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If one wants to clerk, how important is it for one to take a Federal Jurisdiction course (a.k.a. Federal Courts) during 2L rather than during the fall of 3L?

My judge didn't care that I was planning on taking it spring 3L.

Anonymous User wrote:If one wants to clerk, how important is it for one to take a Federal Jurisdiction course (a.k.a. Federal Courts) during 2L rather than during the fall of 3L?

Almost completely unimportant. There might be judges who want to see your grade in it before hiring, but they're so small a number that it's not worth the risk of getting a poor grade in the class.

Citizen Genet wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:If one wants to clerk, how important is it for one to take a Federal Jurisdiction course (a.k.a. Federal Courts) during 2L rather than during the fall of 3L?

Almost completely unimportant. There might be judges who want to see your grade in it before hiring, but they're so small a number that it's not worth the risk of getting a poor grade in the class.

I agree completely. I have actually never heard of a judge who requires a Fed Courts grade pre-hiring; most judges just seem to want you to take it before graduating. And believe the hype -- it is a rather difficult class (depending in part, of course, on who teaches it).

I would not take fed courts as a 2L. A poor grade would really hurt more than a good one would help, and the class is likely to be stacked with clerkship gunners. I think most people, including myself, who get clerkships take it 3L fall.

Nearly everyone at my school took it as a 3L, most already had clerkships lined-up. It's a tough class and you really should take a couple Con Law classes first anyway.

I never took it. I don't recommend that as a strategy, but just so you know that you can get a federal clerkship without it.

(That said - yeah, take it as a 3L, it's a tough class. So I heard from all my gunner friends who took it. )

Thanks everyone!
-OP

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I never took it. I don't recommend that as a strategy, but just so you know that you can get a federal clerkship without it.

(That said - yeah, take it as a 3L, it's a tough class. So I heard from all my gunner friends who took it. )

To that point, I know people who will never take fed courts but have a Circuit clerkship.

ndirish2010 wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I never took it. I don't recommend that as a strategy, but just so you know that you can get a federal clerkship without it.

(That said - yeah, take it as a 3L, it's a tough class. So I heard from all my gunner friends who took it. )

To that point, I know people who will never take fed courts but have a Circuit clerkship.

Yeah, but just guess how dumb they'll look in front of their judges when they mistake Pullman abstention for Burford abstention. Noobs.

</nerd saracasm>

ndirish2010 wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I never took it. I don't recommend that as a strategy, but just so you know that you can get a federal clerkship without it.

(That said - yeah, take it as a 3L, it's a tough class. So I heard from all my gunner friends who took it. )

To that point, I know people who will never take fed courts but have a Circuit clerkship.

I hope this is right.

How bad could it be?

Citizen Genet wrote:Yeah, but just guess how dumb they'll look in front of their judges when they mistake Pullman abstention for Burford abstention. Noobs.

</nerd saracasm>

I don't get the joke, so maybe pretty bad.

.

ajax adonis wrote:It's all right. You can always clerk for People's Court.

"Hi, Judge. Here's my bench memo on the issue of whether Tyrique was a 'lazy-ass bitch' when he stayed with Chantel for a year without paying any rent."