Demystifying Judicial Clerkships (Aliza Shatzman) (Ep. 418)
Ben and Nathan are joined by Aliza Shatzman, founder of the Legal Accountability Project. Aliza describes the project’s mission to bring greater transparency to judicial clerkships and to promote positive clerkship experiences. She and the guys discuss why law schools sometimes obscure the truth about judicial clerkships, how the Legal Accountability Project will democratize information regarding clerkships, and what future law students can do now to prepare for clerking.
You can find Aliza on LinkedIn and Twitter @AlizaShatzman. Follow the Legal Accountability Project on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @The_LAP_
1:12 - The Legal Accountability Project
Special guest Aliza Shatzman recounts how the harassment and discrimination she faced as a judicial clerk led her to create the Legal Accountability Project. She advocates greater transparency and workplace protections for judicial clerkships.
Read Aliza’s testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
11:51 - Clerkships Database
Aliza introduces the Legal Accountability Project’s Clerkships Database, which aims to democratize information about judges and serves as a “Yelp for clerkships.” Aliza describes how she’s working to gain the support of judges and law schools.
36:19 - Advice for Future Law Students
Aliza offers advice to future law students who may want to pursue judicial clerkships: Start networking with judges and professors early, apply broadly, and don’t assume that your law school’s guidance is sound. Aliza also explains why federal clerkships aren’t always better than state clerkships.