Interning for senior status judge Forum

[mbrody71@gmail.com]

I've been offered to be a summer intern for a federal district court judge (Article III judge). He is on senior status, but says that he will have a fair amount of work to keep me busy. I'm not high-ranked enough in the class to rely on my grades to apply to federal judges on OSCAR, so if I want to be a clerk, I figure that I should just try my best to develop relationships with judges. Anybody have any thoughts on this?

[TTH]

1L?

Seems like a good gig. Senior status judge will have fewer clerks, so I'm guessing you'll see more substantive work relative to a 1L interning for an active judge.

[ilovesf]

I've been offered to be a summer intern for a federal district court judge (Article III judge). He is on senior status, but says that he will have a fair amount of work to keep me busy. I'm not high-ranked enough in the class to rely on my grades to apply to federal judges on OSCAR, so if I want to be a clerk, I figure that I should just try my best to develop relationships with judges. Anybody have any thoughts on this?

I'm also interning with a senior judge. The judge takes half the case load of a regular judge, but that is still plenty to stay busy. I'll be the only intern there, so I'll be getting tons of work. Someone on here responded to one of my posts and said it was slightly less prestigious than a regular judge, but I asked tons of people about this and no one has really said anything to confirm it, so I don't really know.

[TTH]

Someone on here responded to one of my posts and said it was slightly less prestigious than a regular judge, but I asked tons of people about this and no one has really said anything to confirm it, so I don't really know.

I think the downshot here isn't so much that it's less prestigious, but by virtue of being "senior," your judge is less likely to be around longer to serve as a mentor/ally. Just speculating here, I don't know much about the world of Judges and how they help their interns/clerks after their done.

[JoeFish]

Yeah, honestly, the thought of "If I'm with a senior judge who's 77 or 81 or something, and, god forbid, there's some medical emergency during the first week of my internship... in addition to how obviously sad that would be for all involved, where does that leave me?" has popped into my mind once or twice. I'd assume maybe some other judge in that courthouse would let me sign on perhaps?

You know, I mean, it's not going to affect what I do, but... just feels a little weird. That being said, more years means more experience and a bigger depth of knowledge to gain insight from.

[mbrody71@gmail.com]

OK, an update for everybody....I have also been offered a position with an active federal judge in Mississippi. That position would be during June and early July. I can then go out to work for the senior judge from mid-July to mid-August. My grades are very so-so (middle of my class), so I'm wondering if anybody has thoughts on how two federal judge internships would look on a resume.

Thanks.

[lawschoolftw]

OK, an update for everybody....I have also been offered a position with an active federal judge in Mississippi. That position would be during June and early July. I can then go out to work for the senior judge from mid-July to mid-August. My grades are very so-so (middle of my class), so I'm wondering if anybody has thoughts on how two federal judge internships would look on a resume.

Thanks.

Congrats! But, I don't think having two judges verse one will be a boost on your resume. My advice, itnern with one of the judges, you'll have a great experience and take some time to relax this summer. Remember before law school when everyone said, you should just chll out b/c law school sucks you in and then you just do law for the rest of your life. Well, it continues to speed up into your second year. I think your 1L summer is really one of the last chances to kind of take a deep breathe and relax (pre OCI and freaking out about your future).

FWIW I love school have a job and am not bitter about it in case that came off like that lol.

[NotMyRealName09]

One upside of a senior status judge may be that with the reduced case load and increased wisdom, you might actually get more personal interaction with the judge, maybe do some work directly for him or her rather than always through his or her clerk(s). That happened to me - amazing learning experience, one I seriously will cherish forever. Although, I was there for several months before that happened, so my commitment paid off.

[NotMyRealName09]

OK, an update for everybody....I have also been offered a position with an active federal judge in Mississippi. That position would be during June and early July. I can then go out to work for the senior judge from mid-July to mid-August. My grades are very so-so (middle of my class), so I'm wondering if anybody has thoughts on how two federal judge internships would look on a resume.

Thanks.

Congrats! But, I don't think having two judges verse one will be a boost on your resume. My advice, itnern with one of the judges, you'll have a great experience and take some time to relax this summer. Remember before law school when everyone said, you should just chll out b/c law school sucks you in and then you just do law for the rest of your life. Well, it continues to speed up into your second year. I think your 1L summer is really one of the last chances to kind of take a deep breathe and relax (pre OCI and freaking out about your future).

FWIW I love school have a job and am not bitter about it in case that came off like that lol.

I don't know, I interned for a federal dist ct judge and an appellate court judge, and interviewers loved it. Not the same as two fed dist ct judges over a split summer, but shows clearly you are interested in litigation and learning as much as you can. If your resume showed up on my desk with two federal judicial internships, I'd pick it over an equally impressive resume sans internships, or with only one (generally). Its beneficial because different judges do things different ways, and the more behind the scenes exposure you can get, the more practical knowledge you are gaining over your peers.

Others might differ, but I think those internships are fantastic for law students. The more, the longer, the better. Its more than just a line on the resume, of course - you will ACTUALLY LEARN HOW COURTS REALLY WORK, and to noones surprise, its more than just according the the FRCPs. When I interned for a federal judge my 1L summer, I worked as much as I could - far beyond any requirements for internship credits - because the opportunity to learn from a judge should not be squandered. And when you get to any interview, you might actually be speaking more like a lawyer than a peer who has spent no time in a courtroom or around a judge. That is subtle, but it can matter.

And I think your time to relax was 0L summer, Thanks giving break, Christmas break, and spring break. 1L summer - your childhood is over, get your ass to some internships!

[adonai]

I don't know, I interned for a federal dist ct judge and an appellate court judge, and interviewers loved it. Not the same as two fed dist ct judges over a split summer, but shows clearly you are interested in litigation and learning as much as you can. If your resume showed up on my desk with two federal judicial internships, I'd pick it over an equally impressive resume sans internships, or with only one (generally). Its beneficial because different judges do things different ways, and the more behind the scenes exposure you can get, the more practical knowledge you are gaining over your peers.

Others might differ, but I think those internships are fantastic for law students. The more, the longer, the better. Its more than just a line on the resume, of course - you will ACTUALLY LEARN HOW COURTS REALLY WORK, and to noones surprise, its more than just according the the FRCPs. When I interned for a federal judge my 1L summer, I worked as much as I could - far beyond any requirements for internship credits - because the opportunity to learn from a judge should not be squandered. And when you get to any interview, you might actually be speaking more like a lawyer than a peer who has spent no time in a courtroom or around a judge. That is subtle, but it can matter.

And I think your time to relax was 0L summer, Thanks giving break, Christmas break, and spring break. 1L summer - your childhood is over, get your ass to some internships!

Is it ever looked down upon if all you did was judicial internships, or is it the more the better? I will have done three (2 fed, 1 state) and am planning to pursue one more fed for a clean sweep. I just really love being in chambers/court, and I also don't really know what area of practice I want to pursue as of now. Also, how did you extend your intern period? Do you just ask?