What Should I Do Before I Start My Judicial Clerkship?

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we're talking with guest Aliza Shatzman from The Legal Accountability Project about some of the things that can go wrong with judicial clerkships, and what clerks can do to protect themselves when that happens.

Note: This episode was recorded several weeks ago. Based on Aliza's subsequent conversations with law schools, The Legal Accountability Project decided that the best way to both protect law clerks and democratize information is to create a centralized clerkships reporting database, where every law clerk from every institution can make a report, and every law student from every law school can read the reports, as a way to avoid judges with a history of misconduct.

In this episode we discuss:

• Aliza's story that led to The Legal Accountability Project
• The power disparity between judges and law clerks: Are judges really untouchable?
• The current status of the Judiciary Accountability Act
• What needs to happen to make a difference for judicial employees facing harassment or discrimination?
• The role law schools play in protecting their students and alumni
• Where to look for information on individual judges, and how to share your experience so other people know what they're signing up for

Resources:

• The Legal Accountability Project (https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/)
• Statement for the Record of Aliza Shatzman, Former DC Superior Court Law Clerk (https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU03/20220317/114503/HHRG-117-JU03-20220317-SD005.pdf)
• LinkedIn – Aliza Shatzman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliza-shatzman-58b55223/)
• Twitter – Aliza Shatzman (https://twitter.com/AlizaShatzman)
• Untouchable Judges? What I've Learned about Harassment in the Judiciary, and What We Can Do to Stop It – article by Aliza Shatzman (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4096245)
• Model Employment Dispute Resolution Plan (https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/guide-vol12-ch02-appx2a_oji-2019-09-17-post-model-edr-plan.pdf)
• Podcast Episode 44: How to Get a Judicial Clerkship (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-44-how-to-get-a-judicial-clerkship/)
• Podcast Episode 176: Talking About Judicial Clerkships with Kelsey Russell (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-176-talking-about-judicial-clerkships-with-kelsey-russell/)
• Podcast Episode 258: Law Clerks for Diversity (w/Guest Danielle Barondess) (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-258-law-clerks-for-diversity-w-guest-danielle-barondess/)
• The Benefits of Doing Both a Federal District Court and a Circuit Court Clerkship (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/the-benefits-of-doing-both-a-federal-district-court-and-a-circuit-court-clerkship/)
• Why You Should Consider a Judicial Internship (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/why-you-should-consider-a-judicial-internship/)
• What Is It Really Like To Be a Judicial Clerk? (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/what-is-it-really-like-to-be-a-judicial-clerk/)

Download the Transcript (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/episode-346-judicial-accountability-in-the-workplace-w-aliza-shatzman/)

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Thanks for listening!

Alison & Lee