If You Are an Ex-Supreme Court Clerk and Good Looking, Susman Godfrey Wants You
Lawyers hoping to snare a job at Susman Godfrey will have to have a federal clerkship under their belts. And good looks won’t hurt, either.
Those nuggets come from an interview Susman Godfrey’s name partner Stephen Susman gave to the Careerist. He told the blog that all job offers at his firm are contingent on the candidate getting a federal clerkship.
Susman likes to hire clerks because the firm can call the judge and get a candid appraisal of the candidate. Eight Supreme Court clerks have worked at his firm, Susman said, although two of them have left. “Some are too academic and look at problems in 25 different ways,” he said. “The two that are no longer with us left because of reasons other than personality or intellect. People do have other issues with fitting in.”
Susman went on to describe the person who is the ideal fit at Susman Godfrey: “Someone who’s clerked at the Supreme Court, is brilliant and has theatrical presence. There’s a theatrical aspect to trial work. We’ve also had phenomenal female lawyers who have great personality, are smart and are pleasant to look at.”
When pressed about the pleasant looks comment—can it be interpreted as sexist?—Susman said good looks help both men and women in the courtroom.
“You can ask anyone who has ever worked with me or at SG about whether we are [sexist], and I’m sure they will say no,” he said. “I do think that any firm that tries jury cases needs a group of lawyers who have courtroom—i.e., theatrical—presence. A person’s appearance, male or female, contributes to their presence.”
