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1L aiming for litigation. Love civil procedure and really want to take federal courts. I've heard the curve is usually really rough though (too many clerkship hopefuls). Should I take it next year and risk a lower than ideal grade or put it off until 3L when grades matter less?

I would say to defer if you have good grades already at a T14 type school where a lot of students get sought-after clerkships. If you don't have top grades or you're at a lower ranked school where only a handful of people will get Art. III, go for it 2L. You will need something to make yourself stand out, so I would say to put all your chips in and take a shot at getting that 'A' in Fed Courts.