{"id":149561,"date":"2026-04-24T15:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T23:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/04\/24\/glassdoor-for-judges-celebrates-its-second-birthday\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T15:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T23:42:08","slug":"glassdoor-for-judges-celebrates-its-second-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/04\/24\/glassdoor-for-judges-celebrates-its-second-birthday\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Glassdoor for Judges\u2019 Celebrates Its Second Birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you want to clerk? How will you avoid judges who harass their clerks?<\/em><\/p>\n

For two years, I posed this question at dozens of The Legal Accountability Project\u2019s<\/a> (LAP) law school events<\/a> across the country. Then, in April 2024 \u2014 two years ago this month<\/a> \u2014 that answer changed forever. LAP launched our first-of-its-kind Clerkships Database<\/a> (\u201cGlassdoor for Judges\u201d), a nationally recognized<\/a>, award-winning platform<\/a> now containing over 2,000 candid clerkship reviews about more than 1,200 federal and state court judges nationwide. It\u2019s the largest independent repository of clerkship information in the U.S. \u2014 several times the size of the largest law school databases<\/a> \u2014 and the only source of honest <\/em>feedback, particularly about judges to avoid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I recently returned from a LAP event at Yale Law School<\/a> (YLS) \u2014 known for funneling students into prestigious clerkships but perhaps not for ensuring positive experiences for graduates. In fact, last school year, YLS prohibited students<\/a> from using student organization funds to subscribe to LAP\u2019s Database on behalf of members \u2014 perhaps intending to dissuade students from accessing LAP\u2019s information. It sparked outraged, inspired more than 10 donors to cover Database costs for students, including at YLS \u2014 and over 160 YLS students subscribed<\/a> last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At YLS, I shared my personal experience<\/a>, because it\u2019s the first time many students hear about a negative clerkship experience. Legal academia and the legal industry still lionize judges, acting as if they can do no wrong. It may shake eager students\u2019 worldviews to learn their legal heroes \u2014 the liberal lion or conservative crusader writing the bombshell opinions they just read in class \u2014 are adjudicating litigants\u2019 misconduct in front of the bench, while committing misconduct<\/em><\/a> behind the bench. Students\u2019 eyes bug out when I share that I was fired over the phone during the COVID-19 pandemic by a judge who told me I made him \u201cuncomfortable\u201d and \u201clacked respect\u201d for him. I hear audible gasps when I discuss the judge\u2019s negative reference to the DC U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office (USAO) a year later that caused the USAO to deny me a security clearance and revoke my job offer. I emphasize my experience is not rare \u2014 I hear regularly from clerks \u2014 but it\u2019s rarely shared publicly, due to the culture of silence and fear surrounding the judiciary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During audience questions, a student recounted searching for judges in the YLS internal database, which requires clerks to put their names on their surveys (dissuading those who were mistreated from disclosing). The only information about certain judges was \u201ccontact me\u201d \u2014 a euphemism for mistreatment. (I cautioned students that some mistreated clerks are untruthful even when contacted, thereby misleading students into bad clerkships \u2014 which is why a platform like LAP\u2019s, which replaces individual conversations, is so important.) But, when the student searched for the same judges in LAP\u2019s Database, clerks actually described<\/em> the mistreatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many students understand schools\u2019 misaligned clerkship incentives<\/a>. Schools benefit when more students clerk: they rarely dissuade students from clerking for judges they know mistreat clerks, especially when schools have relationships with judges or they\u2019re alumni. This necessitates a third-party, independent information source<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LAP\u2019s Database is the resource I wish existed when I was applying for clerkships a decade ago. This student- and clerk-centric platform is heavily informed by what students want to know before clerking, and what clerks wish they\u2019d known before clerking. Because I conceptualized it and oversee its daily operations, students\u2019 and clerks\u2019 needs remain front and center. As someone whose law school misled me into a career-ending clerkship; who endured mistreatment until I was fired because no support or resources like LAP existed; and was subsequently retaliated against by the judge I worked for, I am particularly sensitive to the need to balance clerks\u2019 privacy and data security with transparency and candor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anyone who clerked can submit a survey to LAP\u2019s Database<\/a> \u2014 anonymously if they choose. Anonymity vastly<\/em> increases the candor of submissions, yet inexplicably, some law schools won\u2019t allow clerks to submit anonymously to their internal databases. Clerks aren\u2019t anonymous to me, of course \u2014 they register with all their information. Importantly, only<\/em> students and recent graduates can subscribe to read reviews \u2014 no judges<\/em> \u2014 to prevent retaliation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For just $50 per school year, students can avoid career- and life-altering negative experiences like mine<\/a>. LAP\u2019s Database offers exponentially more information than students could otherwise access when applying for clerkships. While a handful of top schools maintain internal databases where students can search for judges by name, state, and court, none enable students to search by judges\u2019 race, gender, law school, or appointing president. Beyond LAP\u2019s unique search filters and user-friendly interface, we ask candid<\/em> questions about judges as managers, clerk treatment, and workplace conduct. And, because clerks can submit anonymously, we receive honest<\/em> responses. Clerks also rate both the judge as a manager and the clerkship experience, and LAP posts those ratings on judges\u2019 profiles. And while every law school\u2019s information is restricted by who alumni clerked for and clerks\u2019 willingness to share information, LAP is not: the Database compiles reviews from clerks nationwide from every law school, state, and court. Nothing else like it exists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t in good conscience<\/a> encourage anyone to clerk without<\/em> subscribing to LAP\u2019s Database and heeding its warnings. Working for a judge who treats clerks with respect could be the difference between a successful career in law and none at all. I\u2019ve seen everything: clerks traumatized and in therapy years later, blackballed from dream jobs and whole industries, shells of their former selves, or driven from the law entirely after investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in their legal educations and taking out crushing loans to pay for it. LAP\u2019s Database is the only way to avoid this.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hundreds of mistreated clerks tell me<\/a> they would not have accepted their clerkships if they knew how abusive they\u2019d be. And yet, students desperate to clerk may read negative information in LAP\u2019s Database and pursue the clerkships anyway \u2014 believing it won\u2019t happen to them or they can handle it \u2014 only to reach out to me a year later after they\u2019ve quit or been fired. Frustratingly, many mistreated clerks who\u2019ve reached out recently seeking assistance are 2025 graduates \u2014 meaning the Database was accessible when they applied, or at least before they started clerking \u2014 yet they chose not to subscribe or disregarded its warnings. Students must take agency over their lives and careers. Even if you\u2019ve accepted a clerkship, it\u2019s not too late to subscribe<\/a>, inform yourself, and potentially withdraw. Many have \u2014 LAP helped \u2014 and you should.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LAP\u2019s Database has already served over 4,000 law students and recent graduates in just two years. Many more are preparing to apply \u201cOn Plan\u201d via OSCAR<\/a> this June. I worry where those who haven\u2019t subscribed get their information, if not from LAP \u2014 either not at all, or from school advisors who mislead students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LAP\u2019s Database is accountability through transparency: there\u2019s nothing abusive judges hate more than negative feedback they cannot see or retaliate against clerks for sharing. LAP\u2019s Database exists because the judiciary refuses to implement guardrails, hold colleagues accountable, discipline abusive judges<\/a>, or provide meaningful redress<\/a> to mistreated employees. Over time, as abusive judges struggle to hire and retain clerks \u2014 since applicants can now avoid bad bosses \u2014 judges may change their behavior or, preferably, retire. It\u2019s difficult to get abusive judges off the bench<\/a>, but as long as some young lawyers willingly endure abuse, they perpetuate the problem. As long as these judges can hire clerks and conduct chambers business, the judiciary has no incentive to discipline or remove them. But a struggling judge, or one who can\u2019t hold onto clerks<\/a> \u2014 they\u2019re a liability.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWill I be harassed, discriminated against, or retaliated against during my clerkship?\u201d was never a question I thought to ask when I was applying. But now, thanks to LAP, applicants do. And, having heard my experience, they\u2019re attuned to the risks, and better able to avoid them. My \u201cbirthday wish\u201d on LAP\u2019s Database\u2019s second birthday<\/a> is that every clerkship applicant will subscribe and heed its warnings, so no clerk willingly subjects themselves to abuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I think a lot about long-term solutions \u2014 disciplining and removing abusive judges; ensuring presidents and chief executives appoint judges who aren\u2019t just good jurists, but also good bosses; and finally extending legal protections<\/a> against discrimination, harassment, and retaliation to court employees. LAP\u2019s Database is a front-end, \u201cright now\u201d solution. We don\u2019t wait on anyone \u2014 not the judiciary, not Congress, and not law schools \u2014 to make the change that\u2019s urgently necessary. Because thousands of students and recent graduates can\u2019t wait. Tens of thousands of judiciary employees can\u2019t wait. Society can\u2019t wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Aliza Shatzman is the President and Founder of\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>The Legal Accountability Project<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, a nonprofit aimed at ensuring that law clerks have positive clerkship experiences, while extending support and resources to those who do not. She regularly writes and speaks about judicial accountability and clerkships. Reach out to her via email at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Aliza.Shatzman@legalaccountabilityproject.org<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and follow her on Twitter @AlizaShatzman.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post \u2018Glassdoor for Judges\u2019 Celebrates Its Second Birthday<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

So, you want to clerk? How will you avoid judges who harass their clerks?<\/em><\/p>\n

For two years, I posed this question at dozens of The Legal Accountability Project\u2019s<\/a> (LAP) law school events<\/a> across the country. Then, in April 2024 \u2014 two years ago this month<\/a> \u2014 that answer changed forever. LAP launched our first-of-its-kind Clerkships Database<\/a> (\u201cGlassdoor for Judges\u201d), a nationally recognized<\/a>, award-winning platform<\/a> now containing over 2,000 candid clerkship reviews about more than 1,200 federal and state court judges nationwide. It\u2019s the largest independent repository of clerkship information in the U.S. \u2014 several times the size of the largest law school databases<\/a> \u2014 and the only source of honest <\/em>feedback, particularly about judges to avoid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I recently returned from a LAP event at Yale Law School<\/a> (YLS) \u2014 known for funneling students into prestigious clerkships but perhaps not for ensuring positive experiences for graduates. In fact, last school year, YLS prohibited students<\/a> from using student organization funds to subscribe to LAP\u2019s Database on behalf of members \u2014 perhaps intending to dissuade students from accessing LAP\u2019s information. It sparked outraged, inspired more than 10 donors to cover Database costs for students, including at YLS \u2014 and over 160 YLS students subscribed<\/a> last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At YLS, I shared my personal experience<\/a>, because it\u2019s the first time many students hear about a negative clerkship experience. Legal academia and the legal industry still lionize judges, acting as if they can do no wrong. It may shake eager students\u2019 worldviews to learn their legal heroes \u2014 the liberal lion or conservative crusader writing the bombshell opinions they just read in class \u2014 are adjudicating litigants\u2019 misconduct in front of the bench, while committing misconduct<\/em><\/a> behind the bench. Students\u2019 eyes bug out when I share that I was fired over the phone during the COVID-19 pandemic by a judge who told me I made him \u201cuncomfortable\u201d and \u201clacked respect\u201d for him. I hear audible gasps when I discuss the judge\u2019s negative reference to the DC U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office (USAO) a year later that caused the USAO to deny me a security clearance and revoke my job offer. I emphasize my experience is not rare \u2014 I hear regularly from clerks \u2014 but it\u2019s rarely shared publicly, due to the culture of silence and fear surrounding the judiciary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During audience questions, a student recounted searching for judges in the YLS internal database, which requires clerks to put their names on their surveys (dissuading those who were mistreated from disclosing). The only information about certain judges was \u201ccontact me\u201d \u2014 a euphemism for mistreatment. (I cautioned students that some mistreated clerks are untruthful even when contacted, thereby misleading students into bad clerkships \u2014 which is why a platform like LAP\u2019s, which replaces individual conversations, is so important.) But, when the student searched for the same judges in LAP\u2019s Database, clerks actually described<\/em> the mistreatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many students understand schools\u2019 misaligned clerkship incentives<\/a>. Schools benefit when more students clerk: they rarely dissuade students from clerking for judges they know mistreat clerks, especially when schools have relationships with judges or they\u2019re alumni. This necessitates a third-party, independent information source<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LAP\u2019s Database is the resource I wish existed when I was applying for clerkships a decade ago. This student- and clerk-centric platform is heavily informed by what students want to know before clerking, and what clerks wish they\u2019d known before clerking. Because I conceptualized it and oversee its daily operations, students\u2019 and clerks\u2019 needs remain front and center. As someone whose law school misled me into a career-ending clerkship; who endured mistreatment until I was fired because no support or resources like LAP existed; and was subsequently retaliated against by the judge I worked for, I am particularly sensitive to the need to balance clerks\u2019 privacy and data security with transparency and candor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anyone who clerked can submit a survey to LAP\u2019s Database<\/a> \u2014 anonymously if they choose. Anonymity vastly<\/em> increases the candor of submissions, yet inexplicably, some law schools won\u2019t allow clerks to submit anonymously to their internal databases. Clerks aren\u2019t anonymous to me, of course \u2014 they register with all their information. Importantly, only<\/em> students and recent graduates can subscribe to read reviews \u2014 no judges<\/em> \u2014 to prevent retaliation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For just $50 per school year, students can avoid career- and life-altering negative experiences like mine<\/a>. LAP\u2019s Database offers exponentially more information than students could otherwise access when applying for clerkships. While a handful of top schools maintain internal databases where students can search for judges by name, state, and court, none enable students to search by judges\u2019 race, gender, law school, or appointing president. Beyond LAP\u2019s unique search filters and user-friendly interface, we ask candid<\/em> questions about judges as managers, clerk treatment, and workplace conduct. And, because clerks can submit anonymously, we receive honest<\/em> responses. Clerks also rate both the judge as a manager and the clerkship experience, and LAP posts those ratings on judges\u2019 profiles. And while every law school\u2019s information is restricted by who alumni clerked for and clerks\u2019 willingness to share information, LAP is not: the Database compiles reviews from clerks nationwide from every law school, state, and court. Nothing else like it exists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t in good conscience<\/a> encourage anyone to clerk without<\/em> subscribing to LAP\u2019s Database and heeding its warnings. Working for a judge who treats clerks with respect could be the difference between a successful career in law and none at all. I\u2019ve seen everything: clerks traumatized and in therapy years later, blackballed from dream jobs and whole industries, shells of their former selves, or driven from the law entirely after investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in their legal educations and taking out crushing loans to pay for it. LAP\u2019s Database is the only way to avoid this.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hundreds of mistreated clerks tell me<\/a> they would not have accepted their clerkships if they knew how abusive they\u2019d be. And yet, students desperate to clerk may read negative information in LAP\u2019s Database and pursue the clerkships anyway \u2014 believing it won\u2019t happen to them or they can handle it \u2014 only to reach out to me a year later after they\u2019ve quit or been fired. Frustratingly, many mistreated clerks who\u2019ve reached out recently seeking assistance are 2025 graduates \u2014 meaning the Database was accessible when they applied, or at least before they started clerking \u2014 yet they chose not to subscribe or disregarded its warnings. Students must take agency over their lives and careers. Even if you\u2019ve accepted a clerkship, it\u2019s not too late to subscribe<\/a>, inform yourself, and potentially withdraw. Many have \u2014 LAP helped \u2014 and you should.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LAP\u2019s Database has already served over 4,000 law students and recent graduates in just two years. Many more are preparing to apply \u201cOn Plan\u201d via OSCAR<\/a> this June. I worry where those who haven\u2019t subscribed get their information, if not from LAP \u2014 either not at all, or from school advisors who mislead students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LAP\u2019s Database is accountability through transparency: there\u2019s nothing abusive judges hate more than negative feedback they cannot see or retaliate against clerks for sharing. LAP\u2019s Database exists because the judiciary refuses to implement guardrails, hold colleagues accountable, discipline abusive judges<\/a>, or provide meaningful redress<\/a> to mistreated employees. Over time, as abusive judges struggle to hire and retain clerks \u2014 since applicants can now avoid bad bosses \u2014 judges may change their behavior or, preferably, retire. It\u2019s difficult to get abusive judges off the bench<\/a>, but as long as some young lawyers willingly endure abuse, they perpetuate the problem. As long as these judges can hire clerks and conduct chambers business, the judiciary has no incentive to discipline or remove them. But a struggling judge, or one who can\u2019t hold onto clerks<\/a> \u2014 they\u2019re a liability.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWill I be harassed, discriminated against, or retaliated against during my clerkship?\u201d was never a question I thought to ask when I was applying. But now, thanks to LAP, applicants do. And, having heard my experience, they\u2019re attuned to the risks, and better able to avoid them. My \u201cbirthday wish\u201d on LAP\u2019s Database\u2019s second birthday<\/a> is that every clerkship applicant will subscribe and heed its warnings, so no clerk willingly subjects themselves to abuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I think a lot about long-term solutions \u2014 disciplining and removing abusive judges; ensuring presidents and chief executives appoint judges who aren\u2019t just good jurists, but also good bosses; and finally extending legal protections<\/a> against discrimination, harassment, and retaliation to court employees. LAP\u2019s Database is a front-end, \u201cright now\u201d solution. We don\u2019t wait on anyone \u2014 not the judiciary, not Congress, and not law schools \u2014 to make the change that\u2019s urgently necessary. Because thousands of students and recent graduates can\u2019t wait. Tens of thousands of judiciary employees can\u2019t wait. Society can\u2019t wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Aliza Shatzman is the President and Founder of\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>The Legal Accountability Project<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, a nonprofit aimed at ensuring that law clerks have positive clerkship experiences, while extending support and resources to those who do not. She regularly writes and speaks about judicial accountability and clerkships. Reach out to her via email at\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>[email\u00a0protected]<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and follow her on Twitter @AlizaShatzman.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, you want to clerk? How will you avoid judges who harass their clerks? For two years, I posed this question at dozens of The Legal Accountability Project\u2019s (LAP) law school events across the country. Then, in April 2024 \u2014 two years ago this month \u2014 that answer changed forever. LAP launched our first-of-its-kind Clerkships […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":149562,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gavel-3575414_640-ISUnCR.jpg?fit=640%2C352&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149561\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}