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Jessuf wrote:Should I write handwritten thank you notes?

Yes. While they can't hurt, not writing one can absolutely hurt.

My judge once made a decision between two candidates based on one writing a thank you and the other one not. Obviously this was a strange situation, but it takes a minute to do it, so there's no good reason not to.

Anonymous User wrote:

Jessuf wrote:Should I write handwritten thank you notes?

Yes. While they can't hurt, not writing one can absolutely hurt.

My judge once made a decision between two candidates based on one writing a thank you and the other one not. Obviously this was a strange situation, but it takes a minute to do it, so there's no good reason not to.

And write one to everyone you meet...judge, clerks, and judicial assistant.

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Depends on the judge - lots will stick to the usual "tell me about yourself, why law school, what do you want to do after this" kind of conversation. You'll possibly/probably also get questions about how you would handle a situation in which the judge wants to rule one way and you think it should go another. You might get asked about your writing experience/what makes a good writer/what makes you a good writer, and how well you work with others. There are some judges who treat the interview like an oral exam - I had a friend get grilled about every argument in his LR note (and I think in a seminar paper), so know your resume inside and out, and there are stories of getting asked things like "what's your favorite/least favorite Supreme Court case." But I think they are a minority. The best thing is to find someone who's clerked for/interviewed with the judge who can tip you off to their style, but I know that's not always possible.

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Good luck!

A. Nony Mouse wrote:You'll possibly/probably also get questions about how you would handle a situation in which the judge wants to rule one way and you think it should go another.

What's the right answer to this question? What are the judges looking for?

andythefir wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:You'll possibly/probably also get questions about how you would handle a situation in which the judge wants to rule one way and you think it should go another.

What's the right answer to this question? What are the judges looking for?

This is an instance where there really is one correct answer: you make your best case to the judge, and if she still disagrees, then you write the opinion/order however the judge wants it. Only one person in chambers has a commission, and she gets to make the final decision.

ClerkAdvisor wrote:

andythefir wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:You'll possibly/probably also get questions about how you would handle a situation in which the judge wants to rule one way and you think it should go another.

What's the right answer to this question? What are the judges looking for?

This is an instance where there really is one correct answer: you make your best case to the judge, and if she still disagrees, then you write the opinion/order however the judge wants it. Only one person in chambers has a commission, and she gets to make the final decision.

This is true. FWIW, though, every time something like this has come up with judges, they have said that they want a clerk who will push back and challenge them on their thinking. So for the purpose of an interview, I think judges want to make sure you are capable of thinking for yourself and having confidence in your opinion/reasoning (though at the same time you recognize that the judge has the final say).

During my interview, I told the judge that I would speak my mind in a well-reasoned, rational way (after I've done my own independent research and review of the law). After discussing our viewpoints, if the judge still disagrees with me,t hen I would defer to his judgment because it's ultimately the Honorable John/Jane Smith, not the Honorable Me.

Not the OP, but in a similar situation. My most basic advice is please, for the love of god, follow the (simple) instructions in the judge's OSCAR posting. E.g. If it says to submit your app as a single PDF file, don't send your resume, transcript, writing sample etc all as separate attachments.

Will a recommendation letter from a clinical professor carry less weight than one from a regular professor?

Leo wrote:Will a recommendation letter from a clinical professor carry less weight than one from a regular professor?

Not with any judge I've worked for - whether they can say positive, specific things about you is much more important than the type of class they had you in, so if the prof best able to do that is a clinical prof, I'd say go ahead. (Of course, the more intensive the class was and the more types of work you did, the more a recommender will likely be able to say about you, but that's kind of a separate issue from the prof's title alone.)

This thread is more active if you want to put the question to people there: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=146252

mjb447 wrote:

Leo wrote:Will a recommendation letter from a clinical professor carry less weight than one from a regular professor?

Not with any judge I've worked for - whether they can say positive, specific things about you is much more important than the type of class they had you in, so if the prof best able to do that is a clinical prof, I'd say go ahead. (Of course, the more intensive the class was and the more types of work you did, the more a recommender will likely be able to say about you, but that's kind of a separate issue from the prof's title alone.)

This thread is more active if you want to put the question to people there: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=146252

IMO clinical profs usually write better recommendations because you actually work more closely with that prof on your stuff.