I am a 3L. I aspire to do public interest work, likely at a non-profit legal services agency. I have a job offer that's somewhat in line with my career goals (government public interest work). It sounds really interesting and I'm excited about it. I also have a state clerkship offer with a seemingly great judge who does some interesting civil cases. I'm torn because part of me wants to begin my attorney career immediately and another part of me wants to have the one year clerkship experience. I know that a clerkship won't set me back in terms of my career, but it also means that I'll be doing the job hunt all over again in one year.
The salaries are similar, although the attorney job pays a few thousand more a year and the benefits are better. The geographic locations differ quite a bit, as the job is in PA and the clerkship is in NJ. I am taking both state Bars and could imagine practicing in either state, although I would prefer PA.
(I told the judge about my job offer before my interview and the judge still interviewed me and ultimately offered me the clerkship understanding that I needed to consider both offers).
State clerkship or job in line with career goals? Forum
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Re: State clerkship or job in line with career goals?
What level is the clerkship?
The answer is almost certainly to take the government job. Hiring for any given government position is usually relatively rare and unpredictable, so I wouldn't count on being able to land the same job in a year. And government hiring in general is so competitive and idiosyncratic that I wouldn't count on being able to land a comparable job elsewhere in a year, either.
It would be different if we were talking about a federal clerkship or certain state supreme court clerkships, because those can keep paying dividends throughout your career. But if we're talking about a lower-level state clerkship, any value in those usually lies in landing a specific job right after the clerkship. You already have that.
The answer is almost certainly to take the government job. Hiring for any given government position is usually relatively rare and unpredictable, so I wouldn't count on being able to land the same job in a year. And government hiring in general is so competitive and idiosyncratic that I wouldn't count on being able to land a comparable job elsewhere in a year, either.
It would be different if we were talking about a federal clerkship or certain state supreme court clerkships, because those can keep paying dividends throughout your career. But if we're talking about a lower-level state clerkship, any value in those usually lies in landing a specific job right after the clerkship. You already have that.
