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My judge has made clear that he/she expects some sort of gift at the end of my clerkship term (by speaking disparagingly of last year's term clerk who left without providing a gift). Any idea what would be appropriate? I did not enjoy my time here and want something very vanilla/basic.

Decent bottle of wine should suffice

Yeah. And FWIW that’s bullshit on the judge’s part.

nixy wrote:Yeah. And FWIW that’s bullshit on the judge’s part.

Dude that's just the tip of the iceberg. It's been a tough term.

Did you/your co-clerks ever have a picture taken together? Just go get a little $10 wooden frame and give him the picture.

Sounds like he/she is a jerk. I'd get him something cheap and useless, like a pet rock or a coffee table book on a completely random subject.

Barrred wrote:Did you/your co-clerks ever have a picture taken together? Just go get a little $10 wooden frame and give him the picture.

This is a good, safe option. My co-clerk and I went in on a nice, framed photo of our judge and all his chambers staff (including us) that was taken during a formal event. Even though he had made clear he didn't want or expect gifts from his staff, he really seemed to like it.

Also worked for a different judge during law school. At the end of the externship I got him a tie because he frequently complimented mine.

Judges know they make more money than you. Put thought into it instead of cash. Even though your judge sounds like a jerk, it's probably worth it to give a good gift and leave on pleasant terms.

Anonymous User wrote:

Barrred wrote:Did you/your co-clerks ever have a picture taken together? Just go get a little $10 wooden frame and give him the picture.

This is a good, safe option. My co-clerk and I went in on a nice, framed photo of our judge and all his chambers staff (including us) that was taken during a formal event. Even though he had made clear he didn't want or expect gifts from his staff, he really seemed to like it.

Also worked for a different judge during law school. At the end of the externship I got him a tie because he frequently complimented mine.

Judges know they make more money than you. Put thought into it instead of cash. Even though your judge sounds like a jerk, it's probably worth it to give a good gift and leave on pleasant terms.

I agree that this is a great gift idea. However, during my term my co-clerks and I were not invited to attend any events with the judge and never had any photos taken with one another. We went to a fast food restaurant for lunch one Friday. Other than that, we ate at our desks and worked 12 hour days 6 days a week. It was a joyless experience I'm glad to have behind me.

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/prof ... fgift.html

If I were to give $100 in chocolate strawberries to the federal judge and court staff (6 people), would that be okay? They received chocolate strawberries that were delivered to the court before I clerked and mentioned about how they ate them for breakfast. The judge has been a wonderful mentor and taken me out to lunch on multiple occasions.

legit wrote:https://www.americanbar.org/groups/prof ... fgift.html

If I were to give $100 in chocolate strawberries to the federal judge and court staff (6 people), would that be okay? They received chocolate strawberries that were delivered to the court before I clerked and mentioned about how they ate them for breakfast. The judge has been a wonderful mentor and taken me out to lunch on multiple occasions.

In my opinion, that would be fine. I think it falls under the B(2) exception for gifts from someone with whom the judge has a close enough personal relationship that the judge's impartiality in hearing a case involving that person might reasonably be questioned.

legit wrote:https://www.americanbar.org/groups/prof ... fgift.html

If I were to give $100 in chocolate strawberries to the federal judge and court staff (6 people), would that be okay? They received chocolate strawberries that were delivered to the court before I clerked and mentioned about how they ate them for breakfast. The judge has been a wonderful mentor and taken me out to lunch on multiple occasions.

FYI, this is the relevant rule: http://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/f ... c-ch06.pdf