Top Law Schools

I know this thread has been made a few times before, but I haven't really seen much in the way of answers, and the things I've been able to locate in other locations predate the Great Recession. Has anyone done the pre-clerkship summer associate thing? If so, was it at your 2L summer firm or another firm? How did you approach the conversation? And how long did/do your clerkship(s) last?

[Anon because I'm keeping my clerkship situation on the DL and folks at my school know who I am]

Yeah, I did one this summer. At my 2L firm. I told the head of recruiting that I would be interested in coming back if they had room for me. My clerkship didn't start yet, but it's one year.