SDNY District Court Judge v. 2nd Circuit for 1L Summer Forum

[Anonymous User]

Given you had a choice, Is it generally better to work with a judge in the SDNY District court judge or a 2nd circuit court of appeals judge?

[Anonymous User]

COA

[Anonymous User]

Thanks! Can I ask why? I've heard that working with a circuit court judge is better for clerkships after law school. But does it also hold true for your 1L summer?

[ben4847]

Sounds the same to me. Even for after school, SDNY is probably as competitive, and for 1L, it probably makes absolutely no difference.

[Anonymous User]

CoA is more prestigious come hiring time next summer. But you can't go wrong with federal district court. Much of the most exciting and interesting moments happen during the initial trial. I had many friends do appellate work, and it was very academic and cerebral, whereas my summer in fed. district court had a bit more action to it (saw criminal trial, sentencing, class certifications, jury selection, etc.) And it all boils down to how you spin it during interviews anyway. So either would be a wonderful choice, but I working for CoA will always have a slightly higher level of prestige.

[booboo]

Hey GTLR, what about EDNY vs. SDNY?

[Anonymous User]

it doesn't matter. both are great.

[ben4847]

Hey GTLR, what about EDNY vs. SDNY?

SDNY is more prestigious. But for 1L, what the hey.

[bogart]

Hey GTLR, what about EDNY vs. SDNY?

Same answer.

But sdny has manhattan, and edny has places that are not manhattan, wouldn't that make sdny a better option?

[Cupidity]

Prestige and employment impact aside, the most important factor is how a judge their interns. During interviews, ask who gives assignments, what sort of work you will be doing, etc. My district court judge treated me as a full-time law clerk, I wrote my own opinions and conferenced directly with her. My friend at the 1st Circuit COA spoke to his judge twice during the summer, and functioned as a research assistant writing memos for law clerks.

[imchuckbass58]

Prestige and employment impact aside, the most important factor is how a judge their interns. During interviews, ask who gives assignments, what sort of work you will be doing, etc. My district court judge treated me as a full-time law clerk, I wrote my own opinions and conferenced directly with her. My friend at the 1st Circuit COA spoke to his judge twice during the summer, and functioned as a research assistant writing memos for law clerks.

This is a good point.

Some other things you want to consider:

A COA internship is a very academic experience. It's almost all legal research and writing, with sittings only sporadically during the semester. Decisions are made very slowly and deliberately. The upside is you are more likely to get academically/intellectually interesting questions of law, and the caliber of lawyers tends to be higher (though probably still lower than you think.

A district court on the other hand, will give you much more exposure to the day to day grind of litigation (motion practice, case management, etc). There's a lot more "action" and a lot more time in court, especially if your judge has a trial (which he/she almost certainly will during the summer). That said, a lot of it is more "routine" and less novel. Some would argue the level of advocacy is generally lower, though that's not necessarily true.

It really depends what you are looking for. If you are looking for something that will give you exposure that is directly relevant to your day-to-day life as a litigator, district court is probably better. If you are looking for a more academic experience that helps round out your legal reasoning skills more generally, but has less direct applicability, go for COA.

That said, you should really pick based on judge (and clerks, if the clerks you interviewed with will be there during your summer).

[imchuckbass58]

Hey GTLR, what about EDNY vs. SDNY?

Same answer.

But sdny has manhattan, and edny has places that are not manhattan, wouldn't that make sdny a better option?

It really depends what sort of cases you want coming through. Ostensibly SDNY is "more prestigious" (marginally) in some abstract sense, but if, say, you were interested in organized crime and public corruption over commercial lit, you're probably better off in EDNY, since EDNY has a relatively heavier emphasis on the former, less of an emphasis on the latter.

It's the same thing with DC vs. 2nd Circuit - some would argue DC is "more prestigious" in some abstract sense, but if you are interested in commercial lit, the 2nd circuit will give you a much higher volume of those cases and much more exposure to leading practitioners. If you're interested in admin, then DC is the obvious choice.

There's no right answer.

[YourCaptain]

I interned with a Fed Circuit court my 1L summer; employers were definitely impressed. It's not determinative at all but it looks really nice.

Unless it's a well known SDNY judge, take the circuit position.