2014-2015 Clerkship Application Thread - OP Updated 04/19/13 Forum

[forza]

Does it make sense to put a subject line on paper applications? I was thinking something like "Clerkship Application" (in big and small caps ) at the top of the envelope. Professors do that for letters of recommendations at our school. I'd like that if I was getting receiving an application, but I don't want to give them a reason to just put it aside.

Seems unnecessary. I didn't do it on any of my clerkship applications last year, and I got a couple interviews from paper applications. But I also don't think your application will get put to the side because they think your header is frivolous.

[Anonymous User]

Does it make sense to put a subject line on paper applications? I was thinking something like "Clerkship Application" (in big and small caps ) at the top of the envelope. Professors do that for letters of recommendations at our school. I'd like that if I was getting receiving an application, but I don't want to give them a reason to just put it aside.

Seems unnecessary. I didn't do it on any of my clerkship applications last year, and I got a couple interviews from paper applications. But I also don't think your application will get put to the side because they think your header is frivolous.

Cool -- I won't do it then. Thanks!

[ClerkAdvisor]

Does it make sense to put a subject line on paper applications? I was thinking something like "Clerkship Application" (in big and small caps ) at the top of the envelope. Professors do that for letters of recommendations at our school. I'd like that if I was getting receiving an application, but I don't want to give them a reason to just put it aside.

Seems unnecessary. I didn't do it on any of my clerkship applications last year, and I got a couple interviews from paper applications. But I also don't think your application will get put to the side because they think your header is frivolous.

Cool -- I won't do it then. Thanks!

Definitely not needed. Anything you send to chambers will get opened and it's pretty clear, once opened, that it's a clerkship application.

[ClerkAdvisor]

Where did this whole "the Second Circuit is all done hiring" business come from? I thought 2nd circuit COA judges are pretty much sticking to the hiring plan? Are judges like Sack, Lohier, and Lynch done because they hired 2Ls already or because the filled up all their spots with 3Ls, alums, and deferred hires?

Judges like Sack, Jacobs, Straub, etc. have all, at least in the past few years, hired on-plan 3L's for terms starting at least one year after graduation. Last I heard, the majority of clerks on the 2d Circuit are alumni. I would expect many of the 2d Circuit judges to be hiring this summer/fall for 2015-16 term clerkships.

[gdane]

Officially starting the process. I don't know how much of a chance I have, but one of my profs. is really pushing me to do it.

Regarding writing samples, the specific judge I'm applying to wants 2 writing samples. I plan to use an excerpt from a note I wrote, but could I also use a non-legal piece of writing like a short story?

I have a memo I wrote, an appellate brief, and some other junk, but I don't feel they're all good because they were written during 1L.

[A. Nony Mouse]

No no no no no. No short story. A judge wants to see legal analysis. If all you have is 1L stuff, then that's what you use. (Assuming you're currently a 2L, that's not too unusual, depending what you did during the summers - for instance, I interned for a SSC justice 1L summer who wouldn't let anyone use writing from there as a writing sample.) Just edit it up to make it the best that you can.

[patrickd139]

Officially starting the process. I don't know how much of a chance I have, but one of my profs. is really pushing me to do it.

Regarding writing samples, the specific judge I'm applying to wants 2 writing samples. I plan to use an excerpt from a note I wrote, but could I also use a non-legal piece of writing like a short story?

I have a memo I wrote, an appellate brief, and some other junk, but I don't feel they're all good because they were written during 1L.

Link him to your post history. That'll work.

All kidding aside: don't submit a short story.

[Anonymous User]

I applied to a judge who specifically requested a "non-legal" writing sample, but even then, I think a short story wouldn't be appropriate. I assumed he/she wanted something that was still analytic.

[LeDique]

Our clerkship panel is currently telling us to wait until the end of this semester to apply for clerkships. This is absolutely wrong, right?

[Tangerine Gleam]

Our clerkship panel is currently telling us to wait until the end of this semester to apply for clerkships. This is absolutely wrong, right?

If you are applying to circuit court positions, then yes, this is completely wrong. A year ago, I would have responded differently.

[Citizen Genet]

Our clerkship panel is currently telling us to wait until the end of this semester to apply for clerkships. This is absolutely wrong, right?

[LeDique]

Our clerkship panel is currently telling us to wait until the end of this semester to apply for clerkships. This is absolutely wrong, right?

If you are applying to circuit court positions, then yes, this is completely wrong. A year ago, I would have responded differently.

What about Fed. District? That's as high as I'm gunning.

[Citizen Genet]

Our clerkship panel is currently telling us to wait until the end of this semester to apply for clerkships. This is absolutely wrong, right?

If you are applying to circuit court positions, then yes, this is completely wrong. A year ago, I would have responded differently.

What about Fed. District? That's as high as I'm gunning.

Depends on the district and judge. My recommendation is have absolutely everything ready to mail on May 1. A few districts have a trend (CDCa in particular) of interviewing before then so if you're really interested in LA/OC then be ready even earlier than that.

[A. Nony Mouse]

For district courts, I think it's still unclear how many people are staying on plan, or how the judges who are going off-plan are handling the applications. But I don't think it hurts anyone to apply earlier, unless you're really hoping your grades are going to go up this semester or something. My theory is, if you apply early you can't be shut out - if they aren't looking at apps yet they'll just stick yours in the pile, but if you apply later and they've hired already, oh well.

(mostly I'm answering to say that all these Robin Singh tars are freaking. me. out.)

[forza]

So is there any consensus on when to send CoA apps? If they're ready to go now, should we send now?

[Anonymous User]

So is there any consensus on when to send CoA apps? If they're ready to go now, should we send now?

Yes.

[Anonymous User]

anyone have any 5th circuit info? I'm hearing bits here and there about a few judges hiring.

[ph14]

OP updated with information about Judge Wardlaw.

[ClerkAdvisor]

Officially starting the process. I don't know how much of a chance I have, but one of my profs. is really pushing me to do it.

Regarding writing samples, the specific judge I'm applying to wants 2 writing samples. I plan to use an excerpt from a note I wrote, but could I also use a non-legal piece of writing like a short story?

I have a memo I wrote, an appellate brief, and some other junk, but I don't feel they're all good because they were written during 1L.

To reemphasize what others have said, please do not send a short story as a second writing sample. That said, if you have published a short story in the New Yorker, Paris Review, Southern Review, Virginia Quarterly, etc., you should definitely mention it.

[ClerkAdvisor]

Our clerkship panel is currently telling us to wait until the end of this semester to apply for clerkships. This is absolutely wrong, right?

Yes, that panel is absolutely wrong. If you have all your spring grades, you should be sending out applications. There are circuit and district judges who are interviewing and hiring now. And last year, I knew of people interviewing/getting hired in March-April (same to a much lesser extent the year before).

[ClerkAdvisor]

anyone have any 5th circuit info? I'm hearing bits here and there about a few judges hiring.

In the past couple year, many, if not most, of the 5th Circuit republican appointed judges have been hiring in the late spring/early summer. I would anticipate that they would continue that trend/move hiring forward (and, I heard of some interviewing and/or hiring 3L's this past Fall for 2014 clerkships).

[gdane]

To reemphasize what others have said, please do not send a short story as a second writing sample. That said, if you have published a short story in the New Yorker, Paris Review, Southern Review, Virginia Quarterly, etc., you should definitely mention it.

Definitely haven't done that.

Thanks for the advice. I'll polish up one of the memo's I wrote and send that along with my note.

[forza]

Is anyone else having trouble uploading writing samples into OSCAR? The "please wait" wheel just keeps spinning. Piece of crap system.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Our clerkship panel is currently telling us to wait until the end of this semester to apply for clerkships. This is absolutely wrong, right?

Yes, that panel is absolutely wrong. If you have all your spring grades, you should be sending out applications. There are circuit and district judges who are interviewing and hiring now. And last year, I knew of people interviewing/getting hired in March-April (same to a much lesser extent the year before).

Do you mean fall grades?

[TatteredDignity]

Just to be clear, we can't apply for anything *through* Oscar right now, but we can see some judges accepting paper apps *on* Oscar, yes?

And then there are more judges who have not posted on Oscar but are hiring, and this can be determined only by calling chambers or through some other source?