What a Law Clerk at a State Court Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Law Industry
Erica, a law clerk, wishes someone had conveyed that securing a clerkship is more attainable than the "crazy hard" reputation suggests; the experience proved that excelling in the role is possible regardless of lacking typical resume items like "law review," a fact which initially intimidated Erica and many others.
Job Search, Overcoming Challenges, Career Development, Entry-Level, Honest Opinions
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. Many judges hiring clerks don't require law review or journal experience.
2. The application process is less daunting than it may seem; success is possible without specific resume items.
3. On-the-job learning is significant; skills and experience develop throughout the clerkship, regardless of prior experience.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you started?
Before I applied for this job, I was very intimidated. People talk about clerkships being prestigious and very hard to get, almost impossible. I wasn't on a journal at my school, nor on law review.
My school told me, "No one's gonna hire you, judges aren't going to hire you if you don't have any journal experience." I wish I knew that's not necessarily true.
There are hundreds of judges throughout the U.S. who need clerks. Not all of them feel the need to have someone who's on law review; many have different experiences. My judge personally wasn't on law review.
You never know until you try. I wish I knew it wasn't as crazy hard as everyone says it will be. Once you're here, it's like any other job.
You're going to have experiences that help you excel, and you might miss some things others have. But once you're here, you learn on the job. It's a learning curve, no matter what, just like any other job.
I'm not saying it's not as hard as I expected. I think the idea of applying intimidated me. I wish people were more open about the fact that it is possible, and you can excel at this job without having certain lines on your resume that others may want.