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Hello all,

I am new to TLS, so I apologize if this is a worn out question/concern. I'm clerking for an EDNY magistrate judge this fall, and I am getting anxious about my employment prospects post-clerkship. Does anyone know how the application process concerning BigLaw firms works for clerks who have had previous law firm experience? I have heard varying answers about when to start looking (e.g. right away, not till January/February of the year your clerkship is ending, etc.) and about whether non-SDNY non-Article 3 clerks are even courted by BigLaw. I'm also worried about my chances to land something after my clerkship ends due to the still sluggish legal hiring market (or is it better?).

All in all, I'm wondering, especially from those who have gone through this before:

1. Is an EDNY magistrate judge clerk competitive in BigLaw firms in New York City?
2. When do clerks typically start applying for BigLaw jobs? How early is too early?
3. If I went to a top 20 law school, graduated in the top 10%, and have 2 years litigation experience at a NYC law firm (Vault 200), do I have at least a shot at getting a BigLaw job at a Vault 100 NYC firm?
4. Does anyone have any tips on how to land a job at a Biglaw firm post-clerkship generally (networking interviews, targeted mailings, etc.)?
5. Is it worth it to apply to SDNY district court clerkships at the same time even if by the time I get out of an SDNY clerkship (assuming I get one), I will be applying to firms as a 5th year?

Thank you so much, and I apologize if this is a worn out question! I just have no idea how this works.

1. no idea
2. ask your judge re: his/her policy, if OK with interviewing, generally jan-april (this was asked recently, thread probably still on first page)
3. probably, but i don't know much about that.
4. same type of stuff you did before, for the most part -- so yep, basically what you said
5. no idea; i'd imagine you'd be more competitive coming out of a SDNY district court clerkship, but i have no idea about 4-5 years out. i probably wouldn't have left a v200 firm for a magistrate judge clerkship to begin with.