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I'm about 7 months into a 1 year term superior court clerkship. (New England). I don't think I'll be staying for another year, which means I'll need a job by the time my term is up. However, since I'm committed for another 5 months, I'm not sure if there's anything important for me to do right now. So far I sent out a few emails and one firm responded positively, but still indicated that I'll need to check back with them around Dec/Jan. Others indicated that they don't anticipate any openings. I've just got a nagging feeling that, aside from networking at local bar events, it isn't worth asking firms about opportunities until Dec/Jan. Am I missing anything?

Always network, always keep reaching out. To be out of sight is to be out of mind, and when something does eventually become available, you want to be the person they think about first to reach out to with the opportunity.

As a law clerk, you must be interacting with counsel all the time. Why not try putting some feelers out there? Also, why not ask your judge? I know in most cases law clerks are poached by firms, but the majority of state and federal judges come from private practice, so they must have ties at their firms. Plus, if a judge asks a firm to "look into" one of their clerks, I'd think the firm would be more likely to oblige especially if they appear before that judge a lot.

You should be applying to every firm in your target market that you think you might want to work for. In a cover letter, you should explain that your clerkship will terminate X date and that you are available to start one week later.

tyroneslothrop1 wrote:You should be applying to every firm in your target market that you think you might want to work for. In a cover letter, you should explain that your clerkship will terminate X date and that you are available to start one week later.

OP here. Thank you, this is excellent advice.