You think a second-year associate was earning $220,000 a year?
Moreover, clerking for a federal judge is a fairly prestigious gig. Maybe he wanted to be able to put that on his resume. Maybe he didn't like working for Perkins Coie. Maybe he hopes to use this as a stepping-stone to a higher clerkship, or into the judiciary himself. There's no shortage of reasons that don't involve him being there as a Perkins Coie agent.
You’re kidding—right?