Clerkship chances? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm basically exactly at the Top 25% cutoff at a T14. Managing Editor at a secondary journal. Published. Magistrate I interned with 1L summer has offered to call some other judges on my behalf (alas he only hires career clerks).

Do I have any real shot at a clerkship? USDC?

[in my eyes]

Depending on which T14 your grades are likely good enough to give you a shot at interviewing.

[thesealocust]

being published could be an X-factor, but in the current market your odds look extremely long if you're applying straight out of law school. Worth an application, but definitely not something to count on - at least at the district court level. State Supreme Court or magistrate judge might be more likely

[rayiner]

being published could be an X-factor, but in the current market your odds look extremely long if you're applying straight out of law school. Worth an application, but definitely not something to count on - at least at the district court level. State Supreme Court or magistrate judge might be more likely

+1, but I'd say the x-factor is the calls rather than the publication.

So at a school that say sends 10% of folks to clerk. Do you really think they're all within the top 15% or so? Do that many people clerk?

[thesealocust]

So at a school that say sends 10% of folks to clerk. Do you really think they're all within the top 15% or so? Do that many people clerk?

I'd guess not all top 15%, with the caveat that there probably aren't many schools that are still sending 10%+ to federal clerkships immediately post graduation. Thinks have really seized up for people who aren't already practicing attorneys. Even so, my guess is it's more a broad array of people within roughly the top third getting them, but heavily concentrated in the very top of the class.

[Anonymous User]

Depending on which T14 your grades are likely good enough to give you a shot at interviewing.

Bottom end t14. Think Georgetown, UT, etc

[Anonymous User]

So at a school that say sends 10% of folks to clerk. Do you really think they're all within the top 15% or so? Do that many people clerk?

I'd guess not all top 15%, with the caveat that there probably aren't many schools that are still sending 10%+ to federal clerkships immediately post graduation. Thinks have really seized up for people who aren't already practicing attorneys. Even so, my guess is it's more a broad array of people within roughly the top third getting them, but heavily concentrated in the very top of the class.

This. Here's how things looked at my lower t14 for the class of 2010

Of those who got ct. of appeals term clerkships, all but two graduated coif and 70% graduated magna. One of the two non-coif people was the eic of LR.

For district court clerkships, all but two graduated with honors, with about half of the honors people also graduating coif. one dood graduated magna. A bunch of people who graduated cum laude but not coif got these clerkships their 3L year or post-graduation summer after not getting anything during their 2L fall.

Other federal clerkships like staff attorney positions and bankruptcy were more mixed, but still mostly people with honors of some kind.

State court clerkships were mostly taken by people who graduated without honors.

[Anonymous User]

Ooh, do me!

CCN. Out for a few years. Probably right around top 25% threshold (i.e., honors but not coif). Student works editor at a secondary journal, published a note. Interesting legal job since graduation -- think fun public interest or government job, with substantial litigation experience. Also published a smattering of pieces since graduation (mostly trade journal, with one law review article). Trying to fill in a hole in the resume -- my grades went from mediocre my first year to phenomenal my third year, so I didn't apply as a 2L. Looking mostly at District Court gigs.

[Anonymous User]

OP: Slim. Hope the magistrate knows some of those judges real well.

Guy who posted above me: Good shot outside of the prestigious/more competitive districts (SDNY, CD Cal, ND Cal, etc).

[Anonymous User]

bump