Top Law Schools

I just graduated and will be starting a trial level state-court clerkship at the end of August and...I'll be 20 weeks pregnant. I'm struggling with whether I should tell my judge beforehand or if I should just wait until he sees for himself. It's only a year long clerkship and I'm due in January. It's not my first child and although every pregnancy is different, with my last one in law school I only took about 2 weeks off. I anticipate being able to do the same this time around so it's not like I'm planning on taking a 3-month maternity leave during the clerkship.
So should I let the chambers know in advance or not? Pros, cons?

Tell the judge ASAP. At least in the federal court system, there is no set policy for taking parental leave (or vacation, etc.) -- it is entirely up to the judge. I very much hope that the judge will be accommodating and give you as much time as you need, but I do not think it is fair to assume that is definitely true. You may also want to research/ask HR if there is a policy for the state court system that you are planning on clerking in.

Also, for a state-court trial-level clerkship, will you be the only clerk? If so, then your absence may be significant. If the judge has a trial scheduled for January when you may be unavailable, he may need to make arrangements (e.g., hire a temporary clerk, borrow a colleague's clerk, reschedule trial...).

I agree that you should let the judge know ASAP (but no sooner than you feel comfortable telling the world generally - I know different people feel differently about when that is; I don’t think you need to tell the judge sooner than you’d tell your friends/family, unless you literally wouldn’t tell anyone else until they can see for themselves - then tell the judge earlier).

Actually, I agree with all of the above.