2014 DOJ Honors Hiring Numbers Forum

[anonymous2012]

Wow. Just wow. Well, if you want a career track position at Justice without a COA clerkship do not bother applying.

http://www.justice.gov/careers/legal/en ... pants.html

[gdane]

Trying to scare off the competition, eh.

[JusticeJackson]

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[A. Nony Mouse]

Wow, 30 hires outside of EOIR. (EOIR looks relatively comparable to last year, though? Can't remember exactly.) And no USAOs hiring officially.

Would be very curious to see the credentials of the person who gets the lone Civil Rights position...

[Myself]

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[Myself]

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[Doorkeeper]

FWIW: I've already been told by multiple DOJ Honors interviewers at DOJ that you shouldn't even bother applying without an Article III clerkship, and you're already behind the curve if it's a district clerkship.

[Citizen Genet]

FWIW: I've already been told by multiple DOJ Honors interviewers at DOJ that you shouldn't even bother applying without an Article III clerkship, and you're already behind the curve if it's a district clerkship.

I've heard you definitely want/need a clerkship to get hired. But whether it's district or appellate -- from everything I've heard talking from multiple people there -- depends entirely on the component and division. Most of the civil divisions (especially Fed Programs and Appeals) are going to practically require an appellate clerkship. Civil rights is the same. The criminal divisions, however, prefer district court clerkships.

And for what it's worth, I've talked to a few at antitrust who say that clerkships are less important than demonstrated interest, good background in economics, and stellar grades. A clerkship will be icing, but isn't as necessary as the other components.

[Anonymous User]

I've heard you definitely want/need a clerkship to get hired. But whether it's district or appellate -- from everything I've heard talking from multiple people there -- depends entirely on the component and division. Most of the civil divisions (especially Fed Programs and Appeals) are going to practically require an appellate clerkship. Civil rights is the same. The criminal divisions, however, prefer district court clerkships.

I have heard this, too - that the criminal divisions are sometimes concerned that if you've done an appellate clerkship, you will be more inclined to want to sit at a desk and delve deeply into research/writing of complex issues than to get into the courtroom and handle routine stuff.

On the other hand, though, I know a COA clerk who got hired in the criminal division last year, so it's clearly not a hard-and-fast rule.

[Doorkeeper]

FWIW: I've already been told by multiple DOJ Honors interviewers at DOJ that you shouldn't even bother applying without an Article III clerkship, and you're already behind the curve if it's a district clerkship.

I've heard you definitely want/need a clerkship to get hired. But whether it's district or appellate -- from everything I've heard talking from multiple people there -- depends entirely on the component and division. Most of the civil divisions (especially Fed Programs and Appeals) are going to practically require an appellate clerkship. Civil rights is the same. The criminal divisions, however, prefer district court clerkships.

And for what it's worth, I've talked to a few at antitrust who say that clerkships are less important than demonstrated interest, good background in economics, and stellar grades. A clerkship will be icing, but isn't as necessary as the other components.

Yes, I should've been more precise. Some of the Criminal offices are interested in people with district clerkships (but some of the Crim offices do prefer CoA, and it's not just Crim Appellate). I was merely speaking generally from the Honors interviewing attorneys at the different divisions that I've spoken to.

[Citizen Genet]

Man, so I just compared the numbers. For long-term positions (this excludes EOIR, BOP, and a few others) here's the trend over the past 5 years (dates for interviewing year):

2009: 83-92
2010: 84-100
2011: 38-40
2012: 64-71
2013: 24

So 2011 was a really bad year. And this year they're only hiring 60% of what they did for that abysmal cycle. And there isn't a single USAO hiring. Rough. To say the least.

[Anonymous User]

Sad face. I can kiss my dream of working at the DOJ ENRD goodbye it seems....