Judicial Clerkships Forum

[acrossthepond]

Now, I know that every single person who responds will want to say, if you want a clerkship, it's gotta be T14. But outside of that, the numbers seem to vary widely. Some schools have up to 20% of students that do a clerkship and others only have 2%, yet with similar rankings. For example, Penn State has 20% and Florida State only has 2% (these schools were randomly chosen). My data is a couple years old, but this is the most up to date I could find. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... iii_clerks

What is it about a school that makes them succeed in getting judicial clerkships? Outside of T14, what would the best place be to go if you are interested in one?

I am just trying to understand how a lower ranked school can have such high numbers when it comes to clerkships. Is it merely location?

[kalvano]

Look at the other schools in Pennsylvania.

Those grads are going to Biglaw / super prestigious clerkships.

Same with UConn and Yale. UConn gets a ton of Connecticut clerkships because Yale grads go on to do other, bigger things.

[the lantern]

There are federal, state, and other clerkships. Some are more valuable than others. Using the search function would yield some results in this case.

[ScaredWorkedBored]

Most, if not all, schools don't distinguish between state and federal clerkships in their reporting. Not that there's anything wrong with state court clerkships, but it's a different animal than most stat junkies are looking for.

[tinman]

Most, if not all, schools don't distinguish between state and federal clerkships in their reporting. Not that there's anything wrong with state court clerkships, but it's a different animal than most stat junkies are looking for.

yes, at HYS, for example, the percentages of people who clerk very from 1/5 to 1/2, but I imagine nearly all the clerkships are federal. I know at Yale a lot of people are "appeals court or bust." I think state clerkships are highly valuable, especially if you want to practice state law, which is what most people end up doing!! I think people covet the federal clerkships because they are stepping stones to academic and competitive government jobs. But I think state clerkships could be great practical experience.

[acrossthepond]

Alright, so what that doesn't explain is, why some schools that are similarly ranked have such high levels of clerkships - even if those are state clerkships. Why is it that some schools have 15% - 20% and others have two? I can't seem to distinguish a difference as to what would make a school's numbers so high.

What it seems is that schools on the east coast have higher numbers, but is there any reason for that?

[the lantern]

Alright, so what that doesn't explain is, why some schools that are similarly ranked have such high levels of clerkships - even if those are state clerkships. Why is it that some schools have 15% - 20% and others have two? I can't seem to distinguish a difference as to what would make a school's numbers so high.

What it seems is that schools on the east coast have higher numbers, but is there any reason for that?

Something to keep in mind is that some years, a lot of students may want clerkships. Other years, only a few might. So among the same school, the percent of students in clerkships can vary significantly from year t oyear.

[Renzo]

On hiring clerks:

“By and large,” he said, “I’m going to be picking from the law schools that basically are the hardest to get into. They admit the best and the brightest, and they may not teach very well, but you can’t make a sow’s ear out of a silk purse. If they come in the best and the brightest, they’re probably going to leave the best and the brightest, O.K.?”

Clerkships are also self-reinforcing. Often the current clerks help screen the next batch of applicants, so their alma maters get some preference. Recommendations also matter a lot, so if an aluma/faculty member/ex-clerk is held in high esteem by the judge, it will make it easier for those who know that person (schoolmates) to get the jobs. Some top schools don't do quite as well as others because they haven't made an effort to be competitive in the past, so they're missing out on that network.