Federal judges' interns may accept stipends from law firms, ethics panel says
The U.S. Judicial Conference’s Committee on Codes of Conduct has determined that law students who work as unpaid interns for federal judges may accept stipends from law firms looking to recruit them as summer associates—so long as the payments meet certain requirements. (Image from Shutterstock)
The U.S. Judicial Conference’s Committee on Codes of Conduct has determined that law students who work as unpaid interns for federal judges may accept stipends from law firms looking to recruit them as summer associates—so long as the payments meet certain requirements.
The judicial ethics panel said Tuesda judges should inquire whether their interns have accepted stipends from future firm employers, and interns should disclose their decision to accept the money, according to a story by Reuters.
As long as the stipend is not tied to the intern’s judicial service, the money may be ethically permitted, the panel said, but it should not be paid during the internship.
The opinion comes after several major firms, including Latham & Watkins and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, have started offering first-year law students who commit to working for them later stipends ranging between $25,000 to $50,000, so that the students can pursue public interest internships in the government and nonprofit sectors.
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