Post clerkship employment Forum

[insideman]

Hey all, can any former clerks offer some advice about finding post clerkship employment? What is the timeframe? Did you use a recruiter? Any general advice is appreciated.

[anon168]

Hey all, can any former clerks offer some advice about finding post clerkship employment? What is the timeframe? Did you use a recruiter? Any general advice is appreciated.

Come around spring you should start receiving letters from firms looking to interview or discuss your interest in joining them.

I had a job lined up before clerking and most of clerks I knew did as well, and for those with judges that didn't let then accept employment during a clerkship they had open offers.

I have never heard of a clerk using a headhunter.

[Anonymous User]

Former flyover district court clerk here. I didn't get any recruiting letters from firms. I started mailing out cold resumes to biglaw firms I was interested in around late March/ early April. You'd probably be better off starting a little earlier than that, like maybe February. I got the sense that I started relatively late in the game, though I'm not sure how it affected my chances. I probably sent about 20 resumes and got 5 or so callbacks. The process went much smoother than I expected, especially since I was no offered as a 2L. That said, I'm in IP lit, which probably made things easier.

[Anonymous User]

Former flyover district court clerk here. I didn't get any recruiting letters from firms. I started mailing out cold resumes to biglaw firms I was interested in around late March/ early April. You'd probably be better off starting a little earlier than that, like maybe February. I got the sense that I started relatively late in the game, though I'm not sure how it affected my chances. I probably sent about 20 resumes and got 5 or so callbacks. The process went much smoother than I expected, especially since I was no offered as a 2L. That said, I'm in IP lit, which probably made things easier.

To the IP lit former law clerk:
Which state were you clerking in?
What is your tech bg?
What is your law school?

I ask because I am also a clerk interested in IP lit. I did not work as a summer associate between 2L and 3L years for personal reasons but am just now sending out my resume to firms. I also have received no recruiting letters to date. But maybe that will change.

[Anonymous User]

Former flyover district court clerk here. I didn't get any recruiting letters from firms. I started mailing out cold resumes to biglaw firms I was interested in around late March/ early April. You'd probably be better off starting a little earlier than that, like maybe February. I got the sense that I started relatively late in the game, though I'm not sure how it affected my chances. I probably sent about 20 resumes and got 5 or so callbacks. The process went much smoother than I expected, especially since I was no offered as a 2L. That said, I'm in IP lit, which probably made things easier.

To the IP lit former law clerk:
Which state were you clerking in?
What is your tech bg?
What is your law school?

I ask because I am also a clerk interested in IP lit. I did not work as a summer associate between 2L and 3L years for personal reasons but am just now sending out my resume to firms. I also have received no recruiting letters to date. But maybe that will change.

Clerked in a state in the deep south with no big law firm presence. T10 law school/ top 1/3ish. EE undergrad, no industry experience.

[ClerkAnon]

Hey all, can any former clerks offer some advice about finding post clerkship employment? What is the timeframe? Did you use a recruiter? Any general advice is appreciated.

My post-DCt job search is probably most relevant to you. I sent (snail-mailed, unsolicited) applications to my top-choice BigLaw and boutique firms in my CA market in February of my clerkship year. Radio silence for two weeks. Then a flurry of phone calls for interviews over the next week from six of the seven firms I targeted. With one exception (that wanted two rounds of interviews), the firms wanted just one round of interviews, which were structured like 2L callback interviews (i.e., a 3-5 hour interview in which I met 6-8 attorneys from the firm, usually with interview lunch included.) Offers came in March, anywhere from 30 minutes to 2.5 weeks after the conclusion of the interview.

I did not use a recruiter. Unless you have pre-clerkship associate experience, you would be coming in as a second-year associate and likely will not want a substantial fee attached to your candidacy.

[legalese_retard]

Any good examples or sources on cover letters for law clerks applying to law firms? I'm struggling with how to write about my clerkship experience. I never had to write memos since my judge just signed the opinions and orders that I wrote up. Guess I am having trouble spinning that in the cover letter without expressly saying that I wrote everything rather than the judge.

[Anonymous User]

I did not use a recruiter. Unless you have pre-clerkship associate experience, you would be coming in as a second-year associate and likely will not want a substantial fee attached to your candidacy.

This makes me wonder. My job search is a ways off, but when it's time, I'm curious what I should do. I have a good bit of experience (5+ years), both with biglaw and the government. (I'm clerking late-in-life because my spouse got a temporary job in a different market, plus I had some thought that I could parlay the clerkship into an academic job -- though that market is now so miserable that this seems unlikely). My government experience includes a bunch of "sexy" work, including a good bit of trial and appellate work, often as lead or co-lead counsel. I could go back, but to be honest, even pre-clerkship I was a bit tired of "slumming" it in the public sector -- I'd like to pursue more lucrative options now if possible (and I realize that it might not be).

My thought was just to call the firms that I worked with or against to see if they are interested in having me on as a senior associate or "of counsel" with an appropriate look-see period before any partnership decision. But maybe a recruiter would be advisable? Aside from being a little long in the tooth, my credentials are pretty decent -- very good grades from a T6, federal clerkship, left my stint at a V20 in good standing, my government experience resulted in multiple published decisions, and I've published several articles in both industry journals and academic law reviews. The only thing I don't have is a book of business.

[legalese_retard]

I did not use a recruiter. Unless you have pre-clerkship associate experience, you would be coming in as a second-year associate and likely will not want a substantial fee attached to your candidacy.

This makes me wonder. My job search is a ways off, but when it's time, I'm curious what I should do. I have a good bit of experience (5+ years), both with biglaw and the government. (I'm clerking late-in-life because my spouse got a temporary job in a different market, plus I had some thought that I could parlay the clerkship into an academic job -- though that market is now so miserable that this seems unlikely). My government experience includes a bunch of "sexy" work, including a good bit of trial and appellate work, often as lead or co-lead counsel. I could go back, but to be honest, even pre-clerkship I was a bit tired of "slumming" it in the public sector -- I'd like to pursue more lucrative options now if possible (and I realize that it might not be).

My thought was just to call the firms that I worked with or against to see if they are interested in having me on as a senior associate or "of counsel" with an appropriate look-see period before any partnership decision. But maybe a recruiter would be advisable? Aside from being a little long in the tooth, my credentials are pretty decent -- very good grades from a T6, federal clerkship, left my stint at a V20 in good standing, my government experience resulted in multiple published decisions, and I've published several articles in both industry journals and academic law reviews. The only thing I don't have is a book of business.

In your situation, I would use a recruiter. You have prior firm experience and great academic credentials. You will have no problems looking for a job on your own, but a recruiter would know more about job options that meet what you are looking for. You can be a bit more selective with your job hunt, so you should have a recruiter look based on the criteria you are looking for.