When I think about my clerkships with a federal district court judge in St. Louis and a Ninth Circuit judge in Los Angeles, I think often about the relationships that I created. Not just with the judges, which were both wonderful relationships, although sadly, both judges are now deceased, but also with my co-clerks. Recently, a story in the news prompted me to reach out to my Ninth Circuit co-clerks. Even though that clerkship was 25 years ago, the email that I sent commenting on the news article prompted immediate responses from both co-clerks despite their busy schedules as high-powered attorneys in prestigious T100 law firms. A flurry of emails followed, discussing our now-deceased judge and how she would respond to the news, and urging a reunion of our trio in Los Angeles, should I come to visit. A clerkship may only last for a year or two, but the connections that you make with your judge and your colleagues—those last a lifetime. This result follows in part from the nature of a judicial chambers. It is a small working group: the judge, an assistant and one or more clerks. The work that you do cannot be discussed with anyone but that group. And so you develop a special bond. Next blogpost, I will discuss another reason why the experience fosters such strong connections.
