USAIRS wrote:I don't want to derail this thread, but you really couldn't be more wrong with respect to hiring practices for non-political entry level career attorney positions in federal agencies. We don't live in communist russia where some professor who used to work in a political appointment can leverage his prior connections into a job for you as a career government attorney. Especially if that political position was something in the white house. Whether it is DOL, SEC, HUD, DOD, DOJ, or any other common agency that does entry-level hiring, the entry-level hiring decisions are made primarily by other career employees who are simply looking for the most qualified candidate. This is a really obvious point that I'd expect anyone paying attention to know, but the COA clerkship, with the outstanding credentials it implies, would pretty much guarantee a spot somewhere in the federal government, if the candidate applied broadly enough. Having a recommendation from a political appointee, absent the same types of credentials, is not really worth much.
In addition, I'd say there isn't any discernable bump for going to Harvard over almost any top 10 school. With so many factors going into hiring, such as commitment to the practice area or to government, fit, journal work, publications, legal experience, internships, pre-law experience, interviews, and grades, I'm willing to say that the decision will basically never come down to which school you went to among these schools.
Thank you for this.
