Biggest Challenges Faced By A Law Clerk At A Federal District Court
Erica's biggest challenges as a law clerk include the isolating nature of the job, describing it as "delaying socially" due to limited daily interaction with only "two or three people", and navigating the "formality" of the courthouse environment while trying to build relationships. The steep learning curve transitioning from law student to "decider" also presents significant stress.
Workplace Challenges, Stress Management, Communication, Overcoming Challenges, Professionalism
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Erica Roberts
Law Clerk
State Government District
University of California, Los Angeles. Graduated 2018
The University of Texas School of Law
Economics
Government & Public Sector, Law
Legal
Greek Life Member, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. The social isolation of working primarily with a small team in a formal courthouse environment.
2. Balancing the need for professionalism with building relationships and friendships in the workplace.
3. The steep learning curve and pressure of transitioning from law student to decision-maker, handling tasks with significant responsibility.
Transcript
What are some of the biggest challenges in your current role?
This job can be socially isolating. The courthouse is physically close to where I am, but within my judge's chambers, it's just me, the judicial assistant, my judge, the other law clerk, and a clerk of the court. So, it's just the five of us, and I probably interact with at least two or three people a day. That was really hard at first.
I'm in a city where I'd never lived before moving here for this job. The social aspect means I'm seeing the same people every day. It's just a little hard.
Also, because of the formality of being a federal clerk and the courthouse itself, it's not quite as easy to be yourself 100% of the time. It's hard to know where the line is between professionalism and friendship, or that kind of thing, because of the job's formality. So, that's definitely a challenge of being a federal clerk.
It's also a stressful learning curve going from being a law student, and even having some practice writing motions, to being the decider. It feels like a lot of pressure sometimes, but you just learn how to do it, like anything else.