Magazine - USC Gould School of Law - University of Southern ...

Fall 2008
Students find clerkships that pay
dividends throughout their careers
Magazine
Casting a
wide net
When Sam Goldberg ’06 began looking for a judicial clerkship, he
didn’t hesitate to apply outside of California. After all, Goldberg had a
standing offer at Los Angeles’ Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and he saw
spending a year in another part of the country as a way to maximize
his clerkship opportunities.
In his final year at USC Law, Goldberg flew to Columbus, Ohio,
for an interview with Hon. John David Holschuh. The chemistry was
right and Goldberg spent the next year in a Columbus district court
analyzing motions, observing courtroom proceedings and writing first
drafts of orders, tentative rulings and opinions.
“When you go out of state for a clerkship, you get exposure to a
different legal culture,” Goldberg says. “You see a different perspective
and make connections to another legal market.”
By Gilien Silsby
Feature
USC Law has a long tradition of encouraging students to apply for
clerkships. Developed by professor Jean Rosenbluth and the Clerkship
Committee, in conjunction with the Career Services Office, the judicial
clerkship program has grown steadily. In USC Law’s class of 2008,
12 graduates landed jobs clerking for judges.
“The benefits from a clerkship will follow the student for the rest
of his or her career, and besides, the job is just a blast. You can’t have
more fun working as a lawyer,” Rosenbluth says.
“Some of our students are reluctant to leave sunny Los Angeles to
pursue a clerkship, she adds. “Clerking elsewhere for a year is a great
way to discover another part of the country and have a bit of an
adventure before settling down.”
USC Law Dean Robert Rasmussen is a case in point. After graduating
from University of Chicago Law School, he traveled to Alabama
19