Top Law Schools

At a Top 6 school with ties to the state where I'd like to clerk. Right now I'm probably top 25%, but am wondering where I need to be to feel confident (I know I can't feel "safe") snagging a clerkship in my home market State Supreme Court.

I don't think I'd want a federal clerkship, so State SC is where I think I'd be happiest. Home state is large, takes a lot of clerks, but is not near my law school.

If you're at CLS, go to http://www.law.columbia.edu/current_stu ... clerkships, login, and download the pdf file. It has grade ranges for people who got certain types of clerkships.

Also, the grade range will differ depending on your home state. Cali, NY, and, I think Ak are competitive, some others like Oklahoma, Iowa, etc, are probably less so.

Really hard to say- from my experience your T6 credentials may not actually be seen as an advantage by many SSCs, even if you have ties. Remember that SSC judges are more likely to be well-connected locals than Ivy League BigLaw alums. I interviewed with 2 judges on the Maryland Court of Appeals this year and both judges told me they had never hired anyone who didn't go to law school at the University of Maryland. And this is Maryland we're talking about, not a particularly insular state. So I think that with an SSC you may be more likely to see loyalty to the judge's alma mater, which isn't necessarily (or maybe even likely) a very prestigious school.

The answer to this question interests me.

Anonymous User wrote:Really hard to say- from my experience your T6 credentials may not actually be seen as an advantage by many SSCs, even if you have ties. Remember that SSC judges are more likely to be well-connected locals than Ivy League BigLaw alums. I interviewed with 2 judges on the Maryland Court of Appeals this year and both judges told me they had never hired anyone who didn't go to law school at the University of Maryland. And this is Maryland we're talking about, not a particularly insular state. So I think that with an SSC you may be more likely to see loyalty to the judge's alma mater, which isn't necessarily (or maybe even likely) a very prestigious school.

This. And it also depends on what court you are looking at. Obviously the NY court of appeals is going to be pretty damn competitive, whereas, the Utah Supreme Court is likely to be much less competitive.

Anonymous User wrote:If you're at CLS, go to http://www.law.columbia.edu/current_stu ... clerkships, login, and download the pdf file. It has grade ranges for people who got certain types of clerkships.

Also, the grade range will differ depending on your home state. Cali, NY, and, I think Ak are competitive, some others like Oklahoma, Iowa, etc, are probably less so.

Oklahoma hires career staff attorneys. HTH.

patrickd139 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:If you're at CLS, go to http://www.law.columbia.edu/current_stu ... clerkships, login, and download the pdf file. It has grade ranges for people who got certain types of clerkships.

Also, the grade range will differ depending on your home state. Cali, NY, and, I think Ak are competitive, some others like Oklahoma, Iowa, etc, are probably less so.

Oklahoma hires career staff attorneys. HTH.

To be clear, I used those last states (Ok, Iowa) as place holders. I have no idea which are more competitive, if they prefer T6 to local, or even if the SSC hires clerks. All I know, and all I meant to convey, is that unlike fed clerkships, high class standing is not required. At CLS the average SSC clerk was only a bit above median.

Law review or other journal?

Still, depends on the state. Top 25% and journal could give you a decent shot.