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I am a third year corporate associate at a midsized firm and I have always wanted to clerk however I didn't have the opportunity to do so straight out of law school. Would it be too late at this point to consider one? I spoke to a judge recently at the appellate level in my state and they indicated to give them a call regarding a position. So there is a possibility I may have a shot at something. Long term I know I want to be transactional general corporate. Tell me the pros cons if this would hurt my career. Clerkship is the only thing I would be interested and not litigation long term.

Pros: sticking it to the tryhards who didn't believe in you during law school; getting a look at how our nation's courts work at the highest level

Cons: leaving a huge amount of money on the table; missing key development milestones as a corporate midlevel; making your firm worry about whether you are trying to leave

I don't see much benefit to clerking if you want to stay in corporate. However, I could maybe see it if you are looking to transition to a litigation (or litigation adjacent role).

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 06, 2024 7:51 am

I am a third year corporate associate at a midsized firm and I have always wanted to clerk however I didn't have the opportunity to do so straight out of law school. Would it be too late at this point to consider one? I spoke to a judge recently at the appellate level in my state and they indicated to give them a call regarding a position. So there is a possibility I may have a shot at something. Long term I know I want to be transactional general corporate. Tell me the pros cons if this would hurt my career. Clerkship is the only thing I would be interested and not litigation long term.

Does your current firm have a robust litigation practice ?

Whether or not clerking for a year or two will hurt your career with midsized law firms will depend upon the particular firm.