Clerking and Bar Prep Forum

[Anonymous User]

I have the opportunity to clerk for a recently appointed judge who needs his clerks to start ASAP. I'm also slated to take the Bar this summer. Does anyone have any experience studying while clerking full time? I realize that it would probably be easier to take it next summer instead, but I need to speak with the Judge about that, since I would imagine he will want me to stay a bit longer than a year to bring him into sync with the regular clerkship cycle.

[whut]

I have the opportunity to clerk for a recently appointed judge who needs his clerks to start ASAP. I'm also slated to take the Bar this summer. Does anyone have any experience studying while clerking full time? I realize that it would probably be easier to take it next summer instead, but I need to speak with the Judge about that, since I would imagine he will want me to stay a bit longer than a year to bring him into sync with the regular clerkship cycle.

focus on the bar

[Anonymous User]

It completely depends. Some judges really, really work their clerks. Some basically let their clerks come and go as they please and set their own schedules. For instance, my judge creates a doc of all the work he wants done and when it needs to be done and we sign up and do the work whenever we want. I think this is rare, but it's how we operate. So, I would imagine studying for the bar would be no problem. Based on other clerks' experiences, I think it could be easily doable (one of my friends did it) or impossible unless all you did was work/study/sleep.

[Anonymous User]

Talk to your judge but unless your judge explicitly says you can focus on the bar, why not take the bar next summer or in February? I imagine a new judge will probably work harder (and their clerks will work harder) as they figure out their system and how they want to do things. It's probably better to devote your energy to that and then once you've got a handle on it, decide whether you want to do Feb. or next summer.

[ClerkAdvisor]

I have the opportunity to clerk for a recently appointed judge who needs his clerks to start ASAP. I'm also slated to take the Bar this summer. Does anyone have any experience studying while clerking full time? I realize that it would probably be easier to take it next summer instead, but I need to speak with the Judge about that, since I would imagine he will want me to stay a bit longer than a year to bring him into sync with the regular clerkship cycle.

focus on the bar

No. If OP accepts the clerkship, s/he needs to do whatever his judge asks him to do. If the judge says wait to take the bar next year, then OP waits to take the bar.

[whut]

I have the opportunity to clerk for a recently appointed judge who needs his clerks to start ASAP. I'm also slated to take the Bar this summer. Does anyone have any experience studying while clerking full time? I realize that it would probably be easier to take it next summer instead, but I need to speak with the Judge about that, since I would imagine he will want me to stay a bit longer than a year to bring him into sync with the regular clerkship cycle.

focus on the bar

No. If OP accepts the clerkship, s/he needs to do whatever his judge asks him to do. If the judge says wait to take the bar next year, then OP waits to take the bar.

If


my advice is to not do

thus negating your entire argument


I repeat. Focus on the bar.

[beepboopbeep]

If


my advice is to not do

thus negating your entire argument


I repeat. Focus on the bar.

whut

[Elston Gunn]

I have the opportunity to clerk for a recently appointed judge who needs his clerks to start ASAP. I'm also slated to take the Bar this summer. Does anyone have any experience studying while clerking full time? I realize that it would probably be easier to take it next summer instead, but I need to speak with the Judge about that, since I would imagine he will want me to stay a bit longer than a year to bring him into sync with the regular clerkship cycle.

focus on the bar

No. If OP accepts the clerkship, s/he needs to do whatever his judge asks him to do. If the judge says wait to take the bar next year, then OP waits to take the bar.

If


my advice is to not do

thus negating your entire argument


I repeat. Focus on the bar.

Wait, so your advice is for OP to turn down a (I'm guessing) federal clerkship because he wants to take the bar right now with full study time? That's nuts.

[whut]

I stand by it

get your license

[Elston Gunn]

My advice (not from experience) would be A) definitely take the clerkship if you want to do it and it's going to further your career, and B) sign up for the bar, give it whatever shot you can manage, with the knowledge that if you fail it's no big deal and can take it the following summer. Waiting til the following summer altogether would also be totally reasonable.

[whut]

My advice (not from experience) would be A) definitely take the clerkship if you want to do it and it's going to further your career, and B) sign up for the bar, give it whatever shot you can manage, with the knowledge that if you fail it's no big deal and can take it the following summer. Waiting til the following summer altogether would also be totally reasonable.

retakers have a majority fail rate
don't become a retaker

[whut]

If


my advice is to not do

thus negating your entire argument


I repeat. Focus on the bar.

whut

beep

[Elston Gunn]

My advice (not from experience) would be A) definitely take the clerkship if you want to do it and it's going to further your career, and B) sign up for the bar, give it whatever shot you can manage, with the knowledge that if you fail it's no big deal and can take it the following summer. Waiting til the following summer altogether would also be totally reasonable.

retakers have a majority fail rate
don't become a retaker

LOL

Did you have trouble on the LSAT?

[whut]

My advice (not from experience) would be A) definitely take the clerkship if you want to do it and it's going to further your career, and B) sign up for the bar, give it whatever shot you can manage, with the knowledge that if you fail it's no big deal and can take it the following summer. Waiting til the following summer altogether would also be totally reasonable.

retakers have a majority fail rate
don't become a retaker

LOL

Did you have trouble on the LSAT?

I refer you to my previous post
I suggest reading comprehension

[ClerkAdvisor]

My advice (not from experience) would be A) definitely take the clerkship if you want to do it and it's going to further your career, and B) sign up for the bar, give it whatever shot you can manage, with the knowledge that if you fail it's no big deal and can take it the following summer. Waiting til the following summer altogether would also be totally reasonable.

retakers have a majority fail rate
don't become a retaker

LOL

Did you have trouble on the LSAT?

I refer you to my previous post
I suggest reading comprehension

You've been on this board for 24 hours and are quite hostile...

[Elston Gunn]

My advice (not from experience) would be A) definitely take the clerkship if you want to do it and it's going to further your career, and B) sign up for the bar, give it whatever shot you can manage, with the knowledge that if you fail it's no big deal and can take it the following summer. Waiting til the following summer altogether would also be totally reasonable.

retakers have a majority fail rate
don't become a retaker

LOL

Did you have trouble on the LSAT?

I refer you to my previous post
I suggest reading comprehension

I suggest avoiding towns where the people consume a lot of ice cream. You'll probably get murdered.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I know a few people who took the bar while clerking, but in each case it was their second bar after taking it the previous summer, so not as much work as the first time around. But everyone who's not whut is right, find out from your judge what they'd prefer. You don't have to be licensed to clerk, and so as long as you take it before the clerkship is over, you're fine. Getting it over sooner rather than later is probably best, though (in terms of remembering relevant stuff from law school).

[Anonymous User]

I agree with everyone (except whut). I just wanted to add that if your clerkship lasts more than a year, you can be promoted to JS-12 (basically, get a raise) at the one-year mark if you have passed the bar. So, if it is possible to take the bar before your year-mark, and your judge is chill with it, it might be financially worth it to put in that work on the front end.

[mi-chan17]

Didn't mean to post as Anon. The above post is me.

[bk1]

Note: whut was a troll and has been banned.

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

Thanks for all the input, everyone. Quick follow-up questions (that might be more appropriate for another forum): Not that I intend to fail, but are there any future repercussions if I fail the first time around? Does anyone know if Barbri will allow you to push back your bar prep to another test date this late in the game? Can I cancel my my bar registration (NY) without consequence this late?

I'm going to work all this out with the Judge, but I wanted to fully understand my options. Thank you all very much for the advice.