1Ls network with former law clerks, practicing attorneys
--By Sheila Grady
USC Law’s Board of Councilors’ Clerkship Committee hosted its annual fall reception for first-year law students with a series of brief presentations from practicing attorneys who began their legal careers as law clerks.
Designed to expose 1Ls to the benefits of judicial clerkships and to encourage them to consider applying, the Oct. 5 event invited students to network with attorneys from the event’s sponsoring firms — Gibson Dunn, Irell & Manella, Jones Day, Morrison & Foerster, Munger, Tolles & Olson, O’Melveny & Myers, Paul Hastings and Sidley Austin — many of whom began their careers as clerks.
“Firm representatives are here tonight because they see this event as an investment in you and your potential,” explained master of ceremonies, Dave Walsh ’85, a partner at Paul Hastings and chair of the BOC Clerkship Committee. “When you first come to law school, you probably don’t know much about clerkships, but they are incredibly valuable.”
Dean Robert K. Rasmussen, a former clerk for the Hon. John C. Godbold, welcomed the group of curious first-year students with an explanation.
“This is a consciousness-raising event,” he said. “We want you to understand what a clerkship is and why you might want to do it, so you can begin to recognize some of the possible options you have with a USC Law degree.”
Each of the event’s speakers shared how their clerking experiences influenced their subsequent careers and enthusiastically encouraged students to strive for clerkships.
Meegan Maczek ’08, a former clerk for the Hon. Terry J. Hatter in the United States District Court, Central District of California, highlighted the professional significance of clerkships.
“You get invaluable mentoring experience from the most esteemed practitioners in the legal field,” she said.
Now an associate in the litigation department of Morrison & Foerster, Maczek credited her clerkship as being immensely helpful when she transitioned into the firm.
“Clerking gives you the chance to apply everything you learn in law school and use it in the real world,” she said.
“Clerking is worth five years of professional experience,” agreed Mike Maddigan, a partner at O’Melveny & Myers, one of the reception’s sponsors. “You learn as much in your year of clerking as you do in your first five years at a firm.”
During his clerkship, Maddigan began to cultivate his personal legal style, a process he said is essential for new lawyers.
“You need to see lawyers practice, both good and bad,” he said. “Clerking helps you figure out your style and what works for you. It allows you to be yourself.”
Attending the event as representatives from Sidley Austin, partner Sean Commons ’01 and associate Laura Stoll spoke with students about how their experiences as clerks prepared them firm work.
“You get the opportunity to see and work with certain laws you may have never even heard of before,” Commons said. “When I was clerking, I felt like I was building a tool chest of skills that would prepare me for my future.”
Stoll found her clerking experiences with particular judges made her an asset to her colleagues.
“Clerking gives you the opportunity to see lots of judges’ views and motion papers,” she explained. “It gives you an inside track to what’s going on. I get a lot of questions from colleagues from within my firms about specific judges.”
For Dave Walsh, a clerkship for the Hon. Howard B. Turrentine provided more than just professional experience.
“If you’re worried about falling in love and getting married, your judge can help you there too,” he joked. “I clerked in San Diego and my wife clerked for the same judge the year after me. She stayed on with him for four years, which was about how long it took for me to ask her out.”
While the competition to receive a clerkship is fierce and the job itself rigorous, Prof. Jean Rosenbluth, chair of the Faculty Clerkship Committee, director of the Legal Writing and Advocacy program and clinical associate professor of law, revealed to students her reason why they should apply.
“It’s a ton of work,” she explained. “But clerking is an amazingly fun job.”
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