Judicial Externships at Circuit Court? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard of a federal circuit court judge offering a semester-long judicial externship to a 2L or 3L? Additionally, does anyone know if judges tend to be more or less grade selective when hiring externs when compared with hiring for a traditional clerkship?

[Anonymous User]

I don't know about semester externships, but for summer internships they are substantially less selective grades-wise. This is because they do not pay and the internships are less prestigious.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard of a federal circuit court judge offering a semester-long judicial externship to a 2L or 3L? Additionally, does anyone know if judges tend to be more or less grade selective when hiring externs when compared with hiring for a traditional clerkship?

Yes, circuit judges definitely hire externs. Not all of them, but your law school should know which ones local to you do. And I think they can often be less grade-sensitive, because the role of an extern is different from that of a clerk, and, frankly, fewer people apply to be externs. That said, I think they do still care about grades, just maybe not quite as much.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard of a federal circuit court judge offering a semester-long judicial externship to a 2L or 3L? Additionally, does anyone know if judges tend to be more or less grade selective when hiring externs when compared with hiring for a traditional clerkship?

On the whole, less grade selective. Echoing the previous anon, many students with top grades aren't pursuing an externship, and there are plenty of ways an extern can be helpful even if they couldn't replace a clerk. For example, in my chambers, externs who I wouldn't ask to write a bench memo can still help with isolated research questions, edits/cite-checks, and "ancillary" legal work (related to the judge's committee duties, the en banc process, or speaking/publishing).

It would be great to hire externs who are clear writers and have great blackletter law grades, but if I had to pick one, I'd pick the writing. I don't need help with on-the-spot analysis in an area that I've become familiar with, which is what exams test. Instead, I need to be able to give you a piece of work (with plenty of time to do it) and know that I'll get a clear explanation that I can easily understand, verify, and use as a jumping off point.