Clerks Taking Questions Forum

[ggocat]

OP--still curious about health-care premiums for clerk+spouse+child. Sorry to be a bother about the matter, but my budget is looking extremely tight (high-CoL-city district clerkship with new baby and recuperating wife at home) and I'd love to know what I'm up against.

Thanks so much for your help!

http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/rates/index.asp

[Anonymous User]

I went through the clerkship process last fall and got a COA clerkship, and I just wanted to say (in case it wasn't obvious) that the OP's info has really been spot-on. I think I would've saved a lot of time and effort if I'd read this thread a year ago. The process can be a major crapshoot, but there's a lot of great info here.

[Anonymous User]

When did/are you going to take the bar? What do COA clerks starting right after graduation usually do and what would you advise in that situation? Do SCOTUS justices/Bristow/etc. care whether you have passed the bar when you apply? Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

When did/are you going to take the bar? What do COA clerks starting right after graduation usually do and what would you advise in that situation? Do SCOTUS justices/Bristow/etc. care whether you have passed the bar when you apply? Thanks!

Myself and my friends who are clerking all took the bar during the summer right after graduation. Then again, I don't think any of us had clerkships that started any earlier than August.

[Anonymous User]

G. T. L. Rev., let me first thank you for being so helpful. Your recent posts have been great and I appreciate the help you have provided. I have a few questions, if you don't mind answering them.

I am clerking at the district court level next year and want to do a COA clerkship the following year. Here are questions for that process that I have not gotten straight answers on anywhere:

(1) How do I handle clerkships that start before I would be finished with my District Court clerkship. For example if my clerkship is September 15th-September 15th and a COA clerkship starts August 1st (as many do). Do I even apply or is that start date negotiable? Do judges find candidates they like and then work out start dates or, because they are deluged with applications will they just say "someone will start when I want them to."

(2) If a judge asks for 2 letters of rec. is it alright to send 3?

(3) If I have a particular political bent (i.e. conservative/liberal) will that come through if my recommenders clerked for SCOTUS judges that match that bent? Or does it need to be more explicit (or does it even matter)?

(4) When do most COA judges post openings and when do they generally interview "alumni" candidates? Right now there are about 40 or so judges with active postings....

(5) You have answered this somewhat, but I thought I should ask it outright: Is sending a casenote that has been published alright for a writing sample (the entire note)? Or should I send something else because the note is available on westlaw and the cite is my resume?

Thanks again. You have been an invaluable resource.

[Anonymous User]

GTL Rev: thanks so much for your helpful answers so far.

Question: If I'm looking to apply to some of the more selective off-plan circuit judges (or even on-plan judges who talk to professors before plan, etc), how important is it to have my recs lined up in the next couple weeks (as opposed to say, a month or so from now)?

[treant985]

I don't think anyone's asked something like this yet: what are the job opportunities like after you clerk? Maybe you don't know yet since you'll still be working for a while longer.

Obviously some people will do SCOTUS, but those odds are low. I mean more in terms of top firms or g'ment jobs. Is there somewhere that a lot of COA clerks tend to go after their clerkship ends?

[Anonymous User]

To echo G.T.L on interest from top firms:

My grades, while good, were not such that they would put me in serious running for V10 firms, and I did my 2L summer in regional midlaw--I got my clerkship as much through networking as grades etc., I am sure.

Because of the clerkship, I have an offer from one V10 firm and interviews upcoming with two V5 firms; all three firms reached out to me before I turned to them.

[JusticeJackson]

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[Anonymous User]

Same anonymous poster here - will PM you, JusticeJackson

[Moxie]

Sorry if this was brought up before (although I didn't see it while skimming through the thread), but how do you think minority status affects an applicant for federal clerkships?

I did surprisingly well last semester, and while I doubt I'll continue to have DC or COA type numbers over the next five semesters, it is nice to dream.

[Clurking2011]

Thanks for all your help!

I am doing a DC clerkship next year and have begun applying to a COA clerkship to follow it up. I have having trouble figuring out whether I should wait for judges to post openings on OSCAR or just send them a paper application in the mail. How does one actually discern whether a COA judge will ever post an OSCAR opening or not? I've exported a spreadsheet from OSCAR with the judges I am interested in applying to and there is a "Apply Online" field that some have checked off and an "Application Methods" field that only a few have filled out. Do I assume the "Apply Online" field is correct even if the posting hasn't been updated since last year?

Should I just go ahead and apply with paper applications to all those judges I am interested in and not wait for an OSCAR opening? Or will that offend judges who do not want the paper applications and are just waiting to post openings on OSCAR.

Sorry for all the questions but they all basically are asking the same thing: Who do I send paper apps to and who do I apply online to?

[Clurking2011]

I would apply online whenever a judge is explicitly accepting 2012-13 apps...

Wow. Quick response!

The above is really the crux of my problem. If they are not explicitly accepting 12-13 apps yet, should I just assume that they will not be doing online applications at all and go ahead and send a paper application?

(You are more helpful than my Career Services office)

[zomginternets]

Between a student at a T14 school and a student at a T3 school, does the T14 student invariably have a better chance at a fed. district or COA position? i.e. would the T3 student who was top 2-3%/LR editorial board stand a chance against the T14 student who was top 30%/no-LR? Or is there just no way to edge out a T14 student?

[JusticeJackson]

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[pride09]

I will likely enroll at SLS this fall and I am considering the joint-MPP with H. Kennedy School. Am I correct to assume pursuing a joint degree will have no effect, good or bad, on my clerking chances? The only thing I can think of is that it will probably preclude board on law review (not that I'm nearly that presumptuous) and will leave me with a semester's worth of law classes short of everyone else.

[D-ROCCA]

Are there any good websites other than TLS that provide good info on clerkships? It seems like LawClerkAddict isn't really being used any more, and other than xo I can't really think of any good sources of information online about clerkships.

Tx as always.

[D-ROCCA]

you're awesome

[pride09]

you're awesome

[quiver]

hey GTL thanks for doing this! Sorry if this has been addressed already but I skimmed the previous pages and didn't see anything directly on-point.

I'm a 1L at a T2 and I'm applying to transfer (hopefully into the traditional T14). In your experience, how are transfers viewed in the clerkship process?

If I'm interpreting the on/off plan distinction correctly, a transfer student would only have one semester to get stellar grades, (attempt to) write on to LR, make faculty connections, etc. before the off-plan hiring begins. Is this correct and, if so, how is this viewed from a hiring perspective?

Do you know how the above questions would apply to district court clerkships? (I'm assuming it isn't as much of an issue since you said most of them hire on plan)

thanks in advance!

[TrampsLikeU$]

Would you recommend calling chambers to ask if a judge is going early if their Oscar posting is ambiguous? Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

What do you make of a top 10 school applicant, ed board of law review, middle of the pack grades-wise, but stellar recommendations (possibly with phone calls), and good work experience (biglaw, military, USAO)? Should I even bother applying, or would it be fruitless because I'm an average law student? I wouldn't be applying in either of the two most competitive areas (ND Cal + SDNY or 9th + 2nd Cirs.), but I would be applying to circuits/districts near those......

Edit: school has no GPAs and no rank.

[Tangerine Gleam]

Thanks as always GTLR! A few quick questions:

1) Other than Fed Courts, are there any classes that a clerkship applicant might want to aim for? Are lit classes preferred, or any general transcript trends? I was planning on taking more substantive doctrinal classes anyways (not any fluffy seminars), simply b/c that's what I believe I would like the most.

2) I'm a little confused on the recommendation/application timeline. Why is it "too late" to develop a relationship with a potential recommender second semester of 2L year? Is it true that I need to specifically secure my three faculty recs by the end of thr first 2L semester?

[JusticeJackson]

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[Anonymous User]

What do you make of a top 10 school applicant, ed board of law review, middle of the pack grades-wise, but stellar recommendations (possibly with phone calls), and good work experience (biglaw, military, USAO)?

My gut is that you're a bit of a wildcard candidate -- high upside, given the experience and the LR Board position, but big possibility of striking out, too, given the middling grades. Anyhow, if you play your cards right, I gather there are a number of judges who will give you a serious look, particularly at the district court level.

Should I even bother applying, or would it be fruitless because I'm an average law student?

Definitely apply if you want to clerk. The process is tough, and a bit fickle too, but hardly fruitless in your case.

I wouldn't be applying in either of the two most competitive areas (ND Cal + SDNY or 9th + 2nd Cirs.), but I would be applying to circuits/districts near those......

Those aren't the two most competitive areas, but they are maybe the second and third most competitive. DC leads by a pretty sizeable margin.

Edit: school has no GPAs and no rank.

Your recommenders will likely comment on where you stand, and you can probably get a rough sense of that from looking at honors cutoffs and stuff like that.

I'm sure you've heard this on here before (in fact, I know you have), but this was more helpful than my 30 minute career office meeting. Thank you so much!