Passing the bar doesn’t mean you are automatically going to get employed at your most ideal firm. There is more to do after you’ve completed the bar. You may be forced to work at a less desirable firm for a while. You can increase your chances of landing your dream job by taking a judicial externship while you are still a law student.
The Responsibilities of a Judicial Extern
A judicial extern will be a judge’s clerk in everything but title. If the judge has a task for them to complete, then they must complete it. They may be required to do paperwork, conduct research, or help the judge in non-work related tasks. No matter what, a judicial extern will have the ear of the judge. They will be able to see court proceedings as they unfold and get valuable experience in the real world.
A Judicial Externship can help your Career
You will be steps ahead of lawyers who did not undergo an externship. You will have seen the court process in real time, and have information that others do not. Firms know this. This means you will be more likely to land that position than someone who hasn’t done some form of a judicial externship.
Your skills as a lawyer will also be ahead of the competition. You will know what it takes to research a case, you will know how to file all the paperwork, and you will know what type of work needs to be done on different types of cases.
The Judge May Take a Judicial Extern Under Their Wing
A judicial extern could find themselves hired as a judicial clerk right out of college. Many judges use externships as interview processes, judging their pupils, determining if they would make a good clerk. However, other judges have a policy against hiring externs. A judge who doesn’t hire his externs may be of use to you still. The judge may recommend you to a different judge.
Get a Judicial Externship Now
Talk to people in your school to determine how you can get an externship. Perhaps you know other students who are in these types of programs; perhaps your favorite professor can help you out. You’ll usually have to apply as if it’s a job – with a resume, cover letter, and references.