Reach out to current clerk for help on interview prep? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I received an interview with a judge. The only person from my school who has clerked with the judge is currently clerking for the judge. Is it appropriate to reach out to that current clerk/school alum to ask questions about the interview/clerkship before the actual clerkship interview?

I'm really more interested in knowing how to prep for the interview, though it seems weird to ask a current clerk that

[Holly Golightly]

My gut is to say it's inappropriate, since the judge's current clerks will likely be participating in the interview, though it's possible others will disagree with me on this.

[arkhamhorror]

So if someone were to call me from out of the blue like that and I had never spoken to them before, I would help them as best I could but would think it was kind of odd. I know my judge does not look favorably upon this practice, but they're just one individual out of many.

Is there no way to network a connection? Do you know a professor who knows the clerk who can ask on your behalf? I've had professors do that for students who were interested in applying here. It seems much less forced.

In terms of questions to ask, just ask the clerk what the judge is like and what his/her preferences are.

[Anonymous User]

I think it's inappropriate to reach out directly to a current clerk. If this is the only person from your school that's clerked for the judge, I would ask your clerkship office/coordinator for advice - maybe they'd be willing to reach out to the current clerk and then connect you two. But I don't think you should reach out to the current clerk directly yourself.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I agree that if you can find a third party who knows you and the clerk who'd be willing to connect you two, that would be better. I would find it a little odd if someone contacted me directly out of the blue while I was still clerking.

[Anonymous User]

Current clerk here. This happened with a recent interviewee and we all thought it was a bit weird. Not recommended.

[Shaggier1]

Not worth the risk. Focus instead on connecting with that clerk during the interview as s/he will likely be rooting for you based on your shared alma mater.

Good luck.

[rpupkin]

The judge I clerked for wouldn't care if you did this. But another judge at our court canceled an interview because the applicant contacted a clerk directly two days before the interview. (The applicant and the clerk graduated from the same law school but otherwise had no connection.)

Judges are idiosyncratic and unpredictable. If you have any doubt about whether doing something would be viewed as inappropriate, err on the side of caution.

[Citizen Genet]

For record's sake (in case anyone reads this down the road for advice) I do think that it matters when in the process you are. If you've been selected for an interview, that is unseemly. If, on the other hand, the judge isn't soliciting applications at all and there's been no contact, reaching out to a current clerk to find out about the judge's hiring preferences and how to package an application is an unambiguously smart move in my opinion. (Anyone disagree?)

[exitoptions]

For record's sake (in case anyone reads this down the road for advice) I do think that it matters when in the process you are. If you've been selected for an interview, that is unseemly. If, on the other hand, the judge isn't soliciting applications at all and there's been no contact, reaching out to a current clerk to find out about the judge's hiring preferences and how to package an application is an unambiguously smart move in my opinion. (Anyone disagree?)

I would only add that you should first check the judge's website and Oscar for a recent update. I realize this should be obvious, but for many applicants it's not. There's nothing worse than getting calls asking if the judge is accepting apps when the website says clearly not to apply until X date.

[Anonymous User]

D. ct. clerk here.

I don't know how you can do this without it looking kinda bad. The currently clerk is almost certainly involved in the hiring process, and I wouldn't be surprised if he/she actually interviews you, or participates in it with the judge.

If some rando contacted me about interviewing with my judge, my reaction would be entirely contingent on how I was approached. If someone had the foresight to realize I might be involved with the hiring process and that I might be unable to talk about it and prefaced an email/call acknowledging that, I wouldn't really care. But if someone contacted me and said "Hey, I got an interview with your judge. Can you help me out prepping for it?" I would really question that person's judgment.