Clerking 101

Strategies for landing judicial clerkships Story and Photos by Maria Iacobo Clerkships. It’s a word that’s unavoidable when you get into law school. Are you going to clerk? What do you need to do to be a clerk? And, what is a clerkship anyway? A recent panel discussion provided USC Gould School of Law students a primer on the fundamentals of clerking — regarded as one of the most rewarding experiences a new law graduate can take on. John Major ’13, one of the panelists, said that he heard a lot of people talking about clerkships when he was a 1L, but had little idea why it was important.

Abraham Tabaie '08

“The reason I really wanted to do it was because all the people I looked up to in law school — my assist tutor, my writing fellow, almost all of my professors — all of these people either clerked or were going to clerk. I thought that if all these people clerked, it must not be that bad of an idea. So I tried to position myself as a 1L to be able to clerk as I went forward.” Major has, in fact, secured two clerkships: After graduation he will clerk for Judge Paul J. Watford of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the following year he will clerk for Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. “Clerking is an honor and an opportunity to strengthen your legal research and writing skills,” said Ron Han, assistant director, Career Service Office. “It’s also a critical resume credential for your legal career.” Prof. Hannah Garry, the law school’s clerkship committee chair, said she loved writing and research as a law student. Her professors encouraged her to clerk. “I got interested in clerking because I loved particular areas of the law and really wanted to have the opportunity to impact the development of law,” said Garry, who runs the International Human Rights Clinic. “I saw a clerkship as an opportunity to be a part of that process.” Abraham Tabaie ’08 held two clerkships following graduation, the first for Judge Barry Silverman of the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and the second for Judge George King in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California. Tabaie, an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom welcomed the opportunity to return to USC Gould to talk about his experiences clerking. Tabaie said that all of his mentors clerked, which made it something he wanted to do as well. “I thought it would be exciting and challenging to learn from a judge for a year,” said Tabaie. “Everyone told me that what you’re going to learn [during this] year is ‘judgment.’ It’s easy to figure out what the law is, it’s easy to practice oral arguments, but you’re not going to learn what the right move is to best position a client win a case [in relation to how a judge will react to arguments]." The Career Services Office and the law school’s Clerkship Committee created a judicial clerkship handbook for students to review and use as a road map to prepare themselves to be top clerkship candidates. Recommended for students to begin immediately: •    Extern for a judge in your 1L summer, 2L year or 3L fall; •    Focus on classes and do as well as you can academically; •    Participate in Law Review. Judges place a high value on law review experience; •    Try to develop meaningful working relationships with people who can write strong, detailed letters of recommendation for you (especially professors and employers and particularly those who have clerked). Serving as a faculty research assistant, working closely with note advisors if you serve on a journal and meeting your professors during office hours are several ways to strengthen your relationships with faculty; •    Strengthen your legal research, writing and analytical skills (take advanced legal writing or work as a faculty research assistant); and, •    Seek opportunities to develop good writing samples.

David Ciarlo '13

“It’s a long-term investment for your career,” said David Ciarlo ’13, another panelist who has been accepted to clerk for Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert of the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals after he graduates next year. “I cannot stress enough that this is a meal ticket for the rest of your life,”  Tabaie said. “Everything that’s good that has happened to me in my professional career has been because I clerked. “I was lucky enough, with the support of USC, to get a clerkship with Judge King. After that, I was [better] respected at the firm I went to. I got all of the good assignments. Judge King liked me so much that he got me the clerkship with Judge Silverman. And I had the best time of my life in Phoenix.” For more information on clerkships, contact the Career Services Office.