First Impressions 2018 Forum

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First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 03, 2018 11:52 am

Hey guys, it's August and most clerkships are starting now or within the next couple weeks. So I thought it would be a fun idea to have a thread where we can talk about first impressions of our job/judge/etc. Voice any complaints that immediately are apparent. Or just complain about the fact that people going to firm have a fun filled August on a beach somewhere.

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Re: First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 03, 2018 12:15 pm

“Hey everyone, we’ve been working our asses off for years trying to obtain the coveted brass ring of a clerkship. Let’s now take the earliest possible opportunity to whine about getting exactly what we wanted.” FTFY

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Re: First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 03, 2018 12:18 pm

Anonymous User wrote:“Hey everyone, we’ve been working our asses off for years trying to obtain the coveted brass ring of a clerkship. Let’s now take the earliest possible opportunity to whine about getting exactly what we wanted.” FTFY
Yeah, of course. Isn't that what law school trained us to do? complain about expected minor inconveniences?

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Re: First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 03, 2018 12:28 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:“Hey everyone, we’ve been working our asses off for years trying to obtain the coveted brass ring of a clerkship. Let’s now take the earliest possible opportunity to whine about getting exactly what we wanted.” FTFY
Yeah, of course. Isn't that what law school trained us to do? complain about expected minor inconveniences?
You forgot the added step of treating those anecdotal inconveniences as if they were representative of the majority of experiences.

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Re: First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:25 pm

I'm an outgoing law clerk and I can tell you that my replacement has acted like a total jackass. PSA: if you are starting a new clerkship, your job is to be nice, ask questions, and try to get a handle on your basic duties. Do not make little comments around chambers about how you intend to "improve things" once you take over as clerk.

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Re: First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:31 am

First impression (COA) is that I’m surprised how much clerks are trusted with—first to review the briefs and record, first to draft everything, opinions, dissents, emails to other judges, you name it. That’s not to say my judge is distant or uninvolved—quite the opposite as a matter of fact. But he/she expects us to form strong and correct opinions about the cases.

On the negative side....Word Perfect.

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Re: First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Aug 09, 2018 9:38 am

Anonymous User wrote:First impression (COA) is that I’m surprised how much clerks are trusted with—first to review the briefs and record, first to draft everything, opinions, dissents, emails to other judges, you name it. That’s not to say my judge is distant or uninvolved—quite the opposite as a matter of fact. But he/she expects us to form strong and correct opinions about the cases.

On the negative side....Word Perfect.
Outgoing clerk here. If there's one thing I suggest to new clerks, especially those coming straight from law school, is that it's your job to make a recommendation on the ultimate disposition of the case. If it's a close case, say so, and say why; if you're not 100% sure, say so, and say why. But come to a conclusion, since that's what the judge's job is, and it's your job to make the judge's job easier.

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Re: First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Aug 09, 2018 9:44 am

My first impression, although my judge sends as laid back and approachable as suggested/remembered, I distinctly remember the clerk I interviewed with saying she left at 4-4:30 everyday, but the outgoing clerk said that it's usually 6-6:30. Which is an annoying surprise, although not horrendous.

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Re: First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Aug 09, 2018 9:55 pm

Apparently my appellate court's daily dress code is business formal, really wasn't expecting that outside of court days. Guess I need to buy more suits. . .

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Re: First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:01 am

Anonymous User wrote:Apparently my appellate court's daily dress code is business formal, really wasn't expecting that outside of court days. Guess I need to buy more suits. . .
SAME. I came from biglaw, where the dress code was standard business casual. Fortunately there’s an outlet mall in town, definitely hitting that up this weekend.

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Re: First Impressions 2018

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Aug 17, 2018 2:53 pm

My judge is extremely nice. Co-clerks are great. Nothing to improve, except I don't quite know how to do anything at this point. But that's on me.

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