Best and worst judges to clerk for Forum

[Anonymous User]

I plan to apply fairly broadly for clerkships at the COA level and in some of the larger districts (SDNY, EDNY, DDC, EDPA, DConn, CDCA, etc). As SCOTUS isn't a possibility, I am most interested in a clerkship that would make for a good experience rather than a clerkship with the most "prestigious" judge I can find. To that end, I'd be curious to get opinions on which chambers have reputations for being good and not-so-good places to work.

[imchuckbass58]

I interned at SDNY / Second Circuit and have many friends clerking on SDNY / EDNY / Second Circuit. Not comfortable posting publicly, but if you PM me, I'll let you know what I've heard about judges there.

[Anonymous User]

I interned at SDNY / Second Circuit and have many friends clerking on SDNY / EDNY / Second Circuit. Not comfortable posting publicly, but if you PM me, I'll let you know what I've heard about judges there.

OP here. Just dropped you a PM. Thanks!

[bdubs]

I plan to apply fairly broadly for clerkships at the COA level and in some of the larger districts (SDNY, EDNY, DDC, EDPA, DConn, CDCA, etc)..... I am most interested in a clerkship that would make for a good experience rather than a clerkship with the most "prestigious" judge I can find.

This doesn't really make sense. Why are you prestige whoring when it comes to where you apply (COA or competitive district) but not concerned with the reputation of the judge?

[Anonymous User]

I plan to apply fairly broadly for clerkships at the COA level and in some of the larger districts (SDNY, EDNY, DDC, EDPA, DConn, CDCA, etc)..... I am most interested in a clerkship that would make for a good experience rather than a clerkship with the most "prestigious" judge I can find.

This doesn't really make sense. Why are you prestige whoring when it comes to where you apply (COA or competitive district) but not concerned with the reputation of the judge?

I'm mainly looking to be in a big city. I know that clerkships in those places tend to be the most competitive, but so it goes.

[bdubs]

I plan to apply fairly broadly for clerkships at the COA level and in some of the larger districts (SDNY, EDNY, DDC, EDPA, DConn, CDCA, etc)..... I am most interested in a clerkship that would make for a good experience rather than a clerkship with the most "prestigious" judge I can find.

This doesn't really make sense. Why are you prestige whoring when it comes to where you apply (COA or competitive district) but not concerned with the reputation of the judge?

I'm mainly looking to be in a big city. I know that clerkships in those places tend to be the most competitive, but so it goes.

Why COA then? The majority of COA judges don't sit in large cities.

[Citizen Genet]

I plan to apply fairly broadly for clerkships at the COA level and in some of the larger districts (SDNY, EDNY, DDC, EDPA, DConn, CDCA, etc)..... I am most interested in a clerkship that would make for a good experience rather than a clerkship with the most "prestigious" judge I can find.

This doesn't really make sense. Why are you prestige whoring when it comes to where you apply (COA or competitive district) but not concerned with the reputation of the judge?

I'm mainly looking to be in a big city. I know that clerkships in those places tend to be the most competitive, but so it goes.

Why COA then? The majority of COA judges don't sit in large cities.

Some people want to clerk at COA level because it sounds interesting or are interested in doing appellate work. In other words, they want to clerk there because it would be a good job, not only because its prestigious. Alternatively, even if OP isn't concerned about "the most 'prestigious' judge," he may still want the brass ring that is a COA clerkship. He wants to hit a certain prestige level, but is not concerned about maximizing prestige.

[nevdash]

I externed for an amazing COA judge. PM me if you want info!

[Anonymous User]

Some people want to clerk at COA level because it sounds interesting or are interested in doing appellate work. In other words, they want to clerk there because it would be a good job, not only because its prestigious. Alternatively, even if OP isn't concerned about "the most 'prestigious' judge," he may still want the brass ring that is a COA clerkship. He wants to hit a certain prestige level, but is not concerned about maximizing prestige.

OP here. The latter explanation is about right.

[Detrox]

I plan to apply fairly broadly for clerkships at the COA level and in some of the larger districts (SDNY, EDNY, DDC, EDPA, DConn, CDCA, etc). As SCOTUS isn't a possibility, I am most interested in a clerkship that would make for a good experience rather than a clerkship with the most "prestigious" judge I can find. To that end, I'd be curious to get opinions on which chambers have reputations for being good and not-so-good places to work.

With this list, and without Scotus competitive stats, the correct answer is "the one you can get." Don't throw out any judges prior to receiving the opportunity to interview with them. People with extremely competitive stats expecting multiple phone calls sat staring at a phone that didn't ring last September who went into the process with the above mentality.

[Anonymous User]

In cdcal I have heard terrible things re morrow and king

[Richie Tenenbaum]

I plan to apply fairly broadly for clerkships at the COA level and in some of the larger districts (SDNY, EDNY, DDC, EDPA, DConn, CDCA, etc). As SCOTUS isn't a possibility, I am most interested in a clerkship that would make for a good experience rather than a clerkship with the most "prestigious" judge I can find. To that end, I'd be curious to get opinions on which chambers have reputations for being good and not-so-good places to work.

With this list, and without Scotus competitive stats, the correct answer is "the one you can get." Don't throw out any judges prior to receiving the opportunity to interview with them. People with extremely competitive stats expecting multiple phone calls sat staring at a phone that didn't ring last September who went into the process with the above mentality.

Disagree with this. Some judges might not be worth clerking for and it's better to try and find that out before applying. (That said, this category is probably not too large.)

[hiima3L]

I've heard nothing but fantastic things about N.D. Cal., but I've also heard you will barely sleep if you clerk with some of them, e.g., Alsup.

[aces]

Talk to your school's career services office. They should at the very least keep records on which of their alums have clerked for who, and you can contact those who've clerked for the judges you'd consider applying to and get more meaningful feedback. Granted, almost noone is going to bash their judge and so you're going to have to read between the lines to find any negative reviews, but I imagine you'll get better and broader feedback than from TLS. Career services might also have similar data for students who interned with judges 1L summer or over the semester. At least a few schools have clerks submit a confidential evaluation of their judges that are generally pretty honest.

[ClerkAnon]

Talk to your school's career services office. They should at the very least keep records on which of their alums have clerked for who, and you can contact those who've clerked for the judges you'd consider applying to and get more meaningful feedback. Granted, almost noone is going to bash their judge and so you're going to have to read between the lines to find any negative reviews, but I imagine you'll get better and broader feedback than from TLS. Career services might also have similar data for students who interned with judges 1L summer or over the semester. At least a few schools have clerks submit a confidential evaluation of their judges that are generally pretty honest.

To build on this, if you need to know more about a specific judge, see whether any alum-clerks have provided their phone numbers. This can lead to a much more honest conversation than is possible via email. One judge I was considering applying to had a problematic reputation regarding his or her relations with clerks of the opposite sex - obviously, a sensitive topic, and one that no ex-clerk is going to discuss in a written evaluation. However, this judge's former clerks who were alums of my school made available their phone numbers and were willing to address this topic quite candidly in phone calls (so candidly that my inclination not to apply to this judge was confirmed, honestly).

[Anonymous User]

I've heard nothing but fantastic things about N.D. Cal., but I've also heard you will barely sleep if you clerk with some of them, e.g., Alsup.

This. Judge Armstrong is the only judge I have heard truly negative things about. I have heard great things about all the others (including Alsup, who does apparently work his clerks incredibly hard).