Bucks Writs - Summer 2020 - 8

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By John P. Uetz, Esquire, Law Clerk to the Honorable Charissa J. Liller;
and Thomas J. Nolan, Jr., Esquire, Law Clerk to the Honorable Robert J. Mellon

veryone remembers the iconic scene from the classic
film The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy's dog, Toto, pulls
back a curtain to reveal that the Great Oz is nothing
more than a man creating an illusion of a powerful wizard.
While certainly not as dramatic, being a judicial law clerk
is akin to this experience in that we get to live "behind the
curtain" - or perhaps more accurately, behind the black
robe - every day.

improve legal writing skills for younger attorneys. It is also
a great way to learn the difference between a court filing
office and a foot doctor, as one clerk found out when she
mistakenly referred to the Prothonotary as the "Podiatrist" in
an opinion submitted to the judge.
While we spend much of our time at our desks, our best
stories come from sitting in on court proceedings. For
example, PFA court has inspired an informal list of foods
alleged to be used in altercations, which currently includes

For many attorneys, judges can be intimidating. It can be easy
to forget that judges are mere mortals amidst the pomp and
circumstance of courtroom proceedings. However, as law
clerks, we are privy to the unfiltered thoughts of judges on a
daily basis... and sometimes we even get to overhear them
singing to themselves in the hallway.

A LAW CLERK'S DAY STARTS
BY TAKING THE ELEVATOR
UP TO THE 6TH FLOOR OF
THE COURTHOUSE AND
PROCEEDING TO WHAT IS
AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS
"CLERKLAND." CLERKLAND
IS A COLLECTION OF
CONTIGUOUS HALF-WALL
CUBICLES THAT HOUSE THE
JUDICIAL LAW CLERKS.

A law clerk's day starts by taking the elevator up to the 6th
floor of the courthouse and proceeding to what is affectionately known as "Clerkland." Clerkland is a collection
of contiguous half-wall cubicles that house the judicial law
clerks. This layout helps to facilitate passionate debates
among clerks about a variety of asinine topics, such as
whether a banana is classified as a berry and what is or is not
a meme. But more importantly, it encourages open dialogue
and allows us to work together to provide the best possible
product for the judges.
Of course the bulk of a law clerk's day is spent researching
legal issues and drafting memos and opinions. Receiving
feedback from judges is an invaluable way to develop and

Bucks Writs - Summer 2020

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