Big City ADA/SA to Federal Clerkship Forum

[stealthgunner]

Hi guys,

I'm looking for some advice. I've landed a great job from THE #1 DA's office in America - Manhattan DA/DANY whatever you want to call it. Prior to this, I landed 2 federal clerkship interviews but did not get the offer.

I still want that federal clerkship for all the obvious reasons, relationship with the judge, writing and analytical refinement, prestige, and simply, learning to get the law right.

That said, are there any ADAs who have made the leap to federal clerkships? Can you give me some advice? What negative ADA traits should I work hard to shore up? What positive ADA traits can I highlight.

Thank you in advance.

Also - I'm not interested in negative comments such as if your not top 10% of your class or not from a T15 school, forget it. I've broken all those myths. I'm interested in paths forward.

[Barry_Spinoza]

Doesn't the NY Co. DA make you stay on for three years? You have a year to work on spinning your experience. Won't it be easier once you've been on the job?

[andythefir]

Hi guys,

I'm looking for some advice. I've landed a great job from THE #1 DA's office in America - Manhattan DA/DANY whatever you want to call it. Prior to this, I landed 2 federal clerkship interviews but did not get the offer.

I still want that federal clerkship for all the obvious reasons, relationship with the judge, writing and analytical refinement, prestige, and simply, learning to get the law right.

That said, are there any ADAs who have made the leap to federal clerkships? Can you give me some advice? What negative ADA traits should I work hard to shore up? What positive ADA traits can I highlight.

Thank you in advance.

Also - I'm not interested in negative comments such as if your not top 10% of your class or not from a T15 school, forget it. I've broken all those myths. I'm interested in paths forward.

The rap against DAs is that they never write. I would proactively write as much as you can as often as you can. You will be more competitive than a student to some judges, and being able to say "In 2 years as a DA, I have written and argued 60 motions, handled 5 appeals, and conducted 30 trials" will make your application jump out of a pile. You will also have recent and compelling writing samples if you do it well. I've heard of several people making this jump, although no one moving to a particularly prestigious judge/district. If you're willing to apply/work broadly, you will have a much better chance.

[OutCold]

There is the perception that ADAs--especially junior ADAs--don't do much writing. I imagine that would be viewed as a negative quality of the job when interviewing for clerkships.

Edit: I guess the poster above me beat me to the punch.

[Anonymous User]

I don't know how DANY specifically works, but with experience from other offices, offer to stay in the appellate section after an initial rotation and perform well while there. Most of your incoming colleagues will be focused on getting on as much courtroom experience as possible and appellate sections often are overlooked because they are substantially focused on research and writing with less courtroom exposure. They will want out as quick as they can and you may be able to sell yourself by offering to be permanently placed in that division. I'm probably beating a dead horse here with advice you've already heard, but network with ADAs who may have been former federal clerks or former AUSAs (who usually are former federal clerks) to try to establish a connection with a particular judge.

I can't speak to the impact of having DANY on your resume would have on federal clerkship application. I assume the greatest impact, if any, would be in EDNY, SDNY, maybe NDNY and WDNY to a degree, with judges who were former prosecutors. But again, federal judges who have a prosecutorial background are usually ex. AUSA's, Division Chiefs, etc and the position they are hiring for is research-based with a moderate dose of interacting with counsel. Outside of these districts, and I'm thinking of flyover country in particular, I don't know how much impact it would have in separating you from another applicant with a similar background.

Although you didn't specify, if your end goal is an AUSA you might be better served doing multiple tours at DANY, getting substantive trial experience and trying to move on to the federal side that way.

[stealthgunner]

Doesn't the NY Co. DA make you stay on for three years? You have a year to work on spinning your experience. Won't it be easier once you've been on the job?

I have no intention of abandoning my office, but I'm no dupe either. I want to approach my career with open eyes. I want to avoid bad habits and maintain marketability. You can't fault me for that can you?

All others - thank you for the advice. It was very helpful!