Stephen Hammer the law clerk

[Hisey]

Not sure if this is worth a new thread, but I know many people here are interested in Meredith. Her husband got a job as a law clerk for a federal appellate judge. This is the second most prestigious clerkship you can get (the highest is a Supreme Court clerkship, which he most likely did not get). They are living in Columbus, Ohio. If I recall correctly, these clerkships last only for one year, so the Hammer Seven will be on the move again next year (when they'll probably be the Hammer Eight).

[anjulibai]

He must be disappointed with not getting a Supreme Court clerkship. I hope it eats at him. 

[Whydon'ttheyspeakintongues]

I always appreciate a Meredith/Stephen update!

 

[anachronistic]

I’m so glad they’re no longer in my area. Sorry for people in Columbus though.

[hoipolloi]

6 hours ago, anjulibai said:

He must be disappointed with not getting a Supreme Court clerkship. I hope it eats at him. 

Guess his butt-kissing of the Federalist Society & its loathsome agenda didn't quite pay off.

May the FSM or deity of your choice bring a blue tsunami this November so we can keep the fucking creeps like Stephen Hammer from infesting our judiciary.

[gustava]

This clerkship could lead to another, before he actually goes to work for a firm....or Mike Pence, who would be a perfect match.

[teachergirl]

Law school flunkie here:) How much do clerkships pay? I know they are a big deal and not sure of the COL in Columbus but is it enough to support their family? On a side note, her parents are flipping houses in VA.

[hoipolloi]

16 minutes ago, teachergirl said:

Law school flunkie here:) How much do clerkships pay? I know they are a big deal and not sure of the COL in Columbus but is it enough to support their family? On a side note, her parents are flipping houses in VA.

IANAL but would guess that the pay is not excessive -- probably on the order of what young MDs get for internships or residencies. The privilege of clerking for a great legal mind is probably supposed to compensate for any shortcomings in salary or wages.

OTOH, Columbus, OH almost certainly has a lower COL than Cambridge, MA on nearly all fronts -- food, housing, transportation costs, etc.

[Carm_88]

I'm glad that he likely didn't get his first choice. 

I do appreciate a Hammer Update!  

[JermajestyDuggar]

Columbus, Ohio would have a MCOL and a lower COL overall than Cambridge, MA. Like many cities, the rent can be extremely high in certain parts of the city while extremely low in other parts. I imagine they will live in an area where rent is somewhere in between. 

[nickelodeon]

37 minutes ago, teachergirl said:

Law school flunkie here:) How much do clerkships pay? I know they are a big deal and not sure of the COL in Columbus but is it enough to support their family? On a side note, her parents are flipping houses in VA.

The perennial question: how did these people afford five babies while in grad school? I'm in grad school and I can barely afford five RED BARON® Brick Oven Pepperoni Pizzas.

[tabitha2]

Buy used/clearance , hand me downs from family , never go out, home school gets rid of the school clothes, myriad supplies, buying lunch ETC , buy food that makes days of leftovers.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Op: how did you find out about this new job?

[Hisey]

41 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Op: how did you find out about this new job?

Stephen's Linkedin. Also their facebooks list them as living in Columbus.

It's true, I forgot that sometimes people clerk at a "lower" court (the federal appellate court is hardly low!) and then move on to the Supreme Court. Or at least I think it has worked that way in the past. So Stephen may have a second shot. But he might want to go for the big money in a law firm by that point.

[luv2laugh]

1 hour ago, tabitha2 said:

Buy used/clearance , hand me downs from family , never go out, home school gets rid of the school clothes, myriad supplies, buying lunch ETC , buy food that makes days of leftovers.

No. Meredith has bought a ton of Lilly Pulitzer clothes over the years and that is expensive designer clothing.

[tabitha2]

You can find designer clothes highly discounted very easily if you know where to look.

Sounds like someone Derick Dillard would have a poster of over his bed and fangirl over.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Can Meredith sew? Because in her pictures she often has 5 children in all matching outfits. And in my experience, it hard to find all matching outfits in all the right sizes on clearance or consignment. You usually have to pay close to full price or a sale that doesn’t knock a lot of money off. But if she sewing them, then I imagine they are fairly inexpensive. 

[Tangy Bee]

Does she home birth? If so, that can cut costs. I've seen plenty of kid's designer clothes in local thrift stores. Meredith is a farm girl, so I imagine her kids are in "play clothes" most of the time and get all dolled up for show later. 

[Hisey]

1 hour ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Can Meredith sew? Because in her pictures she often has 5 children in all matching outfits. And in my experience, it hard to find all matching outfits in all the right sizes on clearance or consignment. You usually have to pay close to full price or a sale that doesn’t knock a lot of money off. But if she sewing them, then I imagine they are fairly inexpensive. 

Meredith is an amazing sewer but she wrote in a comment that she bought the kids' matching outfits. No time, i imagine.

[Anonymousguest]

3 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Can Meredith sew? Because in her pictures she often has 5 children in all matching outfits. And in my experience, it hard to find all matching outfits in all the right sizes on clearance or consignment. You usually have to pay close to full price or a sale that doesn’t knock a lot of money off. But if she sewing them, then I imagine they are fairly inexpensive. 

Have you purchased fabric lately? I have a daughter who lives to see and usually by the time she's purchased all the stuff she needs for a project we could have gotten ready made for cheaper! We search Goodwill and like places for fabric, but that doesn't seem to be the case with the Hammers. 

He'll have another chance at the higher court. Alex Harris started at the lower court (CO if I remember correctly) and then moved on to clerk for...Roberts? 

[JermajestyDuggar]

2 minutes ago, Anonymousguest said:

Have you purchased fabric lately? I have a daughter who lives to see and usually by the time she's purchased all the stuff she needs for a project we could have gotten ready made for cheaper! We search Goodwill and like places for fabric, but that doesn't seem to be the case with the Hammers. 

No not lately. But my mother is good at finding sales at Joann’s. And she always uses the coupons that come in the mail. That usually helps a lot. 

I agree that ready made can be cheaper. But I’m talking about all matching outfits for five. IMO that is hard to do with clearance or consignment. You are often paying full price of close to full price for 5 matching outfits in all the right sizes. So 5 matching outfits at full price vs 5 matching  outfits made from material gotten at a discount can be cheaper. 5 non-matching outfits from consignment or clearance are usually cheaper than hand made. That’s why I tend to buy coordinating outfits for my kids for very cheap from consignment or clearance sections.

[tabitha2]

If she is smart  she makes them bigger  for the children to grow into and then they are passed on down.

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

All that matching smocking they wear can be had fairly affordably from Zulily. I’d bet that’s where she gets the holiday/event outfits that coordinate.  

I think Meredith is a frigging rockstar and I hope she’s happy in her marriage. 

[mirele]

40 minutes ago, JemimaPuddle-Duck said:

All that matching smocking they wear can be had fairly affordably from Zulily. I’d bet that’s where she gets the holiday/event outfits that coordinate.  

I think Meredith is a frigging rockstar and I hope she’s happy in her marriage. 

Her husband, on the other hand--he deserves a number of jaundiced eyes on his movements through life.

[GenerationCedarchip]

18 hours ago, anjulibai said:

He must be disappointed with not getting a Supreme Court clerkship. I hope it eats at him. 

I'm not sure I call this a miss for him. It's very common to clerk at a federal Court of Appeals before going to the Supreme Court. It's actually become less common for someone just out of law school to clerk for the justices.  I could see him going from the current clerkship into either another clerkship or into a well-connected firm. I could honestly see him bring happy at Heritage or one of the other conservative thinktanks, but that might make it more difficult to support a larger family.