Top Law Schools

I’m trying to move to NYC after my upcoming district court clerkship in a secondary market. I don’t want to work for a firm—I’m interested in public sector jobs (local/state or federal).

Considering applying to SDNY and EDNY magistrate judges (in addition to district judges) because I’d like to do another clerkship and a magistrate clerkship seems more attainable in such a competitive area. I’ve also heard that a magistrate clerkship can be a good way to start out in a new market because you interact with attorneys, etc.

Would an MJ clerkship make sense for me? Would it feel like a downgrade after a DJ clerkship? Would the judges I’m applying to and future employers question why I did an MJ clerkship after a DJ clerkship? Or is this a good plan?

Related question: Do magistrate judges generally hire clerks later than district judges? I'm seeing many district judges hiring for 2022-23 on Oscar, but virtually no magistrate judges (they all still seem to be hiring for 2021, or like January 2022 at the latest). Or are MJs also hiring for 2022 right now, just not using Oscar?

I think it makes sense if you want to clerk. The SDNY/EDNY MJs are well respected, and they get a wide range of referrals. Except for felony trials, you should get more or less the same experience as with a DJ.

I don't know if they hire later, but I think they tend to require work experience, even more so than SDNY/EDNY DJs generally. So there generally isn't the same rush to hire 2Ls. I believe most of the SDNY MJs post hiring information directly on their court webpages.

Any opinions on how competitive I would be for an SDNY/EDNY magistrate clerkship would also be helpful. Top 5% from a T50 (not in NYC), doing a D. Ct. clerkship in a secondary market after graduation, summered at local firms in that market (but now trying to pivot towards public sector work in NYC).