Circuit Court Judge, Internship?

[knight]

Hello!

I have an opportunity to work with a Circuit Court Judge as an L0 with an acceptance letter from a T1 school.

I want to emphasize ‘work with’ over ‘intern.’  I will be performing IT duties and other more menial labors due to my background in computer science. 

I have three questions, if you would be so kind as to answer them (or point me to a website with relevant information):   

1)   Is a Circuit Court Judge Internship a prestigious position (does it usually pay, is it sought after, etc), or does it vary wildly by state?
2)   How much does it matter that I do internships in a state that I will eventually be working it? For example, I do not care where I work as a lawyer, as long as it is BIGLAW.  Do I need to intern in specific states (like not Montana, West Virginia, North Dakota, etc.) or will it not have an impact?
3)   Lastly, is this going to be a better resume builder than just jerking it over the summer, or could it potentially hurt my long term job prospects by nailing me down to one state?

I truly appreciate your helpful responses.  I look forward to the day I can pass on the advice that you give me.

[KC#11]

Hello!

I have an opportunity to work with a Circuit Court Judge as an L0 with an acceptance letter from a T1 school.

I want to emphasize ‘work with’ over ‘intern.’  I will be performing IT duties and other more menial labors due to my background in computer science. 

I have three questions, if you would be so kind as to answer them (or point me to a website with relevant information):   

1)   Is a Circuit Court Judge Internship a prestigious position (does it usually pay, is it sought after, etc), or does it vary wildly by state?
2)   How much does it matter that I do internships in a state that I will eventually be working it? For example, I do not care where I work as a lawyer, as long as it is BIGLAW.  Do I need to intern in specific states (like not Montana, West Virginia, North Dakota, etc.) or will it not have an impact?
3)   Lastly, is this going to be a better resume builder than just jerking it over the summer, or could it potentially hurt my long term job prospects by nailing me down to one state?

I truly appreciate your helpful responses.  I look forward to the day I can pass on the advice that you give me.

Federal circuit judge? Yes, that's rare and fairly coveted. Never paid so far as I know, but it's possible some would pay you. It wouldn't pigeon-hole you into a region, but would certainly help you in the immediate vicinity as you'd make many contacts. Federal circuits encompass more than one state anyway, so that's another consideration...

It can only help, and cannot hurt. Congrats.

[vaplaugh]

The answer to your question is "no," having a short stint with a circuit court judge (whether you're talking about federal appellate, state appellate, or state trial), will not hurt you.  Anything is better than jerking it over the summer.  Well, not really, but you know what I mean.

[FreddyPharkas]

Hello!

I have an opportunity to work with a Circuit Court Judge as an L0 with an acceptance letter from a T1 school.

I want to emphasize ‘work with’ over ‘intern.’  I will be performing IT duties and other more menial labors due to my background in computer science. 

I have three questions, if you would be so kind as to answer them (or point me to a website with relevant information):   

1)   Is a Circuit Court Judge Internship a prestigious position (does it usually pay, is it sought after, etc), or does it vary wildly by state?
2)   How much does it matter that I do internships in a state that I will eventually be working it? For example, I do not care where I work as a lawyer, as long as it is BIGLAW.  Do I need to intern in specific states (like not Montana, West Virginia, North Dakota, etc.) or will it not have an impact?
3)   Lastly, is this going to be a better resume builder than just jerking it over the summer, or could it potentially hurt my long term job prospects by nailing me down to one state?

I truly appreciate your helpful responses.  I look forward to the day I can pass on the advice that you give me.

I preferred to do nothing over 0L, firms pretty much hire based solely on grades, law review *gap* secondary jornals *biiiig gap* moot court/societies/etc.

However, this can only help you, if only to have something to talk about at OCI and such.

A few things though that you may not realize:

1. This is NOT the same as clerking for the judge. *Typically* COA clerkships go to the top of the class w/ senior law review positions at decent schools (Top 25 schools), last for a year, and start after graduation. Having an actual COA clerkship is pretty big and allows you to pretty much write your own ticket, get sign on bonuses with firms, etc.

2. The value in your offer is to see how things work in courts and maybe have some sort of recommendation for when you may or may not be looking for real clerkships in 3 years. Maybe even with this judge if you make a great impression, but that won't substitute for good grades.

3. It will look good on a resume, but represent it for what it is, don't play it up to be some clerkship or something. Misrepresentation might hurt you at OCI b/c they will know that it wasn't an actual clerkship despite your representation as such. Essentially, it's like cleaning toilets at the SCOTUS and saying you were a SCOTUS clerk, not the same thing.

4. All COAs are pretty prestigious, some much moreso than others.In order, I'd say DC, 4th, 9th, 2nd, 7th, and then the rest. However, you're not actually doing a judicial clerkship, so which one doesn't matter. I wouldn't move across the country to fix computers though, it won't help you that much. Regardless, working there won't tie you to an area.

[knight]

Thank you all very much for your responses.

[Jumboshrimps]

Thank you all very much for your responses.

Are you talking about an internship in a state court or in a Federal Court of Appeals? Both will be a great experience, but much of the above does not apply to a state court gig.