Can't take Admin or Fed Courts until 3L Forum

[Anonymous User]

In a bit of a pickle at the moment. Current 2L at YSH. Hoping to snag a competitive/semi-competitive district court clerkship or appellate clerkship after law school (emphasis on the hoping)--the current plan is to apply in the summer between 2L and 3L.

I was unable to get into admin or fed courts during 2L. It’s my understanding that judges value these two courses highly, and are ok with you not having taken one of them as long as your transcript shows that you’ll be taking it 3L. Theoretically, then, if I put them both on my transcript for 3L Fall (assuming I can get both), the judges would see that I’ll be taking both before I graduate. However, I’ve also heard NOT to take them both simultaneously because of the workload. That leaves me with, as I see it, three options:
Put both courses on my transcript for 3L Fall and take both in 3L Fall.
Put both courses on my transcript for 3L Fall, but, after applying for clerkships, drop one of them.
Just take one of the courses 3L Spring and have only that course on my transcript when I apply.

Which option would you all recommend? Is this even a problem I should be worrying about?

[Anonymous User]

I definitely would not try to fool the judge and apply with a transcript that includes both classes, only to drop one later. I think it's perfectly fine to take one of your choosing in the fall; you can always note that you intend to take the other course in the spring. Ultimately, though, judges don't just want to see that you took such a class but that you succeeded and got a good grade so that will be the challenge. It's harder than you think to get pulled out of the pile for competitive districts and circuits.

[Anonymous User]

Believe it or not straight to jail

[Anonymous User]

In a bit of a pickle at the moment. Current 2L at YSH. Hoping to snag a competitive/semi-competitive district court clerkship or appellate clerkship after law school (emphasis on the hoping)--the current plan is to apply in the summer between 2L and 3L.

I was unable to get into admin or fed courts during 2L. It’s my understanding that judges value these two courses highly, and are ok with you not having taken one of them as long as your transcript shows that you’ll be taking it 3L. Theoretically, then, if I put them both on my transcript for 3L Fall (assuming I can get both), the judges would see that I’ll be taking both before I graduate. However, I’ve also heard NOT to take them both simultaneously because of the workload. That leaves me with, as I see it, three options:
Put both courses on my transcript for 3L Fall and take both in 3L Fall.
Put both courses on my transcript for 3L Fall, but, after applying for clerkships, drop one of them.
Just take one of the courses 3L Spring and have only that course on my transcript when I apply.

Which option would you all recommend? Is this even a problem I should be worrying about?

This is not really a problem you should be worrying about. It's not that judges value those two courses highly. It's that when future clerks ask if there's any courses they should take to prepare for their clerkship, judges/clerks think: "Not really..." because for each case, you learn the relevant law starting with the appellate briefs. Then they think, "I shouldn't discourage them... I guess we have a qualified immunity case, and immigration/social security cases, and those are topics in fed courts and admin," and they say "fed courts and admin."

In reality, you won't be relying on what you remember from taking those classes. True, they might come up in an interview, but you can just say "taking that next year" and they'll say "okay" and move on. When judges and their staff are looking at your transcript for the approximately 3 seconds they'll spare, they're getting a rough sense of how many H's and P's you have. As a tie-breaker they might scrutinize the overall difficulty of your coursework, but that's more about doctrinals vs. seminars.

[Anonymous User]

I disagree. I know of judges who will not hire people who didn't take Fed Courts, Admin, or other courses like Corps or Sec Reg. Depends on the judge, but the more old-school judges do very much care.

[Anonymous User]

When the hell do your classes show up on your transcript for fall anyway? At S, registration doesn't even start until August, so you wouldn't have it on your transcript when the Plan opens in June.

[Anonymous User]

I disagree. I know of judges who will not hire people who didn't take Fed Courts, Admin, or other courses like Corps or Sec Reg. Depends on the judge, but the more old-school judges do very much care.

I agree, especially for district court clerks (and it’s always easier to learn law you have some exposure to). I can’t begin to say how many judges this is - I suspect not *that* many, and personally I never took fed courts - but some do actually care. As with all the other largely arbitrary criteria, it’s a way to whittle down the pile.

That said, OP, I don’t think you should panic about this. It’s impossible to maximize your application for every single judge and trying to do so will stress you out beyond any actual benefit. Take what you need to take when it works for you. I’d just take one in the spring (or take both in the fall and make the rest of your schedule as light as you can). I agree that if you put both on your transcript for the fall, and you get an offer, you’re stuck taking them both (if you strike out before classes start you can do what you like of course).

[Anonymous User]

Clerk for a well-regarded non-feeder outside of 2/9/DC. We'd care if you didn't take Fed Courts at some point during law school, but by no means a black mark for us that you didn't have it on the transcript now. (And I don't think we'd care a ton about admin.) You should put this energy into making sure you have outstanding recommendations, which are frankly infinitely more important when you're splitting hairs between candidates with compelling paper resumes.

[wewlad]

How screwed would I be I if I take neither of these classes this year? I'm top 5% at a top 25 school looking to clerk in the southeast, probably GA or in the Carolinas. I really want to drop my admin class and have a lighter semester where I focus more on practical skill stuff with my clinic and moot court. I'm very burnt out academically at the moment and would like to only take two classes (one of which is corporations). I'm definitely taking both 3L if I drop admin now, but is this likely to be a big deal?

[Anonymous User]

How screwed would I be I if I take neither of these classes this year? I'm top 5% at a top 25 school looking to clerk in the southeast, probably GA or in the Carolinas. I really want to drop my admin class and have a lighter semester where I focus more on practical skill stuff with my clinic and moot court. I'm very burnt out academically at the moment and would like to only take two classes (one of which is corporations). I'm definitely taking both 3L if I drop admin now, but is this likely to be a big deal?

Not a dealbreaker, in my book, but I'd rather see admin on a transcript than corporations. Plus, stacking admin and fed courts next year won't necessarily be easier. (Though I'd be optimistic about being less burnt out, in fall semester at least. I felt like August after 2L summer was when I finally got to relax for the first time in law school.)