Advice For Law Clerks — From Someone Who Actually Understands Law Clerks — from abovethelaw.com by Aliza Shatzman
If you’re a law clerk and your judge is mistreating you — or you’ve been terminated or retaliated against — here’s some advice.
However, the fact that thousands of students and clerks approach me rather than those officially entrusted with these duties suggests that the clerkship system is a five-alarm fire and that law schools and the judiciary have failed in their duty of care to students and employees. They must do better.
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Here are some questions clerks always ask me:
- What are my options for redress?
- Can I report the mistreatment anonymously?
- Will I be protected against retaliation by the judge?
- Will I experience reputational harm in the legal profession when job searching if I speak out, leave my clerkship early, or file a complaint?
- Do you hear from other clerks like me? How common is my situation?
- Is what I’m experiencing normal?