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2L Spring Classes? Interested in Litigation and Clerking

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:06 am
by MissLucky
Some background:
I will be spending the summer as an SA at a NYC BigLaw firm (my ultimate plan, however, is to transfer into their DC office after graduation if possible, or at most a couple years into working in their NYC office. I have ZERO interest in the corporate world and a lot of interest and experience in the government relations/lobbying world. I simply didn't have the grades for their DC office).

As of now, I am interested in litigation, and am looking to clerk a couple years after I start working at my firm. Which courses should I be taking next semester? I really want to raise my grades, and I HATE massive class sizes, but I realize I need to take the doctrinals to be attractive to judges and to do a good job as an SA (or am I misaken?)

Which of the following would you prioritize as those I MUST take to maximize my chances at securing a federal clerkship after a couple years at my firm....and which would you say would be very helpful in preparing me for an SA? I have ZERO background in finance/corporate stuff (I'm a public interest type). Or do you think I should just take courses (like Legislation & Regulation and Administrative Law), that mesh with what I truly am interested in (in my dream world where I transfer to my firm's DC office).

Because of other classes and clinics, I only have room to take 4 of these before I graduate: Given my background and future plans, which 4 do you recommend? Thanks a ton!

- Enterprise Organization (corporations)
- Legislation & Regulation
- Securities Regulation
- Evidence
- Federal Courts
- Jursidiction

Re: 2L Spring Classes? Interested in Litigation and Clerking

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:28 am
by chem
1L, but it seems like federal courts would be a must for clerking for federal court

Re: 2L Spring Classes? Interested in Litigation and Clerking

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:49 am
by kalvano
Evidence and Admin would be good choices.

Re: 2L Spring Classes? Interested in Litigation and Clerking

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:50 am
by Gorki
PICK ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Enterprise Organization (corporations)
- Legislation & Regulation
- Securities Regulation

ALL OF THESE:
- Evidence
- Federal Courts
- Jursidiction



IMO, best route for litigation type courses... Tbh though I get a good feeling each of these classes will be huge courses taught in a lecture/"doctrinal" style.

Re: 2L Spring Classes? Interested in Litigation and Clerking

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:03 pm
by fluffybunny
Can we clarify which of these classes are important for GETTING a clerkship and which are substantively important for ACTUALLY clerking? Basically, if I manage to snag a clerkship without taking the gunner clerkship classes, do I still need to subject myself to Federal Courts?

Re: 2L Spring Classes? Interested in Litigation and Clerking

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:25 pm
by splitmuch
fluffybunny wrote:Can we clarify which of these classes are important for GETTING a clerkship and which are substantively important for ACTUALLY clerking? Basically, if I manage to snag a clerkship without taking the gunner clerkship classes, do I still need to subject myself to Federal Courts?

This is relevant to my interests

Re: 2L Spring Classes? Interested in Litigation and Clerking

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:55 pm
by Richie Tenenbaum
Evidence for lit and fed courts for clerkship. But don't take fed courts as a 2L--not worth risking your gpa.

Re: 2L Spring Classes? Interested in Litigation and Clerking

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:33 pm
by MissLucky
Gorki wrote:PICK ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Enterprise Organization (corporations)
- Legislation & Regulation
- Securities Regulation

ALL OF THESE:
- Evidence
- Federal Courts
- Jursidiction



IMO, best route for litigation type courses... Tbh though I get a good feeling each of these classes will be huge courses taught in a lecture/"doctrinal" style.
Thanks so much, this is a really helpful breakdown. Which of these will best prepare me for my summer SA? if I had to choose only 1 of these for next semester, which would you choose? Evidence? EO? Leg Reg?

Thanks a ton.

Re: 2L Spring Classes? Interested in Litigation and Clerking

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 4:20 pm
by dreakol
is fed courts necessary/a positive for state supreme court/any state court applications?

Re: 2L Spring Classes? Interested in Litigation and Clerking

Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:27 pm
by Gorki
MissLucky wrote:
Gorki wrote:PICK ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Enterprise Organization (corporations)
- Legislation & Regulation
- Securities Regulation

ALL OF THESE:
- Evidence
- Federal Courts
- Jursidiction



IMO, best route for litigation type courses... Tbh though I get a good feeling each of these classes will be huge courses taught in a lecture/"doctrinal" style.
Thanks so much, this is a really helpful breakdown. Which of these will best prepare me for my summer SA? if I had to choose only 1 of these for next semester, which would you choose? Evidence? EO? Leg Reg?

Thanks a ton.
I guess I would pick Evidence because despite the difficulty at times it seems for me to be the most useful... But then again, I hear the credited answer is no doctrinal LS classes are useful for biglaw.