Questions to Ask a Judge in an Interview
Questions for the part of a clerkship, judicial internship, or staff attorney interview where the judge asks whether you have any questions of your own. They cover the docket, what clerks actually write, how feedback works, and what the chambers is like to sit in every day.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What does a clerk's week look like here?
Why ask it
The answer varies enormously between chambers, and the judge will assume you know that. A week of drafting orders in a busy motions court is a different job from a week on one long opinion, and you want to know which you are applying for.
Do your clerks draft opinions, bench memos, or both?
Why ask it
This is the central question about the work. Some judges write first drafts themselves and use clerks for research, others expect a full draft opinion. Neither is worse, but the second teaches drafting and the first teaches how a judge thinks on paper.
What is the mix of cases on your docket at the moment?
Why ask it
Ask about now rather than in general, since dockets shift. It tells you what you would spend a year immersed in, whether that is sentencing, employment disputes, immigration matters, or discovery fights, and whether that overlaps with the practice you want afterwards.
How do you like to give feedback on a draft?
Why ask it
Some judges return heavily marked pages with no conversation, others talk it through line by line. The style determines how much you learn. If the judge cannot describe it, ask a current clerk the same question, since they will know precisely.
How many clerks do you have, and how is work divided between them?
Why ask it
Division by case, by subject, or by rotation changes your experience considerably. Also ask whether you would each own matters end to end, which is where clerks learn most, or hand work off at stages.
Do you have a career clerk or a permanent staff attorney?
Why ask it
A career clerk usually holds the institutional knowledge and may handle the recurring work, which can either free a term clerk for substantive matters or leave them with less of it. Ask directly how the two roles divide.
How would you want me to tell you I think you are getting something wrong?
Why ask it
The most revealing question in an interview with a judge. Some want the argument made plainly in a memo, some want it raised in conversation, and a few do not want it at all. The answer tells you what a year in that room will feel like.
What are the hours you expect, and what does your busiest stretch look like?
Why ask it
Ask about the busy period rather than the average, since averages hide the trial weeks and the end of a term. Judges respect the question when it is asked matter of factly, and a vague answer is worth following up with a current clerk.
How often would I be in the courtroom?
Why ask it
Watching hearings and trials is a large part of the value of clerking, and it varies from daily to rarely. If the answer is rarely, ask whether you may attend anyway when your work allows.
How do you prefer to be kept up to date on a matter I am working on?
Why ask it
Standing meetings, short memos, or dropping in at the door are all common, and getting this wrong is the most frequent early stumble for new clerks. Asking now signals that you intend to fit their way of working rather than your own.
What has a clerk done that genuinely made your year easier?
Why ask it
Positive and specific, and it produces the real job description. Expect answers about spotting a jurisdictional problem nobody raised, keeping a schedule honest, or writing a first draft that needed little work.
What has made a clerkship difficult for someone in the past?
Why ask it
A fair question if asked without prying. Answers usually involve writing that needed rebuilding, reluctance to ask when stuck, or difficulty with the volume. It tells you what failure looks like here, which is more useful than what success looks like.
How much of the year would I spend on research versus writing versus administration?
Why ask it
Every clerkship includes some proofreading, cite checking, and calendar work. Knowing the proportion prevents a mismatch, and a judge who is honest about the dull part is being straight with you about the rest.
What is the term, and do you ever keep clerks longer?
Why ask it
One year and two years are both common, and some chambers extend by agreement. If you are weighing this against another offer, the term length affects both what you can take on and how your next employer reads the experience.
Where have your recent clerks gone afterwards?
Why ask it
The pattern tells you what the clerkship prepares you for and how actively the judge helps. Ask whether they make calls on clerks' behalf, since a judge who does is offering something well beyond the year itself.
What is chambers like day to day?
Why ask it
Quiet and formal, or clerks in and out of the judge's office constantly. Ask whether people eat lunch together and whether the door is usually open. You will spend a year in a small number of rooms with a small number of people, and this is not a trivial question.
Is there anything you would want me to read or brush up on before starting?
Why ask it
Practical, and it signals you intend to arrive useful. Answers often name a procedural rule set, a local practice guide, or a body of law that dominates the docket, which is genuinely worth having read in advance.
What do you think applicants misunderstand about clerking for you?
Why ask it
Invites a candid correction, and judges usually have one ready: that it is mostly civil not criminal, that the writing is unglamorous, that the pace is relentless, or that they are less formal than the courtroom suggests.
May I speak with one of your current or former clerks?
Why ask it
Almost always granted, and the conversation will be more candid than this one. Ask them about hours, temper, and feedback specifically. A refusal is unusual and worth weighing.
What is your timeline for deciding, and how will I hear?
Why ask it
Clerkship hiring moves fast and offers are sometimes made within hours, occasionally with an answer expected immediately. Knowing the timing lets you manage other applications honestly rather than being caught out by a same-day offer.
Interviewing With a Judge
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Preparation that actually shows
Read two or three of their opinions
Not to flatter, but so you can ask something specific about how they approach a problem. Pick a recent one and one older, and notice the structure, the length, and how they handle facts. Referring to a real decision separates you from candidates who read only the biography.
Know the court's jurisdiction and stage
Trial and appellate work differ completely, as do federal district, magistrate, bankruptcy, and state courts. Asking a question that reveals you do not know which one you are in is the fastest way to end an interview badly.
Have your writing sample ready to discuss
Expect to be asked why you structured it that way and what you would change. Reread it the night before. Judges hire on writing more than on anything else, and a candidate who cannot defend their own sample is a problem.
Prepare for the offer coming quickly
Decide in advance what you would say to an immediate offer, including how much time you would ask for and whether you would accept on the spot. Being caught unprepared here is common and the pressure is real.
Use the whole visit
- Current clerks: ask about hours, how criticism is delivered, and what they wish they had known. They are usually frank when the judge is not in the room.
- The judicial assistant or chambers administrator: they know the rhythm of the office and how it feels on a bad week, and their view of you often carries weight.
- Former clerks, if you can reach one after the interview. A year of distance produces the most honest assessment.
- The courtroom itself: if you can sit in for even twenty minutes, you will see how the judge treats lawyers under pressure.
- Notice how staff speak to each other while you are waiting. It is a good proxy for what you are joining.
Questions to keep out of it
- Salary and benefits. These are typically set by a public pay schedule, so ask the assistant or look it up rather than raising it with the judge.
- Whether you can work remotely or keep other commitments. If you need an arrangement, raise it after an offer.
- Their views on contested political issues, or whether a well-known decision was correct.
- Anything about a pending case, including one you find interesting from the docket.
- How this will help your career. It is a reasonable motive and a poor question, since it puts your interests where the judge's should be.
After the interview
Write within a day
A short note to the judge and a separate one to the assistant who arranged the visit. Mention one thing from the conversation rather than repeating your interest in general terms.
If you are asked to decide immediately
It is acceptable to ask for a short period to respond, and it is also acceptable to be told no. If you have another interview scheduled that you would prefer, say so plainly rather than accepting and withdrawing later. Reneging on a clerkship offer is remembered.
If you are not chosen
Ask whether they would be willing to say what would have made you a stronger candidate. Some will, and judges frequently pass names to colleagues who are still hiring.