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What are the best firms for SCOTUS clerks? Some relevant criteria: interesting and substantive appellate work (with the possibility of only doing issues/appeals type work), reasonable hours, good partnership prospects. Any intel on firms offering above market pay would also be appreciated. Looking at the DC market in particular.

The answer is Jones Day, and it’s not particularly close. But I’d think a SCOTUS clerk would know this?

Jones Day.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 06, 2024 11:43 am

What are the best firms for SCOTUS clerks? Some relevant criteria: interesting and substantive appellate work (with the possibility of only doing issues/appeals type work), reasonable hours, good partnership prospects. Any intel on firms offering above market pay would also be appreciated. Looking at the DC market in particular.

Former SCOTUS clerk here. The answer is clearly Jones Day (and this is coming from someone who chose not to go there). Just know that you'll be giving up some money as an equity partner and that you'll be siloing yourself into doing almost exclusively appellate work.

As for above-market pay, the list is basically the same list as the list for non-SCOTUS clerks: Kellogg Hansen (DC), Wachtell Lipton (NY), and Susman Godfrey (TX/NY/LA/SEA). None of them will allow you the "possibility of only doing issues/appeals type work" and none of them will give you "reasonable hours," but they do provide strong partnership prospects and massive financial upside.