Resume question Forum

[Anonymous User]

I worked for a magistrate judge who got confirmed last year to a district judgeship. How should I describe my job on my resume?

Law Clerk, then-Magistrate Judge John Smith
Law Clerk, Honorable John Smith

Something else?

Thanks!

[djwjddl]

I worked for a magistrate judge who got confirmed last year to a district judgeship. How should I describe my job on my resume?

Law Clerk, then-Magistrate Judge John Smith
Law Clerk, Honorable John Smith

Something else?

Thanks!

Assuming that the judge wasn't confirmed while you were working for him, it would seem very disingenuous for you to simply put "Honorable John Smith." First, you didn't clerk for him while he was a district court judge (and as a result, your responsibilities were not the same as those of a district court clerk). Second, you're going to be putting the time period in which you worked for the judge on your resume, which was when your judge was a mag, not a district court judge. Thus, your resume would be inconsistent at best and inaccurate at worst if you simply wrote "Honorable John Smith."

This is all to say that you should just put "Magistrate Judge Smith." Your resume won't come across any more impressive by indicating that the judge you worked for got elevated to a district court judgeship, especially if you didn't work for him while he was in that new position. If anything, like I wrote, it'll come off as compensating or disingenuous.

[seralini99]

Along the same lines, how much information do you put down about the kind of work performed? Do you mention specific cases? Or do you go for less is more and simply put down clerkship to the honorable etc. and let them fill in the blanks?