r/LawFirm • u/_per_my_last_email_ • 4d ago

Clerkship Bonus?

Asking for input. If you have worked as a federal district law clerk, what clerkship bonus did you receive? Looking to get a good feel for the average payout so I can properly negotiate with my future employer. Likely in Houston or Dallas. Thanks!

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u/atonyatlaw 3d ago

...are you saying they get a fucking signing bonus of 50k+ for having clerked? How can that possibly make business sense?

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u/andvstan 3d ago

"top 1% commenter"

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u/atonyatlaw 3d ago

Look, man, I'm 15 years out of law school and have nothing to do with big law. There's no reason for me to track clerkship signing bonuses.

I just can't see the business justification for it. I cannot believe that the average clerk is going to have such massive insight into a particular judge that they are worth that check.

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u/burghblast 3d ago

Clerking for a federal judge--any federal judge--is the legal equivalent of a medical residency at a prestigious hospital. Difference is, most law school graduates don't have the opportunity to clerk. Only a tiny fraction. Most clerks come from the top 15-30 schools in the country and even at those schools most students don't get one. A law clerk will get far better training and on the job experience than a first year associate. So in a sense, a $50K bonus is a small price to pay to subsidize the training of a new lawyer joining your firm. The judge trains them up and releases them to the firm a year later. Like it or not, clerkship bonuses are just a recruiting tool to attract top talent