Predicament: I'm two months into a federal district court clerkship, but I am seriously thinking of resigning (for personal reasons, unrelated to job). Any advice on what to do? What to expect?

That's too bad. It's hard to say what to expect because judges (like people0 wil have very different reactions to the same situation. I can say that you certainly wouldn't be the first to do so (and more generally, as great a job as it is, it's still just a job, and people resign all the time). Your judge's reaction will obviously also depend on the reason - if you're resigning for a reason you could very easily have anticipated prior to starting (money, for example), he/she might be rather annoyed. If the reason you're resigning is unexpected, I would imagine your judge would be understanding.

As for what to do, if your problem is something that could possibly be solved or ameliorated with the help of your judge, then you should sit down with him/her and explain the situation immediately. If not, then you need to decide what you are going to do soon enough that you can leave (a) without causing yourself further grief and (b) while causing the judge as little grief as possible (i.e., with enough notice to allow the judge time to find a replacement).

Hope everything works out.

1) Honesty is the best policy--certainly personal reasons are understandable to any judge 2) Come up with some qualified applicants to replace you; that will take the burden off of the judge--AND, INCIDENTALLY, I am at a first tier school, rank 23/270, on law review, 3.6 gpa, and am looking for a clerkship position anywhere next year when I graduate. Please E-mail me, I'm interested in your job--thanks. Good luck.

Would a leave of absence serve the same purpose? If not, I too am looking for a clerkship. Top of my class at borderline 1st/2nd tier school .. available after November 1st this year.