I got a return offer from a law firm I was a summer associate at and will also be clerking in 2023 and 2025. The way it works with the firm and also my first judge (I got this sorted out already), is that I just have deferred open offer I can accept in 2024 and will enter as a second year + clerkship bonus. Now that I have this 2025 one I am wondering if I should tell my firm? I have to imagine the prospect of me taking a 50k signing bonus and then leaivng within the year would reflect poorly on me, not to mention that senior attorneys and Partners would be less willing to mentor me if they know I will be leaving after a year.
Should I just keep the 2025 position quiet until a few months before I leave in 2024?
Clerk then firm then Clerk Forum
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Anonymous User
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Re: Clerk then firm then Clerk
Unless they explicitly ask you whether you plan to stay at the firm for more than a year, then just take the money and don't volunteer the information until you have to. I don't think it really reflects poorly on you. People do it all the time and $50K is like peanuts for them anyway.Anonymous User wrote: ↑Wed Aug 03, 2022 1:03 pmI got a return offer from a law firm I was a summer associate at and will also be clerking in 2023 and 2025. The way it works with the firm and also my first judge (I got this sorted out already), is that I just have deferred open offer I can accept in 2024 and will enter as a second year + clerkship bonus. Now that I have this 2025 one I am wondering if I should tell my firm? I have to imagine the prospect of me taking a 50k signing bonus and then leaivng within the year would reflect poorly on me, not to mention that senior attorneys and Partners would be less willing to mentor me if they know I will be leaving after a year.
Should I just keep the 2025 position quiet until a few months before I leave in 2024?
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johndonne
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Re: Clerk then firm then Clerk
As I understand it, most clerkship bonuses come with a requirement that you stay at least a year at the firm. My guess is that given the requisite breaks between jobs, you won’t be at your firm the full year, which would entitle them to claw back your clerkship bonus.
Whether you tell the firm ahead of time about your second clerkship probably depends on your relationship with them. If you think it’s a place you’d want to go back to after the second clerkship, I probably would tell them at least by the time you start working there. The downside is that, as you point out, they may be less invested in you. But if you have a good relationship with them, that might not be the case.
Whether you tell the firm ahead of time about your second clerkship probably depends on your relationship with them. If you think it’s a place you’d want to go back to after the second clerkship, I probably would tell them at least by the time you start working there. The downside is that, as you point out, they may be less invested in you. But if you have a good relationship with them, that might not be the case.
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enibs
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Re: Clerk then firm then Clerk
For those other than OP reading this, try to avoid this situation if you can. Clerk, firm, clerk is incredibly disruptive to your development as an associate. For OP, if you think you might want to come back to the firm after your second clerkship, be honest with them up front. They probably won’t be overjoyed by your doing a second clerkship, and only having 9 months in between, but it will be worse if you hide the ball.
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JusticeChuckleNutz
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Re: Clerk then firm then Clerk
You should bail on your 2025 clerkship. You already are getting the prestige bump + clerkship bonus from the first one...
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Pneumonia
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Re: Clerk then firm then Clerk
You should defer your clerkship bonus until after the second clerkship. This will maximize your options and minimize everyone’s hassle. It might also increase the size of your bonus. You should tell your new firm about the second clerkship within a few weeks of when you start working at the firm but probably not before. Keeping it secret is not a good idea. The partners you’re working with may be disappointed to lose you so quick, but they won’t make a stink.
Based on the 2025 hire date, I’m assuming your second judge is feederish or at least very competitive. Obviously those qualities will be an easier sell to your firm and will help you with the narrative explanation of your timing. If I’m wrong about that, and the 2025 gig is something random in a flyover state far away from the market you’re targeting, then you may encounter more pointed questions from your firm.
Based on the 2025 hire date, I’m assuming your second judge is feederish or at least very competitive. Obviously those qualities will be an easier sell to your firm and will help you with the narrative explanation of your timing. If I’m wrong about that, and the 2025 gig is something random in a flyover state far away from the market you’re targeting, then you may encounter more pointed questions from your firm.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Clerk then firm then Clerk
OP here. Not feederish (as far as I know, not very plugged in to the SCOTUS clerkship path). I sent her an app through paper cause I couldn't find a posting and she responded that she had hired through 2024 but my app caught her eye and she wanted to interview and offered me for 2025.Pneumonia wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 10:44 amYou should defer your clerkship bonus until after the second clerkship. This will maximize your options and minimize everyone’s hassle. It might also increase the size of your bonus. You should tell your new firm about the second clerkship within a few weeks of when you start working at the firm but probably not before. Keeping it secret is not a good idea. The partners you’re working with may be disappointed to lose you so quick, but they won’t make a stink.
Based on the 2025 hire date, I’m assuming your second judge is feederish or at least very competitive. Obviously those qualities will be an easier sell to your firm and will help you with the narrative explanation of your timing. If I’m wrong about that, and the 2025 gig is something random in a flyover state far away from the market you’re targeting, then you may encounter more pointed questions from your firm.
Defering a clerkship bonus is an interesting idea and something I didn't know I could do.
