SCOTUS Clerkships Get Too Much Weight in Legal Field, Alumni Say

A Supreme Court clerkship on a resume can yield job offers at prestigious firms and six-figure signing bonuses, but former clerks say the importance placed on the competitive one-year gig is sometimes overblown.

“Do I think Supreme Court clerks are untalented? No. I think that hiring somebody who has worked at the court does give you an inside perspective,” said Rory Little, a visiting professor at Yale Law School. Little is an experienced high court clerk who worked for Justices William Brennan, John Paul Stevens, and Potter Stewart.

“But there is certainly a ton of people who are amazingly talented ...