Can a federal judicial clerkship make you LESS competitive? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Can't believe I am asking this, but given the lack of job hits I am starting to wonder. Last year I was a law clerk for a federal magistrate judge. This time last year, I received a couple of interviews and decent firm prospects. I received and accepted an offer from a federal district court judge for a year long clerkship.

Fast forward to this year and I have not received a single interview or even a hint of interest from any firm. This is the case even though the second clerkship is in a larger city, in a more competitive district, and I've done significantly more work in the second clerkship.

With the legal hiring market supposedly stronger this year, I don't understand why I am less competitive job-wise this year relative to last year?

[Jchance]

are both of these clerkship gigs 1-year?

[Anonymous User]

are both of these clerkship gigs 1-year?

Each were a year.

[XxSpyKEx]

It probably mostly has to do with openings in the practice areas your interested in at the firms you're applying to. The 2nd clerkship is obviously not what's making you less competitive given that it's a district court judge in a larger city while your 1st clerkship was a magistrate (in the middle of nowhere?). Think the 2nd clerkship would make you especially competitive in that larger city.

[dixiecupdrinking]

It doesn't strike me as impossible that firms are gunshy about hiring someone with two years experience who hasn't ever actually practiced. I would guess it has more to do with you having dropped off whatever distribution lists they had you on before though... Have you been proactively seeking work?

[IAFG]

Did the type of firm you applied to change? Different market?

[Anonymous User]

Did the type of firm you applied to change? Different market?

Been actively applying for sure. I've also been applying to the same firms as last year. Because of the lack of success, I've expanded the market search as well.

[Jchance]

Could it be yield-protection: you weren't interested last year so they presume you aren't interested this year either? Maybe make it clear in the cover letter--Idk how to overcome this.

[09042014]

Could be the clerkship market is just worse this year in general.

[patrickd139]

Could be the clerkship market is just worse this year in general.

Anecdotal: I graduated in '12. Seems like a few of my classmates who did 1 year clerkships got much 'better' jobs than those who did 2 year clerkships and are now struggling to find jobs. Virtually identical in terms of credentials and target market, other than 1 v. 2 year clerkships.

[minnbills]

What kind of firms are you applying to?

[Anonymous User]

What kind of firms are you applying to?

Started with the big and medium firms. Then started applying to small insurance defense, divorce, and personal injury firms as well as government and DA positions. Now starting to apply to contract and doc review gigs.

[Anonymous User]

Could it be yield-protection: you weren't interested last year so they presume you aren't interested this year either? Maybe make it clear in the cover letter--Idk how to overcome this.

Never got a firm offer before the district court clerkship offer

[EijiMiyake]

Do your judges have any connections?

[Anonymous User]

Could be the clerkship market is just worse this year in general.

Anecdotal: I graduated in '12. Seems like a few of my classmates who did 1 year clerkships got much 'better' jobs than those who did 2 year clerkships and are now struggling to find jobs. Virtually identical in terms of credentials and target market, other than 1 v. 2 year clerkships.

Does this bode poorly for SA offers this summer?

[Anonymous User]

Do your judges have any connections?

Not really. Both worked in government before becoming judges. The contacts they do have are at firms that aren't hiring.

[minnbills]

Most of the young attorneys I know at small/midsize firms here in Minneapolis were state clerks of some sort before landing their firm jobs.

I am still in law school so my opinion isn't worth all that much on this, but I think you are right to pursue different markets. Fed clerkships are definitely valuable, you will find something.

[09042014]

I know at least two people who are having a much harder time with post clerkship recruiting that they or I assumed they would.

Is hiring hard this year?

[Anonymous User]

I know at least two people who are having a much harder time with post clerkship recruiting that they or I assumed they would.

Is hiring hard this year?

I think so. Several of the rejection letters I received from the big firms say that they filled their new associate needs from their summer class. This includes firms that traditionally hire judicial law clerks.

Adding to that, it seems litigation as a practice is down this year. Of the firms that are laying off attorneys in 2014 (i.e. Weil, Patton Boggs, Jones Day, Kasowitz Benson, etc.), most were litigators. It looks like a lot of these firms overstaffed themselves for matters in connection with the 2008 credit crisis. Now that most of those cases are winding down, it looks like there is an oversupply of litigation attorneys in the market.

I've also been looking at the career section of firm websites and noticed the vast majority of available lateral positions are for transactional practice groups.

[Anonymous User]

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[middlemarch]

I think one sense in which someone who has clerked for two years could be less competitive is that person would be coming in at a third-year associate's seniority and pay level. A firm would have to pay you substantially more than a first-year associate, and bill you out at a higher hourly rate, but you might not have had the same experience that typical third-year associates have had and know how to do (e.g. doing a deposition, interacting with in-house counsel at some level, writing substantive sections of briefs, etc.).

That said, applicants with 1-2 clerkships are typically sought-after and indeed paid a sizable bonus, so I'm not sure what the issue could be in your case. I agree that contacting alums from your school is a great way to make inroads at firms, because you're not just another desperate 3L, you presumably have a solid resume. Perhaps you could consider volunteering to come in at a lower seniority level as well, if it gets you an offer at a better/more prestigious firm than you otherwise would get?

[run26.2]

I agree with the previous point about coming it at a third-year level. That is both a blessing (in terms of salary) and a curse (in terms of being expected to perform at the level of a third-year, despite having no experience inside a law firm). Firms understand this, and may be hesitant to pay, and have to bill out at, the third-year rate, in this case.

And though certain firms pay larger bonuses for 2-year clerkships, I think these firms tend to be relatively prestigious firms that are relatively selective. My guess is that they typically hire candidates with one district court and one circuit clerkship, or another more competitive/desirable combination, as opposed to a magistrate and district court clerkship.

[Anonymous User]

Perhaps you could consider volunteering to come in at a lower seniority level as well, if it gets you an offer at a better/more prestigious firm that you otherwise would get?

If I can't get an interview, I don't know how to convey that. In some of my cover letters, I put a sentence to the effect of "I'd like to be considered for a more junior associate position," but when I showed those cover letters to a former hiring partner, he said that it such a sentence was awkward and should be removed. He said that firms would automatically consider me with the appropriate class level, so it is unnecessary for me to make that point for them.

[XxSpyKEx]

What kind of firms are you applying to?

Started with the big and medium firms. Then started applying to small insurance defense, divorce, and personal injury firms as well as government and DA positions. Now starting to apply to contract and doc review gigs.

I'm surprised you're having so much trouble finding after a federal district court clerkship. This type of thing was somewhat typical 2-3 years ago, but the economy has picked up a ton since then. Are you applying to NYC? Imagine there has be a somewhat decent firm in NYC that would hire you with a federal district court clerkship is a secondary market.

[anon168]

Can't believe I am asking this, but given the lack of job hits I am starting to wonder. Last year I was a law clerk for a federal magistrate judge. This time last year, I received a couple of interviews and decent firm prospects. I received and accepted an offer from a federal district court judge for a year long clerkship.

Fast forward to this year and I have not received a single interview or even a hint of interest from any firm. This is the case even though the second clerkship is in a larger city, in a more competitive district, and I've done significantly more work in the second clerkship.

With the legal hiring market supposedly stronger this year, I don't understand why I am less competitive job-wise this year relative to last year?

Yes, some judges are black marks on a resume.