Former clerks speak of their experience at Fall Clerkship Reception
—By Gilien Silsby
USC Law alumni and attorneys from throughout Los Angeles encouraged first-year students to pursue judicial clerkships after graduation.
Several former law clerks — including an alumnus who worked for a U.S. Supreme Court justice — shared their experiences and how the externships helped catapult their careers.
The Oct. 1 Clerkship Reception hosted by USC Law and the USC Gould School of Law Board of Councilors’ Select Committee on Federal Judicial Clerkships drew a record attendance of more than 150 people.
 |
| Robert Loewen '75 |
“Clerking made me a better lawyer,” said Loewen. “I have written hundreds of briefs in my career, and knowing how a clerk works to help his or her judge decide cases has provided considerable insight into the audience for my briefs. It has also made me more marketable as a lawyer; a clerkship credential is something that every lawyer respects, and it is usually in-house lawyers who hire outside counsel. Third, it has enriched my life.
“Not only did I have the privilege of knowing and working for two great men with personal ties to historic figures — including Justice White with John Kennedy and Ely with Lyndon Johnson, but I also formed close bonds with fellow clerks that continue to this day.”
David Walsh ’85, partner at Paul Hastings and chair of the select committee, also said clerking was life altering.
“No lawyer who was lucky enough to clerk has ever said that she wished she hadn't; you will meet many, many lawyers who wish that they had,” Walsh said. "I am absolutely convinced that the skills and experience one obtains through a judicial clerkship are equally valuable to a young lawyer irrespective of whether that lawyer chooses a transactional or a litigation practice after clerking. The ability to think adroitly — to analyze and reach a conclusion as to the intentions, motives and likely range of responses by your opposing party — is invaluable in negotiating an acquisition, during a deposition or in a mediation."
USC Law Dean Robert K. Rasmussen encouraged students to spend a year or two in another part of the country, even if they plan to return to Los Angeles.
“Think of it as an adventure,” he said. “For one year, do something different.”
Rasmussen, who clerked for the Honorable John C. Godbold, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Montgomery, Ala. said his experience was invaluable.
“Other than perhaps the first year in law school, I learned more about being a lawyer in my year clerking for a judge than I have in any other year of my professional career,” Rasmussen said.
The reception, held at Town and Gown, was sponsored by seven law firms: Munger, Tolles & Olson; Jones Day; Morrison Forrester; Paul Hastings; Sidley Austin; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; and Irell & Manella.
The USC Federal Judicial Clerkship Program schedules two receptions for students each year to increase their awareness of the opportunities for, and benefits of, clerkships and externships. The spring reception, for students who are applying for clerkships, is attended by a number of federal judges.
Previous Article
