Former Clerks Encourage 1Ls to Follow Suit

Story and photos by Lori Craig

Dozens of first-year students recently gained an inside look at an esteemed career path that could await them after graduation.

Michael Reynolds '09, associate at O'Melveny & Myers

The annual Fall Judicial Clerkship Reception, hosted by the USC Gould Board of Councilors’ Clerkship Committee, introduced 1Ls to the benefits of working as a judicial clerk after law school.

Speakers included USC Gould alumni with clerkship experience. Also attending the reception, held in USC’s Town and Gown, were attorneys from eight prestigious Los Angeles law firms that sponsored the event.

“Clerking gives this incredible experience that we hope is something you know about early on in your law school careers,” said master of ceremonies Dave Walsh ’85, a partner at Morrison & Foerster and a member of the Clerkship Committee. “In all of the lawyers I’ve met and interviewed and practiced law with, I’ve met lots of folks who wished they had clerked. I’ve never met a law clerk who wished they hadn’t.”

Several USC Gould alumni agreed, reiterating that clerking offers a lot of experience — and quickly — compared to working at a law firm. Michael Reynolds ’09, an associate at O’Melveny & Myers who clerked for U.S. District Court Judge James Selna, described finding a five-foot-tall stack of summary judgment motions on his desk the first day of his clerkship.

Sean Commons '01, partner at Sidley  Austin

“If you’re a first-year at a law firm, you’re probably lucky to work on one summary judgment motion during your first year at the firm,” Reynolds said. “I got to work on seven my first month as a clerk.”

“And you’re going to get a lot of experience in a variety of different cases … insurance cases, copyright cases, you might see a hundred different kinds of cases in your year as a clerk … so you’re going to have a better understanding of what you might want to do once you finish clerking,” he added

A busy year of reading, writing, analyzing and briefing helped Wen Shen ’12 hit the ground running when she joined Sidley Austin as an associate following a clerkship for the Hon. George King ’74, chief U.S. district judge of the Central District of California.

“Regardless of the type of court, the bulk of what you’re doing in a clerkship involves reviewing and analyzing briefings brought by the parties, presenting your analysis to the judge and having close discussions with him or her to come up with a final decision on disputed legal issues,” Shen said. “You’re comfortable doing the same thing almost right off the bat when you go join a firm. And this helped me personally so much to integrate into the large legal teams I’m a part of, and helped me distinguish myself among my peers.”

In addition to rigorous legal training, clerkships offer access to courts and professional networks that can prove invaluable, said Sean Commons ’01, a partner at Sidley Austin, who noted that he and his fellow clerks stay in touch with judges and co-clerks throughout their careers.

Wen Shen '12, associate at Sidley Austin

“These people are going to be highly successful and can be a resource for you for life,” he said. “If you’ve clerked and there’s a case in front of your judge or in that court — you’re an expert. You’re legitimately an expert in a way that someone who’s practiced for 20 years may not be because you’ll know a lot about that particular judge, or that court, and that makes you valuable to a client in a way that you will not be for a very long time [otherwise].”

While first-year students won’t begin the process of applying for clerkships until they are 2Ls, the reception was a reminder that preparation for candidacy starts now.

“Get to know your professors because a really important part of applications is letters of recommendation and it’s hard for a professor to write a good letter of recommendation if you’ve just been in their class,” said Prof. Lybby Carroll, chair of the USC Gould Faculty Clerkship Committee and director of Legal Writing and Advocacy. “It’s important to go to office hours, ask questions of your professors, go up after class and get to know them.”

Carroll also recommended students get advanced legal writing and research training through advanced courses, seminars or law review, and consider pursuing judicial externships as a preview of the clerkship experience.