In my 35 years of practicing law I have never felt uncomfortable during the course of my work.
Now, have I screwed up big time – yes.
Have I been weighed down by guilt and shame – yes.
And have I been judged for the mistakes I’ve made – yes.
But I sincerely can’t recall a time where I felt uncomfortable just for being myself.
Unfortunately, the power disparities inherent to the legal profession are not always a well-spring of mentorship.
In the worst of instances, they can become outright traumatic.
And nowhere is this disparity more apparent – and more dangerous – than in the relationship between a clerk and their supervising judge.
Now, let me be very clear.
There are PLENTY of fantastic judges; we’ve even had some on this show.
But the problem with bad judges is that you run into a “who’s watching the watchmen” scenario pretty quickly.
And sadly, the tools to hold judges accountable, especially by those who work beneath them, can be sub-par at best and non-existent at worst.
My guest today is someone who has lived this nightmare.
But instead of doing what too many clerks do - keeping silent and just ‘power through’ – she decided to fight back.
Aliza Shatzman is an attorney and advocate based in Washington, DC who writes and speaks on the subject of judicial accountability.
In 2019, her clerkship for a federal judge went from rocky, to confrontational, to purely malicious.
Not only did she face blatant sexual discrimination, but when she decided to report her superior, she was retaliated against by the very system she swore to uphold.
Aliza is now the co-founder of The Legal Accountability Project whose goal is to ensure that as many law clerks as possible have positive clerkship experiences, while extending support and resources to those who do not.
She has submitted written testimony to the House Judiciary Committee, and published articles about her experience in Slate, Ms. Magazine, and multiple legal publications.
And I’m thankful she took the time this week to join me for a conversation about all of this and more.
It’s not the most comfortable conversation – but it’s not supposed to be.
Enjoy the show
