NY Bankruptcy Judge Tells Lawyer to Forget About Judgeship

A Manhattan bankruptcy judge has this advice for any high-priced lawyers thinking about judgeships: Fugedaboutit!

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber gave his views on the job on Wednesday during a hearing in the bankruptcy case of Lyondell Chemical Co., according to the Wall Street Journal’s Bankruptcy Beat blog. Gerber spoke in response to a Kirkland & Ellis lawyer who said that one day he may be lucky enough to wear judicial robes.

Gerber, who was a partner for 22 years at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, told the lawyer that a judgeship is a bad idea because it comes with a “90 percent pay cut,” the blog reports.

“If you work hard you can get paid as much as a first year associate,” Gerber reportedly said.