Tag: Clerkships

Although hopefully rare, law clerks may encounter misconduct by others in the workplace. HLS seeks to ensure that you understand the resources and recourse available to you if you encounter misconduct. That would include, but is not limited to, sexual harassment.

Remember how helpful past evaluation forms were and/or how you wish we had more about judges you were researching?  Please pay forward your well-earned knowledge!

The Federal Judicial Center publishes a Law Clerk Handbook that provides an overview of chambers operations and the work of the federal courts.  State court clerks should investigate whether your court system has anything comparable, but you too may find the federal resource helpful for reference.

Rarely after an interview, you may conclude that clerking for a particular judge would be unwise for a reason not apparent from your advance research on the judge, such as a personality conflict that comes to light during the interview or the judge making you uncomfortable during the interview. In this situation, you may politely withdraw your application (ideally) or turn down an offer that comes right away (if necessary). Phrase your action as you think the judge would be better served by someone else. Trust your instinct. And please complete an interview evaluation form, for the benefit of potential, future HLS applicants.

Many applicants are helped by having as much information as possible when deciding at what point to apply, prioritizing interview opportunities, potentially weighing offers, or just not hearing from judges at all. As Harvard clerkship applicants, you have access to a wealth of information – from administrative efforts, from past years’ applicants, and from your own peers.