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What impact does getting fired from a clerkship have? FYI I did pass the background check for my subsequent legal job in spite of this; just wondering what ramifications anyone in the same boat has faced.

Well, you’ve certainly burned bridges with that judge, have to hope they don’t know a lot of people you end up working with in the future, and you pretty much lose any benefit you’d have had from clerking, as I wouldn’t put this on your resume from now on. But it’s not like it’s a crime or an ethical violation (unless you got fired for either of those things). You’ve just probably screwed yourself/your reputation in certain quarters.

A lot depends on how badly things ended with your judge. My judge once “allowed a clerk to leave early for personal reasons,” and will stick to that story if called as a reference. S/he felt like the clerk had to go, but didn’t want to screw the clerk over for future jobs. In the more likely scenario where the judge straight-up fires you, that’s something you have to disclose and work around.

Anonymous User wrote:A lot depends on how badly things ended with your judge. My judge once “allowed a clerk to leave early for personal reasons,” and will stick to that story if called as a reference. S/he felt like the clerk had to go, but didn’t want to screw the clerk over for future jobs. In the more likely scenario where the judge straight-up fires you, that’s something you have to disclose and work around.

I was fired for not maintaining a motions log diligently enough.

nixy wrote:Well, you’ve certainly burned bridges with that judge, have to hope they don’t know a lot of people you end up working with in the future, and you pretty much lose any benefit you’d have had from clerking, as I wouldn’t put this on your resume from now on. But it’s not like it’s a crime or an ethical violation (unless you got fired for either of those things). You’ve just probably screwed yourself/your reputation in certain quarters.

Thankfully I don't want to end up working in the same state that this clerkship was in.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:A lot depends on how badly things ended with your judge. My judge once “allowed a clerk to leave early for personal reasons,” and will stick to that story if called as a reference. S/he felt like the clerk had to go, but didn’t want to screw the clerk over for future jobs. In the more likely scenario where the judge straight-up fires you, that’s something you have to disclose and work around.

I was fired for not maintaining a motions log diligently enough.

As in, you didn't keep a good list; or you didn't keep up with the motions and they stacked up/passed six month list?

Anon-non-anon wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:A lot depends on how badly things ended with your judge. My judge once “allowed a clerk to leave early for personal reasons,” and will stick to that story if called as a reference. S/he felt like the clerk had to go, but didn’t want to screw the clerk over for future jobs. In the more likely scenario where the judge straight-up fires you, that’s something you have to disclose and work around.

I was fired for not maintaining a motions log diligently enough.

As in, you didn't keep a good list; or you didn't keep up with the motions and they stacked up/passed six month list?

I was inconsistent in maintaining the log and things sometimes stacked (though not to the point of six months).

Anonymous User wrote:

Anon-non-anon wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:A lot depends on how badly things ended with your judge. My judge once “allowed a clerk to leave early for personal reasons,” and will stick to that story if called as a reference. S/he felt like the clerk had to go, but didn’t want to screw the clerk over for future jobs. In the more likely scenario where the judge straight-up fires you, that’s something you have to disclose and work around.

I was fired for not maintaining a motions log diligently enough.

As in, you didn't keep a good list; or you didn't keep up with the motions and they stacked up/passed six month list?

I was inconsistent in maintaining the log and things sometimes stacked (though not to the point of six months).

Not that it matters to anything, but what is a “motions log?” There’s literally a report function on CMECF that generates a list of all pending motions. Are you saying you didn’t resolve motions on that list quickly enough?

wwwcol wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anon-non-anon wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:A lot depends on how badly things ended with your judge. My judge once “allowed a clerk to leave early for personal reasons,” and will stick to that story if called as a reference. S/he felt like the clerk had to go, but didn’t want to screw the clerk over for future jobs. In the more likely scenario where the judge straight-up fires you, that’s something you have to disclose and work around.

I was fired for not maintaining a motions log diligently enough.

As in, you didn't keep a good list; or you didn't keep up with the motions and they stacked up/passed six month list?

I was inconsistent in maintaining the log and things sometimes stacked (though not to the point of six months).

Not that it matters to anything, but what is a “motions log?” There’s literally a report function on CMECF that generates a list of all pending motions. Are you saying you didn’t resolve motions on that list quickly enough?

In my chambers, we keep a log (it's a table) with all our cases and the recent activity in the case as well as the pending motions. We give the judge an updated copy every month (and usually go over it). I don't know if anon had a similar arrangement.

lavarman84 wrote:

wwwcol wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anon-non-anon wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:A lot depends on how badly things ended with your judge. My judge once “allowed a clerk to leave early for personal reasons,” and will stick to that story if called as a reference. S/he felt like the clerk had to go, but didn’t want to screw the clerk over for future jobs. In the more likely scenario where the judge straight-up fires you, that’s something you have to disclose and work around.

I was fired for not maintaining a motions log diligently enough.

As in, you didn't keep a good list; or you didn't keep up with the motions and they stacked up/passed six month list?

I was inconsistent in maintaining the log and things sometimes stacked (though not to the point of six months).

Not that it matters to anything, but what is a “motions log?” There’s literally a report function on CMECF that generates a list of all pending motions. Are you saying you didn’t resolve motions on that list quickly enough?

In my chambers, we keep a log (it's a table) with all our cases and the recent activity in the case as well as the pending motions. We give the judge an updated copy every month (and usually go over it). I don't know if anon had a similar arrangement.

We had a similar manual list because the CM-generated report sometimes missed things and often didn't include everything we needed. Wouldn't be surprised if the original anon was charged with maintaining something similar.

wwwcol wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anon-non-anon wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:A lot depends on how badly things ended with your judge. My judge once “allowed a clerk to leave early for personal reasons,” and will stick to that story if called as a reference. S/he felt like the clerk had to go, but didn’t want to screw the clerk over for future jobs. In the more likely scenario where the judge straight-up fires you, that’s something you have to disclose and work around.

I was fired for not maintaining a motions log diligently enough.

As in, you didn't keep a good list; or you didn't keep up with the motions and they stacked up/passed six month list?

I was inconsistent in maintaining the log and things sometimes stacked (though not to the point of six months).

Not that it matters to anything, but what is a “motions log?” There’s literally a report function on CMECF that generates a list of all pending motions. Are you saying you didn’t resolve motions on that list quickly enough?

It's an Excel spreadsheet that I had to maintain. I had to list the title of the motion/petition, docket #, type of case, when it arrived at my desk, where it came from, and where it eventually went.

lavarman84 wrote:

wwwcol wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anon-non-anon wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:A lot depends on how badly things ended with your judge. My judge once “allowed a clerk to leave early for personal reasons,” and will stick to that story if called as a reference. S/he felt like the clerk had to go, but didn’t want to screw the clerk over for future jobs. In the more likely scenario where the judge straight-up fires you, that’s something you have to disclose and work around.

I was fired for not maintaining a motions log diligently enough.

As in, you didn't keep a good list; or you didn't keep up with the motions and they stacked up/passed six month list?

I was inconsistent in maintaining the log and things sometimes stacked (though not to the point of six months).

Not that it matters to anything, but what is a “motions log?” There’s literally a report function on CMECF that generates a list of all pending motions. Are you saying you didn’t resolve motions on that list quickly enough?

In my chambers, we keep a log (it's a table) with all our cases and the recent activity in the case as well as the pending motions. We give the judge an updated copy every month (and usually go over it). I don't know if anon had a similar arrangement.

OP here. Yes, in my case it was similar.

wwwcol wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anon-non-anon wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:A lot depends on how badly things ended with your judge. My judge once “allowed a clerk to leave early for personal reasons,” and will stick to that story if called as a reference. S/he felt like the clerk had to go, but didn’t want to screw the clerk over for future jobs. In the more likely scenario where the judge straight-up fires you, that’s something you have to disclose and work around.

I was fired for not maintaining a motions log diligently enough.

As in, you didn't keep a good list; or you didn't keep up with the motions and they stacked up/passed six month list?

I was inconsistent in maintaining the log and things sometimes stacked (though not to the point of six months).

Not that it matters to anything, but what is a “motions log?” There’s literally a report function on CMECF that generates a list of all pending motions. Are you saying you didn’t resolve motions on that list quickly enough?

Is CMECF just for fed clerkships?

Federal district court, yes. (Oh and I guess bankruptcy court.)

nixy wrote:Federal district court, yes. (Oh and I guess bankruptcy court.)

OP here. I was clerking in state court. So the motions list was not auto-generated.