Clerkship Chances (Targeting) Forum

[NDFI]

T 25; Top 25%; Secondary Journal; Interned for Magistrate; Externed for District Judge.

I'm just curious what level clerkships I should be targeting. Any advice about where to target or the application process would be greatly appreciated.

[ohnowtf]

Do you have a geographical preference? I'd imagine you would be competitive at state appellate/supreme courts & federal district courts.

[NDFI]

I'm mostly looking in the Midwest, but would be open to other areas. When it comes to employment prospects post-clerkship, what would be the difference between a district judge and a magistrate judge? I enjoyed the time I spent with the magistrate judge I interned with.

Also, how do individuals apply to 50+ clerkships...don't their recommmenders have to write a letter for each one of those applications.

[let/them/eat/cake]

what an interesting thread this is...TAG.

[Anonymous User]

I'm mostly looking in the Midwest, but would be open to other areas. When it comes to employment prospects post-clerkship, what would be the difference between a district judge and a magistrate judge? I enjoyed the time I spent with the magistrate judge I interned with.

Also, how do individuals apply to 50+ clerkships...don't their recommmenders have to write a letter for each one of those applications.

No, they can write general letters of rec and upload them to OSCAR

[ggocat]

Decent shot at state clerkships.

Maybe US magistrates. Maybe also bankruptcy if you took / will take bankruptcy course(s).

Almost no shot at USDC.

[Anonymous User]

just spam the country. oscar makes it ridiculously easy. literally apply every after freaking judge in the country. maybe one will bite maybe one won't.

[steve_nash]

I don't think you have much of a chance at USDC and absolutely no chance at USCOA. Maybe magistrate. Are you on executive board of your journal and/or published? That would help. I would target state level clerkships, but state s. ct. clerkships may be out (depending on your state and your other softs).

[Anonymous User]

whether colr or intermediate appellate, state stuff will go to people from the area or coming back to the area or who went to school in the area. but most importantly, you can't oscar spam state stuff. say it with me now: OSCAR SPAM. and if your law school's CSO won't do it, tell them they are putting you at an unfair disadvantage. in the old days, CSO's literally compiled and mailed packets to judges. it was labor intensive and expensive. it made sense to limit a student to 50 or 75 judges. on oscar it's clickity-click. no cost, negligible effort. OSCAR SPAM. honestly with the current system there is zero reason why anyone who wants to clerk hasn't applied to every single judge that accepts oscar. the system is flawed, yes. but the system is, and you won't get points for pretending it isn't. OSCAR SPAM.

[00TREX00]

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[Anonymous User]

i did not want to start a new thread just for one question, so I decided to post here!

Do you guys know whether law students who clerk for federal judges get paid?

[dood]

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[270910]

i did not want to start a new thread just for one question, so I decided to post here!

Do you guys know whether law students who clerk for federal judges get paid?

Fairly well.

Summer interns don't get money, gull time clerks get between 50ish and 70ish for their year of service with the judge, depending on prior experience.

[dood]

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[ggocat]

Some "clerks" (grad full time) volunteer... for an entire year. Shit u not.

[Anonymous User]

i did not want to start a new thread just for one question, so I decided to post here!

Do you guys know whether law students who clerk for federal judges get paid?

of course. but not that much. $50K in secondary market, plus ur standard benefits package.

edit: assume u are referring to law student grads. interns are volunTTTeeeeers

Do law students get 50k? you guys are talking about grads, aren't you? So if in the application it says internship that means that you are not getting paid, rite?

[dood]

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[dood]

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[Anonymous User]

clerkship means after graduating. normally. im pretty sure if u refer to ur internship as a clerkship, it is wrong. interns are volunteers during ur 1L summer, perhaps ur 2L if ur a savage that cant get anything paid.

I have a paid job, but I also want to work with the judge (1 day a week, is possible), and I was wondering whether that would be paid or not. I don't mind doing it for free, especially because I already have something paid. Also... sometimes you gotta start at the bottom to get far in life.

[270910]

Some "clerks" (grad full time) volunteer... for an entire year. Shit u not.

havent heard this, but in this economy wouldnt be surprised. damn. at least i give them credit for trying. i do know recent grads who have to become "staff" clerks (not assigned to any judge). also TTT, but shit, id take that over no job at all.

Staff clerks aren't TTT. It's a much more public service oriented job, they tend to handle a lot of the pro se cases.

[dood]

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[Anonymous User]

http://www.fjc.gov/library/fjc_catalog. ... D000751A75

its free and after i read i dont think 1 day is possible. good resource to see ur duties as a clerk, etc.

I don't think so either, but I'm being recommended by the former U.S. attorney, who is friends with the judge, and other people, so I am hoping that maybe that will persuade them to let me come once a week. I just want the experience and the contacts that come from it. I'm terrified of graduating and not finding a job.

[dood]

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[ggocat]

Decent shot at state clerkships.

Maybe US magistrates. Maybe also bankruptcy if you took / will take bankruptcy course(s).

Almost no shot at USDC.

i dont think so brah. fed judges hiring is not that straightforward. OPs credentials definitely wont get him d. ct. in major markets, but in the smaller secondary market im in, this fed court house is jammed full of T25 clerks. mostly from the specific geographic area and top grads from regional schools.

yo OP, y not ask ur district judge for a letter of recommend? im finishing up my judicial internship next week so today i talked to my judge about clerkships, and he happily volunteered to put in a good word for me with the d. ct. judges in the building.

whatevs, brah. particularly referring to OSCAR resume bomb. im not sayin T25 grads cant get clerks. i know several. also know plenty of second tier clerks. but grads tend to be top o the charts gradeswise. many judges just hire top 1-3 students at local skools rather than top quata at a T25 w/o LR.

TBF, i think OP's prior judicial experience will be plus for interviews. ive seen a stack o resumes with district judge's notes on them (post-interview). prior judicial experience was a factor. if OP can network into a fed clerkship as you say (i've seen it happen, many judges are NOT on OSCAR), that's sweet. but "almost no chance" means exactly that. almost. i stick by my post.

FWIW, clerking in the fall, also interned 4 judges during ls and worked with many prior clerks.

[Anonymous User]

http://www.fjc.gov/library/fjc_catalog. ... D000751A75

its free and after i read i dont think 1 day is possible. good resource to see ur duties as a clerk, etc.

I don't think so either, but I'm being recommended by the former U.S. attorney, who is friends with the judge, and other people, so I am hoping that maybe that will persuade them to let me come once a week. I just want the experience and the contacts that come from it. I'm terrified of graduating and not finding a job.

i am even more terrified than u. good luck. im gonna go study now for the patent bar, which i take on monday.

oh good luck on that. I'm trying to finish reviewing an author's article for the law review... not much exciting than ur patent bar!