Clerks Taking Questions Forum

[Anonymous User]

Thanks!!

I can't remember what I put in the cover letter, but I imagine I didn't mention the city/state whatsoever. I do have family who is from a short drive away (albeit across state lines), so I guess I could mention that if pressed. Otherwise I will just talk about the great things I've heard about the city and how I'm always excited to try new places.

(Flyover anon)

[Anonymous User]

In your experience, do judges consider applicants with grades below their preferred grades? I am looking at a position with a fed dist ct judge in my home district, and would love to apply. But I don't want to burden my recommenders if I dont' have a chance. Thanks!

[objctnyrhnr]

In your experience, do judges consider applicants with grades below their preferred grades? I am looking at a position with a fed dist ct judge in my home district, and would love to apply. But I don't want to burden my recommenders if I dont' have a chance. Thanks!

oscar or paper, or is either an option?

[Anonymous User]

In your experience, do judges consider applicants with grades below their preferred grades? I am looking at a position with a fed dist ct judge in my home district, and would love to apply. But I don't want to burden my recommenders if I dont' have a chance. Thanks!

This depends entirely on the judge. Some judges will sort (or have their clerks sort) by rank/GPA/etc. and then decide which applications to even read. By contrast, in the chambers I work in, clerks go through Every application and are explicitly forbidden from looking at transcripts (though, I mean, we can see your rank on OSCAR and read your resume, obviously, so we have some idea).

[Anonymous User]

For a cover letter, I just wouldn't mention this at all. You're much more likely to hurt your chances than to help them by including superfluous stuff in a cover letter, and a made-up reason for wanting to work in a geographic region is superfluous and has the potential to just make you look insincere.

If you get an interview, it might come up. If you're interviewing in the judge's home chambers, you can hopefully say something positive that you've noticed about the city so far on your interview trip. You can also say something about how you're open to living someplace new and exploring a new region. For my judge, at least, he's very aware that a clerkship is a great opportunity that people are happy to get, so he's not going to be concerned about your connections to the region. As long as you'll be content living in his city for your clerkship year, regional ties really don't matter to him.

I agree with this - there are judges who do care about ties, but if they do, and you genuinely don't have any, they're not likely to interview you regardless. But lots of judges don't care, and recognize that people are often happy to spend a year somewhere new for a cool job. They'll hire you because they think you look interesting/qualified, and presume that if you applied you were willing to go there.

If there is something distinctive about the location/jurisdiction that does appeal to you, feel free to mention it (if that court is known for certain kinds of cases, for instance), but I don't think it's necessary to force it.

D. ct. clerk in semi-flyover land. 100% concur with this, with a bit of an explanation.

We are in a city that leaves much to be desired, so when we interview candidates, our first question is about why they want to clerk HERE. If they have no ties, then they need to (sorta) convince us they'll move here and commit to 1-2 years. The judge (and I think most everyone in every profession) understands that people who accept an offer will honor its terms, e.g., its length, so we're not too concerned about people up and leaving.

But you definitely need to have an answer when it's not a major city. I was direct and honest and said "I'd move anywhere for a D. Ct. clerkship" but also (legitimately) emphasized how this city is close to countless 180 outdoors activities.

[Anonymous User]

In your experience, do judges consider applicants with grades below their preferred grades? I am looking at a position with a fed dist ct judge in my home district, and would love to apply. But I don't want to burden my recommenders if I dont' have a chance. Thanks!

oscar or paper, or is either an option?

oscar

This depends entirely on the judge. Some judges will sort (or have their clerks sort) by rank/GPA/etc. and then decide which applications to even read. By contrast, in the chambers I work in, clerks go through Every application and are explicitly forbidden from looking at transcripts (though, I mean, we can see your rank on OSCAR and read your resume, obviously, so we have some idea).

The thing is the judge sets a grade preference in the job posting. So I don't know if he or his clerks would even see my application.

[objctnyrhnr]

In your experience, do judges consider applicants with grades below their preferred grades? I am looking at a position with a fed dist ct judge in my home district, and would love to apply. But I don't want to burden my recommenders if I dont' have a chance. Thanks!

oscar or paper, or is either an option?

oscar

This depends entirely on the judge. Some judges will sort (or have their clerks sort) by rank/GPA/etc. and then decide which applications to even read. By contrast, in the chambers I work in, clerks go through Every application and are explicitly forbidden from looking at transcripts (though, I mean, we can see your rank on OSCAR and read your resume, obviously, so we have some idea).

The thing is the judge sets a grade preference in the job posting. So I don't know if he or his clerks would even see my application.

to me, this seems like a situation where, if there is even a chance that paper is an option, I would go paper. I can only speak for my judge. we, as clerks, weed through everybody. oscar people get rejected more quickly, especially if the clerk is using a filter option (i never do, because it would have led to my elimination). by contrast, common sense would be correct when it tells you that one really can't filter paper aps as effectively.

if there's no chance that paper is an option, there's nothing really that you can do. either you'll get filtered our or you won't.

[Anonymous User]

Just a quick question about submitting applications. It seems like there are far too many district and COA judges to apply to by paper, so would it be wise to apply to the ones you really want with paper applications and every other opening through OSCAR?

[bk1]

Just a quick question about submitting applications. It seems like there are far too many district and COA judges to apply to by paper, so would it be wise to apply to the ones you really want with paper applications and every other opening through OSCAR?

If it's about time, I would try to apply to as many as possible via paper. If it's about money, then do OSCAR even though paper is generally better.

[BearState]

This may seem obvious, but can anyone let me know whether you bump up to grade 12 in the second year of a two year clerkship (if you start fresh out of law school and pass the bar)?

[Laser Lady]

This may seem obvious, but can anyone let me know whether you bump up to grade 12 in the second year of a two year clerkship (if you start fresh out of law school and pass the bar)?

It's not automatic, but you should get the grade increase as long as your judge is willing to approve it, and I think most judges would.

[Anonymous User]

This may seem obvious, but can anyone let me know whether you bump up to grade 12 in the second year of a two year clerkship (if you start fresh out of law school and pass the bar)?

It's not automatic, but you should get the grade increase as long as your judge is willing to approve it, and I think most judges would.

HR implied to me that it was automatic once you've finished 1 full year.

[BearState]

Thanks all

[tww909]

This may seem obvious, but can anyone let me know whether you bump up to grade 12 in the second year of a two year clerkship (if you start fresh out of law school and pass the bar)?

It's not automatic, but you should get the grade increase as long as your judge is willing to approve it, and I think most judges would.

HR implied to me that it was automatic once you've finished 1 full year.

there's a form your judge has to sign. i can't imagine it ever being an issue.

[minnbills]

-

[Baby_Got_Feuerbach]

I assume several of you were summer clerks as rising 2Ls. What was the hiring process like with your judge? Was it at all competitive? What were the responsibilities like once you landed the position?

[A. Nony Mouse]

I assume several of you were summer clerks as rising 2Ls. What was the hiring process like with your judge? Was it at all competitive? What were the responsibilities like once you landed the position?

? I'm sorry, I don't get how your assumption relates to your questions? are you asking about getting a clerkship (postgrad) or an internship during school?

[Baby_Got_Feuerbach]

I assume several of you were summer clerks* as rising 2Ls. What was the hiring process like with your judge? Was it at all competitive? What were the responsibilities like once you landed the position?

? I'm sorry, I don't get how your assumption relates to your questions? are you asking about getting a clerkship (postgrad) or an internship during school?

*interns

Where's the disconnect between my questions and the assumption that many people in this thread held a U.S. Courts internship position?

[A. Nony Mouse]

I assume several of you were summer clerks* as rising 2Ls. What was the hiring process like with your judge? Was it at all competitive? What were the responsibilities like once you landed the position?

? I'm sorry, I don't get how your assumption relates to your questions? are you asking about getting a clerkship (postgrad) or an internship during school?

*interns

Where's the disconnect between my questions and the assumption that many people in this thread held a U.S. Courts internship position?

Because it wasn't clear to me that you were asking about hiring for an internship rather than for a post-grad clerkship (since this forum is about the latter), so I didn't know how being an intern taught you anything about how your judge hired clerks. Now I get what you meant.

[bk1]

The hiring process varies by judge. I've seen some judges who handle the extern hiring process all on their own and I've seen some judges who completely delegate the process to their clerks. I have no idea what is the norm.

Is it competitive? If you want one specific judge then your odds probably aren't great. But in the grand scheme, it probably isn't competitive. There are hundreds of judges, each often hiring 3+ (sometimes as many as 5) externs each semester for 3 semesters a year (even more if you expand to include magistrate as well as district judges). It is not all that difficult to get an externship with a federal judge.

Oh and your assumption is a bit weird since I suspect that most clerks know (at least by some point in their clerkship) what the extern hiring process is in their chambers even if they never bothered to even apply for an externship themselves.

[Emma.]

The hiring process varies by judge. I've seen some judges who handle the extern hiring process all on their own and I've seen some judges who completely delegate the process to their clerks. I have no idea what is the norm.

Is it competitive? If you want one specific judge then your odds probably aren't great. But in the grand scheme, it probably isn't competitive. There are hundreds of judges, each often hiring 3+ (sometimes as many as 5) externs each semester for 3 semesters a year (even more if you expand to include magistrate as well as district judges). It is not all that difficult to get an externship with a federal judge.

Oh and your assumption is a bit weird since I suspect that most clerks know (at least by some point in their clerkship) what the extern hiring process is in their chambers even if they never bothered to even apply for an externship themselves.

Maybe OP thinks that most people landed their current clerkship with a judge they had previously externed with? If that's what you are getting at, OP, I think that is very much the exception rather than the norm.

[AReasonableMan]

Do conflicts ever pose a problem after you return/go into practice? Namely, is there a risk you screw your company over by preventing them from taking on certain clients?

[run26.2]

They run conflicts before they hire you.

[LS-boundNYC]

When a judge doesn't post openings on OSCAR or only takes mail applications, is it generally ok to mail applications at any time? I wouldn't want to send something now and have it thrown away if they're not looking until, say, late winter or early spring.

[exitoptions]

When a judge doesn't post openings on OSCAR or only takes mail applications, is it generally ok to mail applications at any time? I wouldn't want to send something now and have it thrown away if they're not looking until, say, late winter or early spring.

Check Oscar and the Court website. Many judges list whether or not they are accepting applications on one or both sites.