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Things for a clerk to negotiate when weighing their post-clerkship options

Obviously there are a lot of things to consider after you have your post-clerkship job lined up, but here are two to give serious thought to: start date and payment of the clerkship bonus (if any).

Most of the clerks I know were able to get a start date sometime 4-6-8 weeks after the end of the clerkship and probably 3/4 were able to get their clerkship bonus either in full or in part upon completion of their clerkship. The latter is good if you are planning to take some time off (highly recommended by the way) in between the clerkship and the new job. Obviously these are outliers; we all know some firms don't pay a clerkship bonus, or pay their bonus after the first year of working; other firms want you to start right away, and you may want to start right away. In general, however, these two things seemed pretty easy to negotiate, and I would be willing to bet that most firms are more than willing to work with you to ensure you are rested and ready to go by the time you start.

Also, don't forget to factor in the time it takes to move - it's a much bigger pain in the ass then you may initially think. Add another week after you plan on moving in case you aren't sure.

And for those starting off clerking (or have already started), now is the time to start looking for that post-clerkship job (assuming you aren't looking for a second (or third) clerkship. In a lot of ways, you are on the same schedule as a third year law student, and competing against them just the same (with obvious benefits - bar passage (when it comes), clerkship, general coolness, etc.).

Full post as published by The Once and Future Lawyer on October 08, 2008 (boomark / email).

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