Jenner DC v Williams & Connolly Forum

[Anonymous User]

I know this is an embarassment of riches, but I am torn so I'm looking for help.

Obviously I want litigation, and appellate is my goal. But W&C has the name and prestige and $. Like most W&C summers I hope to do a COA clerkship straight out of school. So my question is, W&C now, figuring they offer everyone eventually, or Jenner, which seems to have the practice closer to what I want long term? I'm thinking W&C so that I have that in my back pocket after clerkship (on the theory its harder to get W&C post clerkship withoout a 2L summer than it is to get Jenner.) But Jenner seems to have more SCOTUS connections (on the outside chance I actually have a shot at SCOTUS)

ANY THOUGHTS AS TO PROPER TACTIC?

[Anonymous User]

WC all the way.

[Anonymous User]

why?

[rayiner]

How is this even a question?!

[jrs12]

This is not even a close call for your 2L summer. A summer at W&C is a legit resume booster. Also, if you do decide that's where you want to be longer term, they're a firm that takes being spurned a little personally, so you don't want to turn them down now.

Although W&C may not be one of the elite appellate shops, consider a few things: they're doing more appellate than they used to, trial experience is valuable to appellate litigators, and appellate law is very prestige-focused, so coming out of W&C, you'll have an advantage five years down the road going into Jenner or Mayer Brown or Gibson.

[Anonymous User]

This is all about your personality type. Jenner attracts very smart, sometimes slightly strange kids who are a little more laid back; W&C attracts precocious little punks who think they're God's gift to the law. Ex-philosophy PhDs at Jenner; ex-military at W&C. It's really eerie how similar last year's W&C SAs were to each other, and the same might be said of Jenner's. Definitely don't base the decision on SCOTUS connections.

[Anonymous User]

Don't want to go too off topic, but: Does the firm matter because of personal connections from lawyers who clerked or does the name itself do work? And if the latter, for DC firms is it basically, W&C > Covington > the rest (Wilmer, GDC, Latham, Jenner, etc.)?

[Anonymous User]

On what do you base your statement that firm name affects clerkship opportunities?

[Anonymous User]

W&C because you cannot reliably do the reverse (Jenner 2L SA, W&C post-clerkship). That's the main reason, but others include: better resume builder for clerkship applications (firm DOES matter, trust me); more pay; better employment security if the economy tanks; and more responsibility early on, at least as a relative matter.

On what do you base your statement that firm name affects clerkship opportunities?

I thought this was relatively common knowledge - prestigious firms can only be of benefit in the clerkship application process.

[Anonymous User]

On what do you base your statement that firm name affects clerkship opportunities?

I thought this was relatively common knowledge - prestigious firms can only be of benefit in the clerkship application process.

OP here- I agree firms matter- the question was why is W&C better than Jenner and others in support of clerkship app? - is this statement based on actual experience/knowledge or general observation by uninformed 1Ls - like most opinions on here?

[Anonymous User]

My understanding is that prestige matters, firm wise, in a more global sense. i.e.,not a big difference between a V5 and a V10 for clerkships, but bigger disparities do matter. While Jenner DC has a great appellate practice, it isn't the strongest practice in DC nor is it the most prestigious. The only firm that I've heard truly shines, in terms of clerkships, is GDC DC.

[Anonymous User]

What other firms are well regarded for clerkships? Does it basically fall along vault rankings?

[Anonymous User]

I just wanted to chime in to say that I don't think the answer here is so obvious. Jenner is a MUCH different firm than W&C: the bulk of their practice is appellate and creative content/copyright as opposed to complex commercial litigation/white collar/etc like W&C. Jenner tends to have a SCt clerk each year, so I doubt the prestige difference is that big in terms of clerkships. So, unless you're going for salary or prestige for the sake of prestige, I don't see any reason why this should not be a tough decision for someone interested in appellate work for their career.