2021-2022 Clerkship Application Thread Forum

[Anonymous User]

He has hired people and so he obviously is (or was) accepting applications. I imagine he will be up on the SDNY website soon which should have an address and/or phone number if you don’t have a connection.

Like many things in life (and in law), I guess it's "if you have to ask..."

[Anonymous User]

He has hired people and so he obviously is (or was) accepting applications. I imagine he will be up on the SDNY website soon which should have an address and/or phone number if you don’t have a connection.

Like many things in life (and in law), I guess it's "if you have to ask..."

Obviously every judge is different. But an alum of my law school was recently appointed. In the months leading up to his/her appointment, the judge had already started soliciting clerkship applications from my law school and a few others in the area. Once the judge was officially confirmed, he/she officially hired clerks for the next three terms within a week. I wasn't involved in this process but from one person I know who got a clerkship with this judge, a lot went on "behind the scenes" to line up clerks ASAP.

[Anonymous User]

He has hired people and so he obviously is (or was) accepting applications. I imagine he will be up on the SDNY website soon which should have an address and/or phone number if you don’t have a connection.

Like many things in life (and in law), I guess it's "if you have to ask..."

Obviously every judge is different. But an alum of my law school was recently appointed. In the months leading up to his/her appointment, the judge had already started soliciting clerkship applications from my law school and a few others in the area. Once the judge was officially confirmed, he/she officially hired clerks for the next three terms within a week. I wasn't involved in this process but from one person I know who got a clerkship with this judge, a lot went on "behind the scenes" to line up clerks ASAP.

FWIW the nominees announced today by the Trump admin have been privately soliciting clerks for a bit of time now.

[Anonymous User]

He has hired people and so he obviously is (or was) accepting applications. I imagine he will be up on the SDNY website soon which should have an address and/or phone number if you don’t have a connection.

Like many things in life (and in law), I guess it's "if you have to ask..."

Obviously every judge is different. But an alum of my law school was recently appointed. In the months leading up to his/her appointment, the judge had already started soliciting clerkship applications from my law school and a few others in the area. Once the judge was officially confirmed, he/she officially hired clerks for the next three terms within a week. I wasn't involved in this process but from one person I know who got a clerkship with this judge, a lot went on "behind the scenes" to line up clerks ASAP.

FWIW the nominees announced today by the Trump admin have been privately soliciting clerks for a bit of time now.

Soliciting just from HYS' clerkship offices? Or reaching out to professors?

[Anonymous User]

He has hired people and so he obviously is (or was) accepting applications. I imagine he will be up on the SDNY website soon which should have an address and/or phone number if you don’t have a connection.

Like many things in life (and in law), I guess it's "if you have to ask..."

Obviously every judge is different. But an alum of my law school was recently appointed. In the months leading up to his/her appointment, the judge had already started soliciting clerkship applications from my law school and a few others in the area. Once the judge was officially confirmed, he/she officially hired clerks for the next three terms within a week. I wasn't involved in this process but from one person I know who got a clerkship with this judge, a lot went on "behind the scenes" to line up clerks ASAP.

FWIW the nominees announced today by the Trump admin have been privately soliciting clerks for a bit of time now.

Soliciting just from HYS' clerkship offices? Or reaching out to professors?

Trusted judges, law firms, and Fedsoc to find experienced clerks.

[Anonymous User]

Historically, what has district court hiring looked like in August and September?

I'm asking because I am still waiting to hear back on a few apps, and I have found this whole process frustrating and humbling. I'm well within the Top 5% at a T20, managing editor of a secondary journal, involved with moot court, and a legal writing fellow. I applied exclusively to federal courts in districts in which I have ties, and had several partners from my SA firm make calls on my behalf. I got one nibble during Plan release week for a position that was promptly filled. Since that time, I haven't heard anything. I've expanded my application pool with some 2022 apps, but no movement there yet. I don't mean to sound whiny or entitled, I applied with full knowledge of how competitive these positions are, and I didn't have illusions that I would have multiple judges beating down my door, but I am just completely struck by how idiosyncratic and, at times, demoralizing this process is. Hopefully things improve in the coming months.

[namefromplace]

Historically, what has district court hiring looked like in August and September?

I'm asking because I am still waiting to hear back on a few apps, and I have found this whole process frustrating and humbling. I'm well within the Top 5% at a T20, managing editor of a secondary journal, involved with moot court, and a legal writing fellow. I applied exclusively to federal courts in districts in which I have ties, and had several partners from my SA firm make calls on my behalf. I got one nibble during Plan release week for a position that was promptly filled. Since that time, I haven't heard anything. I've expanded my application pool with some 2022 apps, but no movement there yet. I don't mean to sound whiny or entitled, I applied with full knowledge of how competitive these positions are, and I didn't have illusions that I would have multiple judges beating down my door, but I am just completely struck by how idiosyncratic and, at times, demoralizing this process is. Hopefully things improve in the coming months.

I would meet with professors/clerkship committee to get a sense of judges to target; they will often be in the know about where their judicial colleagues are at in the hiring process.

But, to answer your main question, I think some judges have decided to push back their interviewing until when they might be able to interview candidates in person; others are in varying stages of returning to chambers and may not want to begin looking at candidates from a laptop screen. So there should still be some movement. But if I were you, I would expand my application pool even to districts where you don't have ties; sending out extra applications doesn't really hurt you.

[Anonymous User]

Historically, what has district court hiring looked like in August and September?

I'm asking because I am still waiting to hear back on a few apps, and I have found this whole process frustrating and humbling. I'm well within the Top 5% at a T20, managing editor of a secondary journal, involved with moot court, and a legal writing fellow. I applied exclusively to federal courts in districts in which I have ties, and had several partners from my SA firm make calls on my behalf. I got one nibble during Plan release week for a position that was promptly filled. Since that time, I haven't heard anything. I've expanded my application pool with some 2022 apps, but no movement there yet. I don't mean to sound whiny or entitled, I applied with full knowledge of how competitive these positions are, and I didn't have illusions that I would have multiple judges beating down my door, but I am just completely struck by how idiosyncratic and, at times, demoralizing this process is. Hopefully things improve in the coming months.

I hope things look up for you. You don't sound whiny or entitled. I second the recommendation to expand searches outside of the districts in which you have ties. I applied all over the place, and ironically got bites only from areas where I didn't have ties or other preexisting connections. It's just a numbers game at the end of it; all you can do is just keep sending out apps and focus on locking down other employment and school success in the meantime.

[Anonymous User]

I want to offer some encouragement to all of you. Yes, the process can be extremely long and result in many rejections. It's even worse when you start having interviews and get rejected post-interview. But if you're persistent and are willing to be flexible with timing, it will likely eventually happen. I personally tried for just over three years before landing my first clerkship with some work experience under my belt. And I honestly think I was a better clerk because of my experience (my judge would always talk to other people about how great it was that I wasn't straight out of law school). So try not to think too short-term about your career as a whole. Be aggressive about applying, but then once it's out there just don't even stress about it until you get that phone call.

[Anonymous User]

Historically, what has district court hiring looked like in August and September?

I'm asking because I am still waiting to hear back on a few apps, and I have found this whole process frustrating and humbling. I'm well within the Top 5% at a T20, managing editor of a secondary journal, involved with moot court, and a legal writing fellow. I applied exclusively to federal courts in districts in which I have ties, and had several partners from my SA firm make calls on my behalf. I got one nibble during Plan release week for a position that was promptly filled. Since that time, I haven't heard anything. I've expanded my application pool with some 2022 apps, but no movement there yet. I don't mean to sound whiny or entitled, I applied with full knowledge of how competitive these positions are, and I didn't have illusions that I would have multiple judges beating down my door, but I am just completely struck by how idiosyncratic and, at times, demoralizing this process is. Hopefully things improve in the coming months.

I hope things look up for you. You don't sound whiny or entitled. I second the recommendation to expand searches outside of the districts in which you have ties. I applied all over the place, and ironically got bites only from areas where I didn't have ties or other preexisting connections. It's just a numbers game at the end of it; all you can do is just keep sending out apps and focus on locking down other employment and school success in the meantime.

Also want to endorse this advice. I have a similar application package -- but with some work experience -- and struck out for months with several rounds of two or three dozen applications each time, including for district court judges in fairly remote, rural areas where I had strong ties. Had no idea what I was doing wrong. Our clerkship advisor just gave me the generic advice of applying more broadly, which I found frustrating but followed, and my second interview turned into a clerkship with a COA judge I never would have thought I'd have a shot at. Hiring is very much ongoing for some great judges, and will continue through this year.

So apply even more broadly, keep waiting, and try (I know it's hard!) not to take a lack of movement as a reflection on you as a person or even as an applicant -- it's a crapshoot. Also, I wish I'd realized sooner that it's perfectly fine to back out before or immediately after an interview. Don't let the desire to research every detail of a judge bog down your application process. Your school might not like it, but I think even clerkship committees/advisors increasingly see the value in letting students apply broadly and occasionally turn down an opportunity since, on net, it probably means more students wind up with clerkships.

[Anonymous User]

I want to offer some encouragement to all of you. Yes, the process can be extremely long and result in many rejections. It's even worse when you start having interviews and get rejected post-interview. But if you're persistent and are willing to be flexible with timing, it will likely eventually happen. I personally tried for just over three years before landing my first clerkship with some work experience under my belt. And I honestly think I was a better clerk because of my experience (my judge would always talk to other people about how great it was that I wasn't straight out of law school). So try not to think too short-term about your career as a whole. Be aggressive about applying, but then once it's out there just don't even stress about it until you get that phone call.

I have a return offer from a great firm, top 5%/LR/published at HYSCCN. No dice so far. I know all your advice is true at an intellectual level, and if something doesn't work out before graduation, a couple years of work experience should do the trick, but it's hard to really accept. As a rising 3L, I just know it's going to be rough going back and hearing about how everyone else similarly positioned to me in my class already has a clerkship or two and I have none. Law school breeds self-comparison and it's tough to get over that, no matter how much I tell myself the process is semi-random.

[namefromplace]

I want to offer some encouragement to all of you. Yes, the process can be extremely long and result in many rejections. It's even worse when you start having interviews and get rejected post-interview. But if you're persistent and are willing to be flexible with timing, it will likely eventually happen. I personally tried for just over three years before landing my first clerkship with some work experience under my belt. And I honestly think I was a better clerk because of my experience (my judge would always talk to other people about how great it was that I wasn't straight out of law school). So try not to think too short-term about your career as a whole. Be aggressive about applying, but then once it's out there just don't even stress about it until you get that phone call.

I have a return offer from a great firm, top 5%/LR/published at HYSCCN. No dice so far. I know all your advice is true at an intellectual level, and if something doesn't work out before graduation, a couple years of work experience should do the trick, but it's hard to really accept. As a rising 3L, I just know it's going to be rough going back and hearing about how everyone else similarly positioned to me in my class already has a clerkship or two and I have none. Law school breeds self-comparison and it's tough to get over that, no matter how much I tell myself the process is semi-random.

As hard as it is to get over self-comparison, you have to. I'm assuming you've managed to avoid it through most of your law school experience; you made it into a T6, got great grades, got onto law review, got a great SA offer, etc. But your career will give you plenty of opportunities to drive yourself crazy with self-comparisons; classmates who make partner quicker, who get cooler jobs, political appointments, etc. If you had a clerkship, you'd be jealous of people with more prestigious clerkships; if you had a prestigious clerkship, you can be jealous of the people with two. There is a lot of peace that comes from accepting that you've done what you can and that, though what you've worked for would be great, your alternatives are still great and--at the risk of sounding hokey--will take you on whatever path you're meant to be on. The funny thing is that the peace that comes with letting go tends to make you a calmer and more attractive candidate in any interview that comes your way.

[Anonymous User]

These last few posts have really helped my mindset. I'm in the same boat, and it's been disappointing. Glad to know I'm not the only one.

[Anonymous User]

Any more from Chutkan? (As another person who got the check-in email last week...)

+1 this question - our clerkship office was expecting her to start interviews shortly after sending this email out, but hasn't heard anything about her moving.

[Anonymous User]

Any more from Chutkan? (As another person who got the check-in email last week...)

+1 this question - our clerkship office was expecting her to start interviews shortly after sending this email out, but hasn't heard anything about her moving.

Original anon, still nothing and no one from my T6 who got the original email has reported anything new. Guessing other work has delayed things, unless interviewees are being unusually quiet.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone hear from J. Harvie for 2022 recently?

[baronsol]

Is it safe to assume hiring for 2021 is basically complete at this point?

[Anonymous User]

Is it safe to assume hiring for 2021 is basically complete at this point?

Not at all! My clerkship office said that many judges originally decided to delay hiring until after Labor Day in the hopes of being able to resume in-person interviews (lol). Since that's obviously not happening, judges will probably reluctantly resume hiring via Zoom. I have 2 interviews scheduled this month for 2021 and they're both for judges who have just started their hiring process.

[BobLoblaw18]

.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard anything from the Mass. SJC? Haven't received a notification that hiring is complete, but also haven't heard anything. Not sure if interviewing has been pushed back due to COVID. Any insights?

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard anything from the Mass. SJC? Haven't received a notification that hiring is complete, but also haven't heard anything. Not sure if interviewing has been pushed back due to COVID. Any insights?

A classmate and I both applied back in June and neither one of us have heard back (and we're both within our school's historic average ranking to get an SJC interview).

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have a sense of what judges (if any) haven't been posting on OSCAR but are still hiring through paper apps? I thought I was in the realm of competitive (T20 school, Top 10%, LR, Moot Court, V-5 SA), but have been totally striking out on OSCAR. I'm debating doing another round of paper, but am not really sure where else to target at this point. Any ideas of who is still hiring/where to target paper would be super helpful!

[Anonymous User]

Is it safe to assume hiring for 2021 is basically complete at this point?

No, my judge has not yet interviewed for a 2021 spot.

Does anyone have a sense of what judges (if any) haven't been posting on OSCAR but are still hiring through paper apps? I thought I was in the realm of competitive (T20 school, Top 10%, LR, Moot Court (with a few competition wins), V-5 SA), but have been totally striking out on OSCAR. I'm debating doing another round of paper, but am not really sure where else to target at this point. Any ideas of who is still hiring/where to target paper would be super helpful!

As I said above, my judge is still considering applications for 2021, but any idea of who is still hiring nationwide is a bit broad. There are many judges who do not rush to hire that far in advance, but they are not everywhere. When I applied for clerkships via paper, I did the following: pick target districts, do an advanced search on OSCAR of all the judges in those districts, and compare that list with the list of judges in those districts from Wikipedia to identify who is non-OSCAR. Then call the chambers of any of the judges of interest and just ask if they are accepting applications for 2021 clerkships. Many chambers are back to having at least one person in the office to answer the phones.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have a sense of what judges (if any) haven't been posting on OSCAR but are still hiring through paper apps? I thought I was in the realm of competitive (T20 school, Top 10%, LR, Moot Court (with a few competition wins), V-5 SA), but have been totally striking out on OSCAR. I'm debating doing another round of paper, but am not really sure where else to target at this point. Any ideas of who is still hiring/where to target paper would be super helpful!

I don't think there's a real pattern. Older judges tend to prefer paper applications. Recently-appointed judges usually line up clerks in advance of confirmation and look to professors and other connections for recommendations. I had similar stats as you (T25, top 20%, LR EIC, national moot court win), and I had the best luck with email applications (3 of my 4 interviews were from email applications, and I eventually ended up witha COA clerkship). Depending on the judge's OSCAR filters, you might be getting filtered out based on your school, so I would do another round of paper applications. If a judge on OSCAR gives you the option to do OSCAR vs. email, always do email. If a judge is still working remotely, paper applications might not be the best idea, even if there's a skeleton staff on-site to go through mail.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard anything from the Mass. SJC? Haven't received a notification that hiring is complete, but also haven't heard anything. Not sure if interviewing has been pushed back due to COVID. Any insights?

A classmate and I both applied back in June and neither one of us have heard back (and we're both within our school's historic average ranking to get an SJC interview).

I also haven’t heard anything yet about interviews, but I did hear from a supervisor that Justice Ganta recently had a heart attack (don’t worry, he’s fine!). It might be that he still needs to complete his selections before the other justices get a look at the applications, since it goes in order of seniority. (No basis for this, just wishful thinking I guess.)