NYC V40. I am very interested in clerking. When would it be appropriate to start talking about this with my firm? Thanks!
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You wouldn’t find out what your firm’s policy was before applying?
I don't get what you mean by your firm's "policy"; at an NY V40, it's probably public and probably something like "class year advancement plus clerkship bonus." It's also common to extend deadlines for offers while people clerk for conflicts reasons. Is there something else you want to know? Students generally don't talk to their firm about clerking until after they've secured a clerkship. Assuming you'll be applying on the plan, if you get a clerkship, it will probably be in the middle of your summer program, which is a natural time to talk to your firm about any arrangements that need to be made.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Oct 27, 2020 1:38 pmYou wouldn’t find out what your firm’s policy was before applying?
Edit: I’m not trying to sound rude. I’m generally asking. I would have thought that one should understand the firm’s policy before pursuing a clerkship, but that could be shortsighted.
my perspective is basically - (1) your number one priority as a summer associate is getting the offer; (2) telling your (hopefully) future employer that you're actively looking for another job isn't gonna make them more likely to hire you; and (3) the stuff you want to know - do you ever pull offers from people who leave - they're not gonna tell you. (the $$$ stuff is all google-able, your V40 is almost certainly doing w/e market is at this point)Anonymous User wrote: ↑Tue Oct 27, 2020 1:38 pmYou wouldn’t find out what your firm’s policy was before applying?
Edit: I’m not trying to sound rude. I’m generally asking. I would have thought that one should understand the firm’s policy before pursuing a clerkship, but that could be shortsighted.
This isn't quite as simple as just "looking for another job." Clerkships are overwhelmingly viewed as a positive, and it's very common for associates to delay their start date (or to take a year off, and then come back) in order to clerk. Obviously YMMV and it's usually a good idea to talk to a trusted associate or partner before letting people know that you're clerking (or planning to), but very few firms will hold a clerkship against you. When I was a summer at a V5 (pre-COVID), it was very common for summers to take days off here and there to travel to clerkships, and they were all pretty open about it and the firm offered mock interviews. Similarly, it was pretty common for junior associates to let people know that they were leaving for a year to clerk, and usually those juniors got better work assignments because people wanted to make sure those associates came back to the firm post-clerkship.LBJ's Hair wrote: ↑Tue Oct 27, 2020 3:14 pm(2) telling your (hopefully) future employer that you're actively looking for another job isn't gonna make them more likely to hire you
When I was a summer, I actually asked a senior associate about clerking, and he basically said what LBJ said. "Dude, focus on getting an offer here. If you land a clerkship, great. Talk to the firm about it then. But don't signal that you're out applying for another job." I imagine things are different at firms that put a huge emphasis on clerkships. But if you're at one of those firms, I don't think you need to go out of your way to ask anyone about how the firm views clerking - you'll know because the firm will make sure you know. Just my thoughts.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Wed Oct 28, 2020 3:41 pmThis isn't quite as simple as just "looking for another job." Clerkships are overwhelmingly viewed as a positive, and it's very common for associates to delay their start date (or to take a year off, and then come back) in order to clerk. Obviously YMMV and it's usually a good idea to talk to a trusted associate or partner before letting people know that you're clerking (or planning to), but very few firms will hold a clerkship against you. When I was a summer at a V5 (pre-COVID), it was very common for summers to take days off here and there to travel to clerkships, and they were all pretty open about it and the firm offered mock interviews. Similarly, it was pretty common for junior associates to let people know that they were leaving for a year to clerk, and usually those juniors got better work assignments because people wanted to make sure those associates came back to the firm post-clerkship.LBJ's Hair wrote: ↑Tue Oct 27, 2020 3:14 pm(2) telling your (hopefully) future employer that you're actively looking for another job isn't gonna make them more likely to hire you
yes that's all true once you get the clerkship. my advice is for summer associates who do not have clerkships - that it's better to be discreet because you don't have a job there, or for that matter a clerkship.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Wed Oct 28, 2020 3:41 pmThis isn't quite as simple as just "looking for another job." Clerkships are overwhelmingly viewed as a positive, and it's very common for associates to delay their start date (or to take a year off, and then come back) in order to clerk. Obviously YMMV and it's usually a good idea to talk to a trusted associate or partner before letting people know that you're clerking (or planning to), but very few firms will hold a clerkship against you. When I was a summer at a V5 (pre-COVID), it was very common for summers to take days off here and there to travel to clerkships, and they were all pretty open about it and the firm offered mock interviews. Similarly, it was pretty common for junior associates to let people know that they were leaving for a year to clerk, and usually those juniors got better work assignments because people wanted to make sure those associates came back to the firm post-clerkship.LBJ's Hair wrote: ↑Tue Oct 27, 2020 3:14 pm(2) telling your (hopefully) future employer that you're actively looking for another job isn't gonna make them more likely to hire you