Getting Nervous about Starting my COA Clerkship next week Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm reading through some of my judge's old opinions and wondering if I'm going to be able to do this, honestly. I'm not working for a "sweatshop" judge but this stuff is complex. I Just don't want to screw it up.


anyone else feel/felt similar?

[Emma.]

I'm reading through some of my judge's old opinions and wondering if I'm going to be able to do this, honestly. I'm not working for a "sweatshop" judge but this stuff is complex. I Just don't want to screw it up.


anyone else feel/felt similar?

It is crazy intimidating starting out in chambers, but as I finish up my CoA clerkship I'm super jealous that you are just starting out. Stay calm. You'll be fine. There is a steep learning curve but your judge knows that. S/he won't expect you to kill it from day 1. Whatever you do, remember that your #1 priority is to protect your judge. Always be honest with him/her—don't ever misstate the facts or the law just to make things fit the way you think they should. Work closely with your coclerks. If you are unsure of anything, ask before you do it. Especially at the start of the year you should rely on each other and run things past each other.

You are going to have an amazing year. Have fun!!

[Anonymous User]

I'm reading through some of my judge's old opinions and wondering if I'm going to be able to do this, honestly. I'm not working for a "sweatshop" judge but this stuff is complex. I Just don't want to screw it up.


anyone else feel/felt similar?

It is crazy intimidating starting out in chambers, but as I finish up my CoA clerkship I'm super jealous that you are just starting out. Stay calm. You'll be fine. There is a steep learning curve but your judge knows that. S/he won't expect you to kill it from day 1. Whatever you do, remember that your #1 priority is to protect your judge. Always be honest with him/her—don't ever misstate the facts or the law just to make things fit the way you think they should. Work closely with your coclerks. If you are unsure of anything, ask before you do it. Especially at the start of the year you should rely on each other and run things past each other.

You are going to have an amazing year. Have fun!!

D. ct. clerk here. I agree with this. Clearly at the COA level there is more pressure and responsibility (no saying "well, let's do this and see what the Circuit does..."), but this advice fully applies to any clerkship.

Also, proof your drafts, then proof them again, and again, and again. Do NOT rush anything. Make sure you are turning it in as if your job depends on it (it kind of does, but not right off the bat). If you have the slightest doubt about anything, figure it out, and if you can't figure it out--after trying for at least a few hours and making sure you've thought everything through and done your due diligence--ask for help. There are 1000000 things in every chambers that you simply can't know unless you ask or someone tells you. Anyone who's worked in chambers will understand this.

I would also strongly suggest you read as many of your judge's opinions as possible. Opinion-writing is often very formulaic. It just takes a little while to learn how to piece everything together.

PS don't be nervous. Be excited. I guarantee it will be the best job you ever have as a lawyer.

[Anonymous User]

Do you know when oral arguments are next for you? If they don't start right away then I think you will have a little time to get into the swing of things before the difficulty/amount of work gets amped up a notch.

[Anonymous User]

I'm reading through some of my judge's old opinions and wondering if I'm going to be able to do this, honestly. I'm not working for a "sweatshop" judge but this stuff is complex. I Just don't want to screw it up.


anyone else feel/felt similar?

It is crazy intimidating starting out in chambers, but as I finish up my CoA clerkship I'm super jealous that you are just starting out. Stay calm. You'll be fine. There is a steep learning curve but your judge knows that. S/he won't expect you to kill it from day 1. Whatever you do, remember that your #1 priority is to protect your judge. Always be honest with him/her—don't ever misstate the facts or the law just to make things fit the way you think they should. Work closely with your coclerks. If you are unsure of anything, ask before you do it. Especially at the start of the year you should rely on each other and run things past each other.

You are going to have an amazing year. Have fun!!

D. ct. clerk here. I agree with this. Clearly at the COA level there is more pressure and responsibility (no saying "well, let's do this and see what the Circuit does..."), but this advice fully applies to any clerkship.

Also, proof your drafts, then proof them again, and again, and again. Do NOT rush anything. Make sure you are turning it in as if your job depends on it (it kind of does, but not right off the bat). If you have the slightest doubt about anything, figure it out, and if you can't figure it out--after trying for at least a few hours and making sure you've thought everything through and done your due diligence--ask for help. There are 1000000 things in every chambers that you simply can't know unless you ask or someone tells you. Anyone who's worked in chambers will understand this.

I would also strongly suggest you read as many of your judge's opinions as possible. Opinion-writing is often very formulaic. It just takes a little while to learn how to piece everything together.

PS don't be nervous. Be excited. I guarantee it will be the best job you ever have as a lawyer.

Thanks guys. If there's one thing I'm not nervous about, it's that I'm prepared to put in the requisite time for what I do to be polished, so that's good to hear.

Do you know when oral arguments are next for you? If they don't start right away then I think you will have a little time to get into the swing of things before the difficulty/amount of work gets amped up a notch.

I'll find out when our next oral arguments are. Hopefully they're not too soon!