Best and worst judges to clerk for Forum

[Jefferson9921]

Anyone have intel on Ho (CA5) and Stras (CA8)?

I have heard from a former Ho clerk that he is a good boss and that it was an enjoyable clerkship. That person is quite conservative, though, and I'm not sure he would be a good fit for a clerk of a different stripe.

I have heard quite negative things about Stras through the grapevine and from a professor who was on the faculty with him at Minnesota. I have also heard from someone who worked with him in private practice that he is a nice guy and was a good colleague. My guess is that he just isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Thanks! Stras kind of seems like his legendary former boss, J. Michael Luttig, in the "not being everyone's cup of tea" regard. Not to pile on, but have you heard anything about what it's like to work for Rushing (CA4)?

Former CA4 clerk. I've heard Rushing is kind and a good boss, but I've heard there's not a ton of day-to-day interaction with her clerks. Overall, supposed to be a positive clerkship experience though

Interesting, thanks. Rushing is very conservative, right? I've wondered before why she hasn't begun emerging as a feeder judge, given that she clerked for both CT and NMG. Maybe she just doesn't care about that or hasn't remained connected (or both). Any info on Richardson?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have intel on Ho (CA5) and Stras (CA8)?

I have heard from a former Ho clerk that he is a good boss and that it was an enjoyable clerkship. That person is quite conservative, though, and I'm not sure he would be a good fit for a clerk of a different stripe.

I have heard quite negative things about Stras through the grapevine and from a professor who was on the faculty with him at Minnesota. I have also heard from someone who worked with him in private practice that he is a nice guy and was a good colleague. My guess is that he just isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Thanks! Stras kind of seems like his legendary former boss, J. Michael Luttig, in the "not being everyone's cup of tea" regard. Not to pile on, but have you heard anything about what it's like to work for Rushing (CA4)?

Former CA4 clerk. I've heard Rushing is kind and a good boss, but I've heard there's not a ton of day-to-day interaction with her clerks. Overall, supposed to be a positive clerkship experience though

Interesting, thanks. Rushing is very conservative, right? I've wondered before why she hasn't begun emerging as a feeder judge, given that she clerked for both CT and NMG. Maybe she just doesn't care about that or hasn't remained connected (or both). Any info on Richardson?

Same former CA4 clerk. Yeah, she's arguably the most conservative judge on CA4.

Richardson is great. Super friendly, and it's an intellectually rigorous clerkship. My understanding is that he hires quite early. Seems like his clerks generally start directly after law school.

[Anonymous User]

Same former CA4 clerk. Yeah, she's arguably the most conservative judge on CA4.

Richardson is great. Super friendly, and it's an intellectually rigorous clerkship. My understanding is that he hires quite early. Seems like his clerks generally start directly after law school.

Very good to know. As an incoming 1L hoping (if I have the grades, of course) to clerk for someone like Richardson, should I expect to be applying as early as my first semester? Is it seriously that early??

"Incoming 1L?" You shouldn't be worrying about clerking at all.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have intel on Ho (CA5) and Stras (CA8)?

I have heard from a former Ho clerk that he is a good boss and that it was an enjoyable clerkship. That person is quite conservative, though, and I'm not sure he would be a good fit for a clerk of a different stripe.

I have heard quite negative things about Stras through the grapevine and from a professor who was on the faculty with him at Minnesota. I have also heard from someone who worked with him in private practice that he is a nice guy and was a good colleague. My guess is that he just isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Thanks! Stras kind of seems like his legendary former boss, J. Michael Luttig, in the "not being everyone's cup of tea" regard. Not to pile on, but have you heard anything about what it's like to work for Rushing (CA4)?

What I have heard about Stras goes well beyond "not everyone's cup of tea"—that he is extremely demanding and a heavy micro-manager who often doesn't let his clerks take a single day or weekend off.

[Anonymous User]

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[Anonymous User]

Anyone know anything about M. Lauck? Her OSCAR posting is a little ridiculous - your recommenders have to specifically reference 2023? An online application AND a paper application? - which always makes me wary.

A staggering number of her clerks have quit early.

[thecorbaley1972]

A Troubling Pattern of Judicial Misconduct – Scott Nord
It is deeply concerning to witness the continued abuse of judicial authority displayed by Judge Scott Nord. Over time, a pattern has emerged suggesting that he prioritizes personal bias over impartiality, often disregarding legal standards in favor of punitive and unjust decisions. Such conduct not only undermines public trust in the legal system but also has tangible, damaging consequences for the individuals who appear before him.
Numerous accounts point to Judge Nord using his position to intimidate, silence, or penalize those who challenge his authority, rather than upholding the fair application of the law. This kind of power misuse erodes the foundation of justice and raises serious questions about his fitness to preside over matters that demand neutrality and integrity.
Accountability is essential in every branch of government — and the judiciary is no exception. A judge must be held to the highest ethical standards. Unfortunately, based on what has come to light, Scott Nord appears to have fallen short of this responsibility.
Judge Scott Nord isa corrupt judge that should be arrested for his actions.

[Anonymous User]

Haven't heard precisely why but have been strongly urged to avoid Donato.

Clerked on ND Cal and Donato is one of the two judges there that I would encourage people to avoid, along with Armstrong, though I don't know if she's even taking term clerks anymore.

There are some absolute gems on ND Cal, it's a great place to clerk. Donato was a real outlier, temperament-wise, when I was there.

.

[Anonymous User]

Interesting how there is this phenomenon among judges of deliberate cruelty towards clerks (not all judges of course). Is this different than with bosses in other contexts? Certainly the power disparity between judge and clerk is unique. We might also posit that judges have unusually big egos. And they are put into the position of being bosses without consideration of their merit as bosses.

I say it is something specific to the judge/clerk context. That’s why it comes up again and again amongst this type of boss. My judge was deliberately cruel and I felt it was related to the judicial position.

[Anonymous User]

Interesting how there is this phenomenon among judges of deliberate cruelty towards clerks (not all judges of course). Is this different than with bosses in other contexts? Certainly the power disparity between judge and clerk is unique. We might also posit that judges have unusually big egos. And they are put into the position of being bosses without consideration of their merit as bosses.

I say it is something specific to the judge/clerk context. That’s why it comes up again and again amongst this type of boss. My judge was deliberately cruel and I felt it was related to the judicial position.

For sure it's the environment and the role. Judges are kings. As with kings, there are good and bad, but the position is particularity situated to insulate/promote the bad. In other contexts, there are lots of forces acting to keep people respectable. That's true whether the person likes it or not or regardless of their reasons for wanting to maintain respectability. There's much less of those forces for judges, kings, others super secure in their fortunes and power.

[Anonymous User]

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[Anonymous User]

Interesting how there is this phenomenon among judges of deliberate cruelty towards clerks (not all judges of course). Is this different than with bosses in other contexts? Certainly the power disparity between judge and clerk is unique. We might also posit that judges have unusually big egos. And they are put into the position of being bosses without consideration of their merit as bosses.

I say it is something specific to the judge/clerk context. That’s why it comes up again and again amongst this type of boss. My judge was deliberately cruel and I felt it was related to the judicial position.

I think the elements specific to the judge/clerk context are purely structural - the lack of accountability for the judge and lack of community/options for the clerk. Judges run their chambers with virtually limitless authority, and they’re the only authority. There’s not usually anyone else a clerk can realistically turn to, except possibly a co-clerk (although my sense is that bad judges often create discord among their clerks, too), which is unlike almost any other job.

Working for a solo or in a tiny firm is probably similar, but in a lot of ways it’s easier to leave those jobs - you don’t have to stick out a term and you’re probably not going to struggle to explain why you left.

Clerks are often straight out of law school, they may have moved to a new town to clerk, and have spent their time in law school being told how crucial clerking/your judge’s opinion of you is.

I’m sure having the authority that a judge has doesn’t help, but I don’t think the egos or lack of consideration of their merits as a boss are remotely unique to judges. People don’t make partner because people think they’re going to be good bosses of other people, and plenty of lawyers have huge egos. I’ve also met plenty of judges who *don’t* have huge egos, or at least, not in any way that’s going to lead them to be cruel to clerks.

In other words, the personality issues and lack of training as a boss are entirely common throughout every workplace and every industry. Judges aren’t uniquely bad. It’s just that the structure of a clerkship makes the effect of a bad boss worse - there’s no oversight of chambers and no public awareness of the problem. At least in most firms, if a partner consistently abuses associates, the rest of the firm is likely to have *some* awareness and some interest in shutting it down purely out of self-preservation; and at most firms, an associate can try to avoid working with an abusive partner, or can jump ship at any time.

There are bosses in *every* industry who are deliberately cruel, and I think in almost every legal setting people rise in the ranks due to being good lawyers, not good managers. The problem is that the judge has pretty much absolute authority in their chambers in a way that very few other legal jobs replicate.