T13 Transfer Clerkship Odds Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hi there,

I am a transfer at a T13 (UVA/MICH/BERK/NU) and have been applying for some clerkships. I was top 5% at the TTT I transferred from and did well this fall. There is no way to know my precise rank because, as a transfer, I will not get one until the end of the year. I think I am just around 10% based on historical data.

The question is, since I have not gotten any interviews yet, am I doing something wrong? Am I competitive? Will my odds improve if I do well this year and can put my new schools rank on my resume?

I have a V50 big law SA lined up so feeling good on that front...

[Anonymous User]

Including your GPA from your new school might be helpful, if it's not there.

But we need to know a lot more about you and what you're applying to. When did you apply? For what year? Is there anything on your application that stands out -- law journal, work experience, strong recommendations ...?

Have you applied to only COA clerkships in 2/9/DC? If so, not surprising. If you're interested in NY, for example, have you blanketed SDNY and EDNY? Or are you applying in the district where your school is, where there might be alumni connections?

[Anonymous User]

Odds will likely improve. I transferred to one of those schools and clerked as an alum. But I had a decent amount of friends in our transfer class that clerked right out. Usually not in the most prestigious districts and circuits but not strictly flyover either. My two clerkships have been in decent territory too. But you're probably disqualified from the uber-elite, just in that I never saw that happen (though the only transfer I knew with a >4.0 didn't apply to clerk).

[Anonymous User]

OP here:

Non-legal management experience, federal judicial externship, secondary journal. Don't want to post GPA, but am confident right at 10% cut off for school (hope I can keep it up this semester). Been applying broadly to circuit court and to non-fly over/non elite districts. Started applying at the very beginning of March...

I have good letters from profs at new school. One class I got a prize for a top grade another I had the 3rd highest grade and they say that in the letter.

[Anonymous User]

OP here:

Non-legal management experience, federal judicial externship, secondary journal. Don't want to post GPA, but am confident right at 10% cut off for school (hope I can keep it up this semester). Been applying broadly to circuit court and to non-fly over/non elite districts. Started applying at the very beginning of March...

I have good letters from profs at new school. One class I got a prize for a top grade another I had the 3rd highest grade and they say that in the letter.

You applied earlier this month? It is way too early to be worried. Judges may also be seeking more semesters of grades from a transfer applicant.

[Anonymous User]

Started applying at the very beginning of March...

Yeah, it is waaaay too early to be worried. I was top 10% at an HYS, it still took me well over a month to land my first interview (and many more to land an offer). Plenty of judges you are applying to might not even have looked at your app yet.

[ruski87]

Something to consider is also whether your professors are willing to make calls. If they have any sort of relationship with the judges you are applying to, it will exponentially increase your chances of landing an interview.

[lavarman84]

OP here:

Non-legal management experience, federal judicial externship, secondary journal. Don't want to post GPA, but am confident right at 10% cut off for school (hope I can keep it up this semester). Been applying broadly to circuit court and to non-fly over/non elite districts. Started applying at the very beginning of March...

I have good letters from profs at new school. One class I got a prize for a top grade another I had the 3rd highest grade and they say that in the letter.

It's less than a month. That's nothing for clerkships, especially with your sort of application. If you keep doing well, you'll have options. Also, I don't know the substance of your letters, but if it's just your professor telling the judge that you did well in the class, I wouldn't consider that a "good" clerkship letter. It's not a bad letter either. But the best letters are going to be from the people who know you well enough to speak to more than just how you did in the class. That's also one complication from transferring. You often have to build those relationships from scratch. Regardless, I don't want to make you think your current letters are fatal to your application or anything. You should be fine if you're patient, keep applying, and keep doing well.