Visiting Law Professor Todd Peppers was recently quoted in the National Law Journal in an article about the “hot–and very expensive–market for high court clerks.” Responding to recent bonuses for Supreme Court law clerks of $280,000 or more, Prof. Peppers remarked as follows:
The heady market for law clerks has its critics. “It’s an alarming amount of money, and, at some point, one wonders what the law firms think they are purchasing,” said Todd Peppers, author of two books about Supreme Court clerks. “Of course, they are getting top-notch lawyers. But they are still green and relatively untrained lawyers.” He worries that the bonuses might increase pressure on former clerks to violate their pledge to the court of confidentiality by giving clients “an insider’s view.”
The article is available here [subscription required].