Is clerking worth it if my eventual goal is to be a biglaw partner? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L at YSH. Above median after 1L. Already secured offer at NYC v10 for Lit. I know clerkships help a lot when it comes to securing BigLaw positions, government positions, and becoming a better litigator in general. But the application process just seems so grueling, and it would delay that biglaw salary by 1/2 years. So, if my goal really is to work in BigLaw and make as much money as possible during my career, do you think it would still be worth it to secure a federal clerkship?

[Anonymous User]

If you think the clerkship application process is grueling, how are you going to last in biglaw long enough to make partner?

(No, you probably don’t need to clerk; but look at who has made partner in litigation at your firm or similar firms to see if it’s common/expected. It could also give you an additional credential if you find that biglaw isn’t actually something you enjoy long term once you get there. The money argument for not clerking is completely reasonable, the horrors of the application process not so much.)

[Anonymous User]

If you think the clerkship application process is grueling, how are you going to last in biglaw long enough to make partner?

(No, you probably don’t need to clerk; but look at who has made partner in litigation at your firm or similar firms to see if it’s common/expected. It could also give you an additional credential if you find that biglaw isn’t actually something you enjoy long term once you get there. The money argument for not clerking is completely reasonable, the horrors of the application process not so much.)

That's totally fair. I guess I know BigLaw is going to be grueling regardless, so perhaps taking it a little easier for the rest of law school rather than playing the grades/rec letters/extracurricular game of clerking for the next two years seems enticing.

[Anonymous User]

This is sort of not really directly answering your question, but I think it is worth mentioning just in case your goal is really just money and/or partner. If that is the case you really need to be gunning for a profitable corporate practice like M&A. Look at recent partner class announcements at NYC firms like DPW/S&C/Cravath etc and you'll see the drought at which litigation people become partners. If you're serious about this, I think there is still time to switch. At least at my V10 no summer was slotted into a practice group until the end of the summer.

Anyways this aside and assuming you ignore my advice above, I think it is worth it to do one federal circuit clerkship for your goals. Two years of clerking will mean you'll lose two years of schmoozing, runway time, and learning which of course you want to be there to make partner.

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L at YSH. Above median after 1L. Already secured offer at NYC v10 for Lit. I know clerkships help a lot when it comes to securing BigLaw positions, government positions, and becoming a better litigator in general. But the application process just seems so grueling, and it would delay that biglaw salary by 1/2 years. So, if my goal really is to work in BigLaw and make as much money as possible during my career, do you think it would still be worth it to secure a federal clerkship?

Yes. It is very hard to make partner in litigation. I would do the clerkship just because it puts you in a better position to transition to government work. You may find that the best way to make partner is to leave as a senior associate, work in the government for 4-5 years, and then try to come back as a partner. Plenty of partners in the V10 follow that track. They start looking to come back to the private sector as soon as they have a leadership position that seems important enough to warrant lateraling as a partner. I’ve seen like 5 people do this at my firm.

[Anonymous User]

depending on how your grades turn out you'll have a better shot at making partner is at (some, but not all) of the lower-leverage, boutique-ish litigation-focused firms. these firms really like to hire out of clerkships; at some, it's basically a requirement. but i think it is way easier to make partner in litigation at a place like W&C or Keker, for example, than a large corporate-practice-driven V-whatever with many more associates per partner.

(of course, if you make partner at a boutique, your salary/distribution is likely going to be lower than at a bigger firm. but i guess that's the risk-reward tradeoff).

[Wild Card]

"YSH"?

lol how's stanford?

you clerk because it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be a judge and because you want to make yourself appear as fancy as possible amid a sea of very fancy people

not a hard choice

[Anonymous User]

Not a share partner, so I can only speculate. I doubt it helps for corporate. It seems like it does for litigation - everyone senior clerked. And, all else equal, people will assume the one who clerked is better.

If you sign with a good (read: smarter than average and conscientious) judge, it probably will be more interesting work than anything else you'll get to do. And you'll do it in your otherwise most menial biglaw year. Do you want to work every year of your career in biglaw? If not, its a fine way to spend a year.

[RedNewJersey]

Clerking builds important litigation skills that allow you to be a better associate. And clerks tend to get better work when they start. Also, you'd skip being a first year in biglaw, which is not a great job. So I'd say it helps.