2016-2017 Clerkship Application Thread Forum

[Anonymous User]

for those of you applying to judges who require 3+ semesters of grades, is the credited action to apply within the next few weeks and expect them to complete review of the application when the grades get in, or apply once we have all our grades in? FWIW I may not receive all my grades until the end of january.

[Anonymous User]

for those of you applying to judges who require 3+ semesters of grades, is the credited action to apply within the next few weeks and expect them to complete review of the application when the grades get in, or apply once we have all our grades in? FWIW I may not receive all my grades until the end of january.

I'm going to wait until grades come out, but I'll get mine in early Jan. If you're at a school that the judge frequently hires from, they will probably wait until your school posts grades to start interviewing people.

[Anonymous User]

for those of you applying to judges who require 3+ semesters of grades, is the credited action to apply within the next few weeks and expect them to complete review of the application when the grades get in, or apply once we have all our grades in? FWIW I may not receive all my grades until the end of january.

I'm going to wait until grades come out, but I'll get mine in early Jan. If you're at a school that the judge frequently hires from, they will probably wait until your school posts grades to start interviewing people.

Yup. I think the answer is that it varies depending on when you think you'll have grades back. My school's hard deadline for profs to have grades in is mid-March, so there's no way I'm waiting till then. Just gonna send an update once I have 3rd semester grades in. If, on the other hand, you'll have grades in Jan, then you save chambers some unnecessary paperwork and are still probably considered along with all the other early apps.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from Bacharach? He interviewed before Thanksgiving.

[Anonymous User]

Ed board for LR stuff is coming up in early Feb. Is it worth waiting to apply until those new positions come out or apply once 3rd semester grades come in?

(This sounds cocky I know) If this has any relevance: I feel confident that I have a good chance at a very good ed board position based on being approached by those currently in the position about being a good candidate(think eic, managing editor, lead articles editor) and ed board is the only group that decides the next board.

[Emma.]

Ed board for LR stuff is coming up in early Feb. Is it worth waiting to apply until those new positions come out or apply once 3rd semester grades come in?

(This sounds cocky I know) If this has any relevance: I feel confident that I have a good chance at a very good ed board position based on being approached by those currently in the position about being a good candidate(think eic, managing editor, lead articles editor) and ed board is the only group that decides the next board.

Apply with your grades then update applications with your LR position.

[Anonymous User]

So... how much should we trust OSCAR when it says 2016 spots are still open, in the absence of a note from chambers saying "we still have _ position(s) open for 2016"? Mostly looking at CADC/CA9, and some of the judges with open 2016 positions on OSCAR are not ones you'd expect to still have openings.

edit: I do realize that at this point I should not just be looking at those circuits. Have sent applications elsewhere. Just wondering how much time I should be spending on those 2016 positions at this point, versus bombarding second-choices.

[Anonymous User]

So... how much should we trust OSCAR when it says 2016 spots are still open, in the absence of a note from chambers saying "we still have _ position(s) open for 2016"? Mostly looking at CADC/CA9, and some of the judges with open 2016 positions on OSCAR are not ones you'd expect to still have openings.

edit: I do realize that at this point I should not just be looking at those circuits. Have sent applications elsewhere. Just wondering how much time I should be spending on those 2016 positions at this point, versus bombarding second-choices.

Probably little to no trust. I don't have knowledge of DC/9 specifically, but during this cycle I consistently found info on OSCAR to be egregiously out of date.

[Anonymous User]

Minor logistics question, but I figure I'll ask it since this whole process is making me paranoid about details: a non-faculty recommender in a tiny gov't office with little resources gave me a PDF of the LOR, and I'm going to mail it out. Is it weird if I use my name/address as the return address? Is it supposed to be the recommender's return address (obviously would ask permission to do so if this were the case)?

[Anonymous User]

Is it weird if I use my name/address as the return address? Is it supposed to be the recommender's return address (obviously would ask permission to do so if this were the case)?

Currently clerk here. I wouldn't think twice about this while reviewing an application (if I noticed it at all). I think it would be obvious that the reference gave you permission to mail the letter.

[Emma.]

Is it weird if I use my name/address as the return address? Is it supposed to be the recommender's return address (obviously would ask permission to do so if this were the case)?

Currently clerk here. I wouldn't think twice about this while reviewing an application (if I noticed it at all). I think it would be obvious that the reference gave you permission to mail the letter.

Are you just talking about the envelope? You could probably just skip the return address altogether.

[Anonymous User]

Is it weird if I use my name/address as the return address? Is it supposed to be the recommender's return address (obviously would ask permission to do so if this were the case)?

Currently clerk here. I wouldn't think twice about this while reviewing an application (if I noticed it at all). I think it would be obvious that the reference gave you permission to mail the letter.

Thanks for the response. That's what I ended up doing.

Are you just talking about the envelope? You could probably just skip the return address altogether.

I was talking about just the envelope, but figured it might seem appear of shady to send an envelope to a federal judge w/o any return info.

[KD35]

Anyone received any interviews from COA judges in the new year yet?

[Anonymous User]

Is it ever appropriate to list your 2L summer firm in a cover letter if you're applying as a 2L? For example - if a judge wants to see interest in a particular subject area, and you don't have much to demonstrate that aside from in-progress classes and going to a firm that primarily does that kind of work?

[Shaggier1]

Is it ever appropriate to list your 2L summer firm in a cover letter if you're applying as a 2L? For example - if a judge wants to see interest in a particular subject area, and you don't have much to demonstrate that aside from in-progress classes and going to a firm that primarily does that kind of work?

I would do this for sure in this situation. It may not get you a ton of mileage, but I can't imagine them saying "why did s/he bother listing THAT?!"

[Anonymous User]

Are the new judges (the ones confirmed last month during the lame duck session) hiring for 2016 yet or no? Like is there evidence of movement/interest?

[Elston Gunn]

Are the new judges (the ones confirmed last month during the lame duck session) hiring for 2016 yet or no? Like is there evidence of movement/interest?

It's going to vary, but I'm sure many are. I know of at least one who essetnially hired a clerk before he was even confirmed, and that's not at all uncommon IME.

EDIT: D'oh, I realize now you're talking about 2016. I'm not sure, though I know of three people who were hired for 2015 at this time last year by a judge who'd been confirmed for less than a month.

[Anonymous User]

I know at least one did 2015 and 2016 hiring at the same time. I'd imagine at least some of the others did the same.

[Anonymous User]

I know at least one did 2015 and 2016 hiring at the same time. I'd imagine at least some of the others did the same.

According to OSCAR Blakey (NDIL) already hired for a two year term ending in 2017. Crazy how fast it moves.

[Anonymous User]

2L here. Thinking about sending out some circuit court clerkship apps. Right now I'm at UT/UCLA/Vanderbilt in the top 7-8% and on Law Review (waiting on E-board decisions). Do I have any shot at all? Should I have a 2L prof write me a letter or will three 1L profs suffice?

[Anonymous User]

Judge x's OSCAR Posting from only 6 months ago (and has posted on OSCAR in the past): Do NOT send paper applications. I will post on OSCAR when accepting applications.

School Calls Judge x's chambers, response: I've begun reviewing applications already. Unlikely to post on OSCAR. Just send paper apps.


This is why we can't have nice things.

[Anonymous User]

Q for current clerks: say I noticed a typo in a resume and replaced it via OSCAR after I had already "finalized"/submitted my application. What do you see on your end? Does an "updated" application (if there's a note that it was updated) make an applicant look bad? Does it not matter at all as far as you're concerned? (sorry, didn't realize I originally posted this in the 2015-2016 thread)

[seizmaar]

I think, if anything, I looked at an updated application as a plus. It shows the person is 1) still interested and 2) still available. We wasted a bit of time this past go-round vetting people who, when the time came for a call, informed us they had accepted another clerkship already. Withdraw your applications once you've accepted, folks.

[Anonymous User]

Judge x's OSCAR Posting from only 6 months ago (and has posted on OSCAR in the past): Do NOT send paper applications. I will post on OSCAR when accepting applications.

School Calls Judge x's chambers, response: I've begun reviewing applications already. Unlikely to post on OSCAR. Just send paper apps.


This is why we can't have nice things.

More than once, I encountered judges or JAs who would rail against some awful thing applicants were doing--sending letters of recommendation under separate cover, for instance, when letters won't be ready in a prompt fashion; or writing very, very short cover letters--without realizing that a) career offices basically tell people to do this, and b) there's no way to tell that individual judges don't like things unless those judges say so on their OSCAR profiles, which nobody ever does.

[Anonymous User]

How long after an interview should you assume you didn't get it. Two weeks?