American Law LLM Graduates Chosen for Federal Clerkships
US District Court Judge William Young opens clerkship opportunities to recent graduates.
For a law student in the US, the opportunity to serve as a judicial clerk on a federal court after graduation is highly sought after. For more than a decade, Judge William G. Young of the US District Court of Massachusetts has chosen up to three graduating students per year from the LLM in American Law Program for this opportunity.
The clerkship offers new alumni the invaluable experience to be immersed in the US federal judicial system and contribute to the outcomes of disputes that come before the federal court. In September, three graduates of the LLM in the American Law Program’s Class of 2017 started a yearlong clerkship for Judge Young.
“The usual work of a clerk is to prepare bench memoranda and private communications about the matters to be heard by the judge,” says Judge Young, who is also an adjunct professor at BU Law, where he teaches seminars on Advanced Trial Advocacy and Judging in the American Legal System. “The clerk may also work on the preparation of legal opinions.”
Federal clerks work alongside their assigned judge helping with cases, researching the law and presenting arguments and memos to the judge for trial. In the US “common law” legal system, the law is developed as a result of judicial decisions. Judicial decisions carry much more authority in common law legal systems than decisions made in civil law systems. A clerk’s role in helping formulate judicial opinions gives them a chance to form the basis for the law itself.
Judge Young emphasizes the value of the program and its benefits for recent graduates and up-and-coming lawyers. “Doing a clerkship has the great advantage in today’s society, where legal services are so compartmentalized. It can be very difficult for young lawyers to get actual experience in a law firm,” he says. “Clerkships afford young lawyers the opportunity to work on all types of cases.”
Just ask Mikolaj Burzec (LLM’17), one of the three BU Law clerks Judge Young selected. “You can sit at the trials and see what is going on and how the courts work,” says Burzec. “You are also doing your own research, so every day you are learning something new.”
Before joining the LLM in American Law Program, Burzec attended the University of Wroclaw in Poland and also pursued an LLM at Católica Global School of Law in Lisbon, Portugal.
“The American Law program provides not only the knowledge of the American laws and legal system, but it is also focused on presenting and teaching the way American lawyers think,” says Burzec. “Additionally, there is a wide range of classes during which you can possess desired skills, like legal research and writing. Mix it up altogether and you get the perfect base to excel during your clerkship.”
Judge Young encourages foreign-trained lawyers to apply for the clerkship, as it demonstrates to law firms that the lawyer has writing experience and has been exposed to a variety of legal cases and aspects of practice.
Foreign-trained attorneys are increasingly asked to handle the complex demands of global practice, particularly where cross-border interests implicate US law. These lawyers must not only understand US law, but also be able to work alongside their US-trained colleagues. A clerkship can provide considerable preparation for this role.
A federal clerkship position has its demands. “[The clerkship] is a lot of work and you have to do your studies—if you don’t know something you can check it or research it. The judge doesn’t expect that we know everything… he has more experience than I have,” says Burzec.
After nearly 40 years in the judiciary, Judge Young holds high standards for the clerks he chooses. “I’m looking for someone with genuine integrity. I expect it. Candidates are upfront in saying that this is what they want to do—clerk,” says Judge Young.
Two other criteria that Judge Young requires are clerks who are good at writing and research, but also who are fun to work with.
“I want a clerk who has a burning desire to write important legal opinions,” says Judge Young. “The very best clerks are the ones who not only give you the draft of the opinion, but they are excited to get those opinions published and for them to move up in the courts.”