Clerking

I always knew I wanted to be a law clerk.

As a very young child, I watched my mom clerk at our state court. Her judge became like family.

When I was in law school, I almost never swayed from that goal.

But: when it came time to find a clerkship, I was pretty lost. I relied on my school's limited resources, OSCAR (hot mess express), and a judge I had interned for after 2L.

I remember being late to many applications and behind the 8-ball for clerkships out of state. And: I applied with little to no knowledge about the type of person or manager each judge was--going in blind (the opposite of what I recommend for #biglaw, and really anything in life).

Eventually, I landed a role--with a judge in Milwaukee--that very much catapulted my career and life in Wisconsin.

If you're unsure of what you want to do after law school, clerking can be a great way to see lots of cases, build relationships with a judge and court staff, and give you more time to decide what is next. And: you don't need to be a future litigator for it to be worth it.

I simply cannot recommend clerking enough. And, today, you are not without resources to find a great judge.

Aliza Shatzman founded The Legal Accountability Project to change how law students and potential clerks find out more information about potential judges.

She aims to dismantle the "whisper network," meaning: every year I take calls from folks who have figured out who I clerked for because they are interviewing with that judge. I'm never sure how they found me, but I always take the call (I have one such call this week).

That investigative work doesn't have to be. With LAP, Aliza has created a Centralized Clerkships Database. Past clerks submit reviews of their clerkship--publicly or anonymously--to aid future clerks with their decision process.

It is the largest, independent collection of clerkship information in the United States.

If you are a former clerk, I hope you'll consider completing LAP's survey, so that future clerks know what it is really like to work for your judge.

If you are considering clerking, I hope you'll take a look so you have a fuller picture before you take an interview or apply for various clerkships.

Note: The database is not public. Only law students at participating schools that have signed up for access can review the surveys

And: If you have questions about clerking, don't hesitate to reach out. There's lots of us here on the legal side of LinkedIn and almost all of us cannot recommend it enough.

#emilylitigates #professionalwomen