State Appellate Clerkship - Good opportunity? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I currently work in a government position and have a decent shot at a state appellate clerkship. I'm in the midwest, but I'd rather not say exactly where for anonymity purposes.

I was hoping to have some insight from people who know a thing or two about state appellate clerkships. Ultimately, I'd like to parlay this experience into a gig at a mid/large size firm down the road. I have heard of people going from state clerkships to federal clerkships, so I thought perhaps this may be a route to take.

I'm ~2 years out from graduation from a T1 big ten law school. I was in the top third, was on the law review e-board, and did trial team for what it's worth.

So, am I making a huge delusional mistake? If my goals are unrealistic, do you think this is still a reasonable decision to make just to transition to a firm of some kind?

Thanks for your time.

[Anonymous User]

Some of this may depend on the state/market, but I did a state appellate clerkship, and I definitely think it can help you get at least a mid-law gig. I do know people with similar backgrounds who got biglaw out of these clerkships, though a few had the jobs lined up already, and others had to hustle HARD to get the job after. I wouldn’t say it’s guaranteed but it’s certainly doable. You’ll probably do best with firms doing a lot of state rather than federal work.

One issue for biglaw may be class year - coming in as a third year with no firm experience may be offputting. (This would be even more so if you do a federal clerkship after.) That’s in part why I say midlaw, where I think there’s less standardization about such matters. It could also depend what kind of government work you’re doing now.

[Anonymous User]

Thank you for your reply. That's very interesting.

What you say certainly makes sense for biglaw. I really didn't consider the notion that a federal clerkship could hurt rather than help me. In fact, I kind of assumed that a federal clerkship was the best way to try to transition to biglaw. Maybe that's because I've heard of so many federal clerks transitioning to biglaw or other highly prized work after their clerkships end.

Can anyone else weigh in on whether trying to get a federal clerkship would be wise, or whether I should just gun for the best firm job possible after the appellate clerkship?

[Anonymous User]

I'm not saying a federal clerkship will necessarily hurt you, and it may well help, it's just that the class year thing will become something to negotiate. My sense is that most people who do a federal clerkship a few years out of school work in a firm before clerking, so they wouldn't be coming in as a mid-level (fourth year) without any firm experience. But if your government experience is sufficiently transferrable, it may not be an issue. It's just something to think about.

[objctnyrhnr]

In my opinion, state intermediate appeals court will only help to achieve your goals If you can turn it into a fedclerk (at least magistrate) or a state Supreme Court. Easier said than done I know, but I’m just not sure that the year will be particularly beneficial to you if you do not do that.

My caveat is that I can only really say from experience that this holds in the biglaw context. I believe that in my market it would hold for reputable midlaw, but I can’t say for certain

[Anonymous User]

In my opinion, state intermediate appeals court will only help to achieve your goals If you can turn it into a fedclerk (at least magistrate) or a state Supreme Court. Easier said than done I know, but I’m just not sure that the year will be particularly beneficial to you if you do not do that.

My caveat is that I can only really say from experience that this holds in the biglaw context. I believe that in my market it would hold for reputable midlaw, but I can’t say for certain

Thank you for your response. Have you heard of people going down that path (state appellate to federal/state Supreme Court to biglaw) before then? Any advice you can give as to how to make this route more feasible? Mistakes to avoid? Thanks!

[objctnyrhnr]

In my opinion, state intermediate appeals court will only help to achieve your goals If you can turn it into a fedclerk (at least magistrate) or a state Supreme Court. Easier said than done I know, but I’m just not sure that the year will be particularly beneficial to you if you do not do that.

My caveat is that I can only really say from experience that this holds in the biglaw context. I believe that in my market it would hold for reputable midlaw, but I can’t say for certain

Thank you for your response. Have you heard of people going down that path (state appellate to federal/state Supreme Court to biglaw) before then? Any advice you can give as to how to make this route more feasible? Mistakes to avoid? Thanks!

I absolutely have heard of that. Unfortunately, the key isn’t really in your hands. This works if lit market is warmish or better. But anything less (even if not cold cold) and your task becomes much more difficult.

To the extent you can help yourself, you want to 1. Start applying for the next gig right now, 2. Be geographically flexible, 3. Start networking (even just cold emails then phone calls) in a handful of target markets right now—keep records of your contacts in your spreadsheet. Ideally you’d know an associate or a partner at every one of your target firms before you even begin your second clerkship, such that you’d feel comfortable asking them to pass you along and you’d feel comfortable doing it.