Looking toward clerkships

Professors talk to 1Ls about clerking for judges —By Lori Craig Four USC Law faculty members, all former clerks, spoke from experience when they discussed judicial clerkships with first-year students during lunch April 9. The panel discussion, sponsored by the Career Services Office, featured Professors Kareem Crayton, Daniel Klerman, Camille Gear Rich and Jean Rosenbluth. The event was designed to inform 1Ls about the benefits of clerkships and how to become a competitive applicant. Rosenbluth chairs the USC Law Clerkship Committee, and Crayton and Rich are members. “A clerkship is the very best job you can have after law school,” said Klerman, who clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner. “It has a tremendous impact on the rest of your career.” There’s no better way to understand how best to write briefs and make persuasive arguments before a judge, he said. “You can see exactly what works in court by seeing things from a judge’s point of view,” Klerman said. Clerks gain insight into many areas of legal practice, something most new attorneys won’t get, he said. Rich, who clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Rosemary Barkett and U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Carter, said clerking connected her to mentors with whom she had a long-term dialogue. “It was an environment where I really got to think about what the right answer was, versus arguing an opinion,” Rich said. “It is a much more pure space to engage in those philosophical questions.” Panelists pointed to clerkships as an asset for a young law firm associate. Clerkships allow associates to stand out from peers and be trusted with more interesting and substantive work, they said. “Increasingly, it’s becoming true that people in law firms, people who are in the public sphere who are highly successful, have clerkships in their early experience,” said Crayton, who clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Harry Edwards and Justice Sandile Ngcoba in the Constitutional Court of South Africa. “Clerkships are just really cool, fun jobs,” said Rosenbluth, who clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Ferdinand Fernandez and U.S. District Court Judge Alicemarie Stotler. “I got to work on some incredible cases and I look back and recognize how lucky I was.” The panelists also offered tips for making oneself an appealing clerkship applicant. Grades are the first thing judges look at, so students in their first year should focus on learning course material and earning the best grades possible, panelists said. During the 2L year, Crayton recommended selecting courses, such as seminars or Federal Courts, which will demonstrate a talent for thinking broadly about subjects. A great writing sample is another must-have. Klerman recommended students develop at least three potential writing samples from which to choose. Some judges prefer journal notes, but students should also have outstanding briefs, memos or papers in their arsenal. “Make sure that you take advantage of every writing opportunity,” he said. Applicants will need first-rate recommendations from people who know them well, panelists said. Make a good impression at a summer job, be sure to participate in class and look for the people whose recommendation will carry the most weight: judges, professors and partners at firms. An externship with a judge is a great way to get to know — and impress — what could be an invaluable advocate. “If the judges’ colleagues can get on the phone and say, ‘This person did a great job,’ that will mean the most to them,” Rosenbluth said. The law school’s clerkship committee recently surveyed judges to get their opinion on what qualities they want to see in clerkship applicants, said Rosenbluth. Students may contact the CSO to access the survey results online.