Top Law Schools

I currently have a clerkship with a state intermediate appellate court. What are my chances of landing a decent paying firm job? Will I have to stay in this state? Just looking for anyone's experience/knowledge. Thanks.

Try to get in touch w some of the judges former clerks

Or at least provide the state you're working in

Most of the state intermediate appellate clerks I know who ended up with mid- or biglaw jobs went back to their 2L jobs. Some did get positions out of the clerkship, especially through their judges' connections (there are 20+ judges on this court and it's a small legal community). I know two clerks who hustled and got genuinely big biglaw, market-paying gigs (which is especially rare in this particular market - small market as well as small legal community). They really really really hustled - did everything you're supposed to do, reached out to everyone who would talk to them, went to inns of court and CLEs and other local lawyer gatherings, made connections everywhere they could. They worked HARD for those jobs.

However, I don't know any intermediate appellate clerks who went out of state after. In fact, it seemed much more common to happen the other way around - out-of-state folks with good credentials would work in the court to get an in into the local market. It's a non-coast, not Chicago or Texas market, so I don't know how much the experience translates to other state courts, but I think generally state clerkships create the most connections in the state where they're located. It will probably depend on what state you're clerking in, and where you want to go after (if not that state).

OP, here. Thanks for the input. I am in a state court in the Mid-Atlantic. Went to a T30 school and finished in the top quarter. Just looking for any thoughts, experiences, and suggestions on where to go from here.

bump

I'm not familiar with that region, but you seriously ought to say the actual state

Any other thoughts/experiences?

bump one last time

I withdrew from a state appellate clerkship opportunity (no idea if I would've gotten it anyway) because my research basically showed that I would have been "stuck" in the state. Maybe I could've gone elsewhere afterwards and been fine, but I didn't want to take that chance.

Of course, I'm at a fed clerkship and still can't find a jerb, so.

State appellate clerkships will provide you with the best exit options in the state that you clerk in. The "prestige" of these clerkships varies by state. In some states (NY/NJ - maybe VA) - these clerkships have more prestige than some of their other counterparts. In these states, a large number of appellate clerks come in with a firm offer in hand from their 2L summer. Some don't and are able to transition into mid-law or that state's biglaw equivalents if those firms go after clerks (some do) or find work in the local prosecutor's/public defender/attorney general's office.

Thanks for the input. I figured as much about staying in the state, but just wanted to hear some experiences. Of course, everyone's experience is different.