Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk? Forum
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- Giro423
- Posts: 148
- Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2016 5:26 am
Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
1L that’s hoping to clerk after graduation. My current plan is to see if I can land a good SA. As a backup plan I’m considering splitting the summer as a judicial intern and RA. How much weight, if any, do most judges seem to give to summer experience in deciding? I know they mostly just care about grades/school like everyone else.
- jingosaur
- Posts: 3188
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Re: Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
Try for a USAO internship.
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Re: Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
Also depends where and for whom the judicial internship is for. I know certain judges on courts like the D.D.C./SDNY use summer judicial internships with them as extended interviews. But this depends on the specific judge and court.
- Lincoln
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- Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:27 pm
Re: Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
Very much this. Contrary to the above, some judges have a policy of not hiring former interns because they don't want it to be a competitive environment. Those judges, however, can be excellent recommenders when you apply to other judges on the same court.sparkytrainer wrote:Also depends where and for whom the judicial internship is for. I know certain judges on courts like the D.D.C./SDNY use summer judicial internships with them as extended interviews. But this depends on the specific judge and court.
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Re: Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
Judicial externship in the court you'd like to clerk in, if you can swing it. In my experience, above poster is correct in that some judges use these free externships as extended interviews. I got my Art. III clerkship due to doing good work in my 1L summer externship for my judge (judge told me so). I didn't have the school or grades required, and I got it over many way more qualified than I, including those I externed with, who were all at my judge's alma matter (I was the only one who was not). In fact, judge didn't ask to see a transcript or even ask what my GPA was when I applied for the clerkship. My experience is probably an anomaly in the later regard. Even if the judge has a policy of not hiring former externs, they will still serve as a good reference if you apply for clerkships with other judges in that court. If you do good work and are likeable in chambers as an extern, you have a major leg up when applying for clerkships (whether with your judge or another in that court). Pro tip: treat the judge's staff wonderfully (judicial assistant, courtroom deputy, court reporter, clerks, etc). Chambers is a real tight knit environment, and a poor review from any of them will torpedo your chances.
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- A. Nony Mouse
- Posts: 29293
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Re: Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
Any of these are fine. To the extent any given judge has a particular preference, you are extremely unlikely to know what it is, and different judges will prefer different things, so just do something legal, do a good job so you can get a reference, and get a real-life writing sample.
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Re: Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
This also. Depends on the Judge. I can think of a very competitive district court where some judges use internships as clerkship interviews, other judges that will go to extreme lengths to help the interns (if they have a policy of not hiring former interns), and some judges that just get their interns to do bitch work all day and not help them in any way afterwards.Lincoln wrote:Very much this. Contrary to the above, some judges have a policy of not hiring former interns because they don't want it to be a competitive environment. Those judges, however, can be excellent recommenders when you apply to other judges on the same court.sparkytrainer wrote:Also depends where and for whom the judicial internship is for. I know certain judges on courts like the D.D.C./SDNY use summer judicial internships with them as extended interviews. But this depends on the specific judge and court.
It truly is judge-dependent.
- Giro423
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- Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2016 5:26 am
Re: Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
Thanks everyone, this has been quite helpful.
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Re: Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
I'm not sure about judicial externships - obviously didn't have one as I'm about to advise something different, but can say that one of the first people to get an A3 clerkship in our current 2L class got it for the judge he was an extern for this summer.
Personally, I'd recommend being an RA. I was an RA for a member of the faculty clerkships committee, whom I did not have a class with, and since then this professor has been absurdly helpful. Nothing (again, with the possible exception of literally working for the judge as an intern) compares to having an advocate like this. The professor has set me up for interviews I absolutely would not have gotten off the strength of my resume alone, and is constantly in judges' ears about me.
I did this after striking out on SA positions and it's the best thing that's happened to me in essentially my entire educational career.
Personally, I'd recommend being an RA. I was an RA for a member of the faculty clerkships committee, whom I did not have a class with, and since then this professor has been absurdly helpful. Nothing (again, with the possible exception of literally working for the judge as an intern) compares to having an advocate like this. The professor has set me up for interviews I absolutely would not have gotten off the strength of my resume alone, and is constantly in judges' ears about me.
I did this after striking out on SA positions and it's the best thing that's happened to me in essentially my entire educational career.
- mjb447
- Posts: 1419
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Re: Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
Agree with this - definitely prioritize (1) developing your research and writing skills and (2) getting a reference who can speak to them and to how agreeable you are to work with.A. Nony Mouse wrote:Any of these are fine. To the extent any given judge has a particular preference, you are extremely unlikely to know what it is, and different judges will prefer different things, so just do something legal, do a good job so you can get a reference, and get a real-life writing sample.
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- Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am
Re: Best summer work for 1L wannabe clerk?
I had the same experience with the judge I interned for, which just illustrates that it depends on the person you work for much more than the job.Anonymous User wrote:I'm not sure about judicial externships - obviously didn't have one as I'm about to advise something different, but can say that one of the first people to get an A3 clerkship in our current 2L class got it for the judge he was an extern for this summer.
Personally, I'd recommend being an RA. I was an RA for a member of the faculty clerkships committee, whom I did not have a class with, and since then this professor has been absurdly helpful. Nothing (again, with the possible exception of literally working for the judge as an intern) compares to having an advocate like this. The professor has set me up for interviews I absolutely would not have gotten off the strength of my resume alone, and is constantly in judges' ears about me.
I did this after striking out on SA positions and it's the best thing that's happened to me in essentially my entire educational career.
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