Clerks Taking Questions Forum

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L, top 10%, LR at low T14. I wanted to ask: do your odds of getting a federal clerkship go up if you have work experience? If there's no real difference, I might just start the clerkship application process to apply in 2L spring -- but if I could boost my chances a bit by waiting for a few years and clerking after a year as an associate, I would be willing to do so. Thoughts?

Yes basically every judge except one off the top of my head (Smith in the Fifth Circuit) view work experience as a significant plus. That being said. No reason you shouldn't apply now and then just apply again later if you don'tget anything.

[Anonymous User]

In terms of recommenders, is there any value at all to a letter of rec from a professor for whom you worked as a TA, but with whom you did not take any classes?

[Anonymous User]

Is there any value at all to getting a letter of rec from a professor for whom you TAed but with whom you didn't take any classes?

[Yeti]

Is there any value at all to getting a letter of rec from a professor for whom you TAed but with whom you didn't take any classes?

Yes, why not? It’s like having a recommendation from a manager. I’d say if you already have two recommendation letters from professors (whose classes you took), go for it.

[Anonymous User]

Just here to vent that I've gone 0-4 for COA interviews and I am really starting to become hopeless... someone tell me there is a light at the end of the tunnel

[lavarman84]

Just here to vent that I've gone 0-4 for COA interviews and I am really starting to become hopeless... someone tell me there is a light at the end of the tunnel

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. If you go 1-5, you still will be a COA clerk.

[Anonymous User]

Just here to vent that I've gone 0-4 for COA interviews and I am really starting to become hopeless... someone tell me there is a light at the end of the tunnel

I had a similar ratio and snagged one on my last go around. It will work out eventually. Getting that many interviews is a very good sign.

[Anonymous User]

Just here to vent that I've gone 0-4 for COA interviews and I am really starting to become hopeless... someone tell me there is a light at the end of the tunnel

Hey, just want to encourage you and say you got this. Going 0 for 4 does not mean you're not destined to get a COA, in fact it means the opposite. Getting 4 COA interviews itself is an achievement and surely means you will get more interviews if you keep applying.

[Anonymous User]

I knew someone with at least as bad a ratio who later landed the right ones, and later SCOTUS.

[Anonymous User]

Just here to vent that I've gone 0-4 for COA interviews and I am really starting to become hopeless... someone tell me there is a light at the end of the tunnel

I had a similar ratio and snagged one on my last go around. It will work out eventually. Getting that many interviews is a very good sign.

Ugh really hoping so

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any advice on how to prepare for COA clerkship? Coming off district court. Should I be reading more legal news blogs and start listening to podcasts? Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any advice on how to prepare for COA clerkship? Coming off district court. Should I be reading more legal news blogs and start listening to podcasts? Thanks.

Honestly a COA clerkship is way easier than district. Your skills learned this last year will transfer over really well. I’d enjoy the time off if you have any.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any advice on how to prepare for COA clerkship? Coming off district court. Should I be reading more legal news blogs and start listening to podcasts? Thanks.

You don't really need to do anything, but it's worth subscribing to the Short Circuit newsletter (weekly interesting cases from the COAs) and maybe listening to a podcast or two if you enjoy them. The most popular podcasts are Strict Scrutiny (liberal), Advisory Opinions (conservative), and Divided Argument (mixed). Strict Scrutiny isn't really targeted at lawyers (it used to be, but it's part of the Pod Save America network now), Divided Argument is probably incomprehensible to non-lawyers, Advisory Opinions is in between. There are also some more niche ones; I enjoy the National Security Law Podcast and sometimes the Texas Appellate Law Podcast.

[lavarman84]

Does anyone have any advice on how to prepare for COA clerkship? Coming off district court. Should I be reading more legal news blogs and start listening to podcasts? Thanks.

If you can handle the district court, you'll be fine. COA is slower paced. You'll be taking a far deeper dive into cases. To the extent you can prepare, it's trying to understand your judge's ideology and digging into how to analyze cases from that POV. But that's not always obvious until you get there.

[Anonymous User]

Does clerking on SCOTUS count towards the 4 year max on federal clerkships?

Only thing I can find is: “Term federal judicial law clerks serve on an appointment limited to a total of four years . . .”

https://oscar.uscourts.gov/qualificatio ... y_benefits

[Anonymous User]

3L at CCN. GPA currently a hair under top 10% (think .01). Senior-ish position on a secondary journal. I am incredibly fortunate to have a return offer from a V100 and to have accepted a COA clerkship for 24-25 (non-feeder, not 2/9/DC), but am hoping if possible to clerk for a district court in 25-26. Due to personal constraints I’m limited that year to districts commutable from New York (possibly extendable to southern NJ or Philly).

I am currently planning on taking fedcourts this semester (although I could theoretically drop if needed). Fedcourts is one of the relatively few courses students are allowed to take P/F, and about a third of the class usually does. Am I better taking it for a grade, or taking it P/F and meaningfully increasing my chances at Magna/Coif? How much will district judges care about a P/F grade? To what degree am I overthinking this?

(If it makes a difference, the Professor is moderately more generous than the usual curve, and the large majority of the class get at least a B+. Also if it makes a difference, I currently only have one other black letter this semester (Evidence)).

[Anonymous User]

3L at CCN. GPA currently a hair under top 10% (think .01). Senior-ish position on a secondary journal. I am incredibly fortunate to have a return offer from a V100 and to have accepted a COA clerkship for 24-25 (non-feeder, not 2/9/DC), but am hoping if possible to clerk for a district court in 25-26. Due to personal constraints I’m limited that year to districts commutable from New York (possibly extendable to southern NJ or Philly).

I am currently planning on taking fedcourts this semester (although I could theoretically drop if needed). Fedcourts is one of the relatively few courses students are allowed to take P/F, and about a third of the class usually does. Am I better taking it for a grade, or taking it P/F and meaningfully increasing my chances at Magna/Coif? How much will district judges care about a P/F grade? To what degree am I overthinking this?

(If it makes a difference, the Professor is moderately more generous than the usual curve, and the large majority of the class get at least a B+. Also if it makes a difference, I currently only have one other black letter this semester (Evidence)).

Don't take fed courts P/F. Also, of course, go for coif, but I think with a circuit position and cum laude, you're in a good position for EDNY/DNJ/EDPA/DConn if you blanket those judges.

[Anonymous User]

3L at CCN. GPA currently a hair under top 10% (think .01). Senior-ish position on a secondary journal. I am incredibly fortunate to have a return offer from a V100 and to have accepted a COA clerkship for 24-25 (non-feeder, not 2/9/DC), but am hoping if possible to clerk for a district court in 25-26. Due to personal constraints I’m limited that year to districts commutable from New York (possibly extendable to southern NJ or Philly).

I am currently planning on taking fedcourts this semester (although I could theoretically drop if needed). Fedcourts is one of the relatively few courses students are allowed to take P/F, and about a third of the class usually does. Am I better taking it for a grade, or taking it P/F and meaningfully increasing my chances at Magna/Coif? How much will district judges care about a P/F grade? To what degree am I overthinking this?

(If it makes a difference, the Professor is moderately more generous than the usual curve, and the large majority of the class get at least a B+. Also if it makes a difference, I currently only have one other black letter this semester (Evidence)).

I’d urge you to consider waiting to decide if you really want to clerk twice, especially when you already have a circuit court clerkship and the two would be back to back. Plus you could get two clerkship bonuses if you spread them out.

[Anonymous User]

3L at CCN. GPA currently a hair under top 10% (think .01). Senior-ish position on a secondary journal. I am incredibly fortunate to have a return offer from a V100 and to have accepted a COA clerkship for 24-25 (non-feeder, not 2/9/DC), but am hoping if possible to clerk for a district court in 25-26. Due to personal constraints I’m limited that year to districts commutable from New York (possibly extendable to southern NJ or Philly).

I am currently planning on taking fedcourts this semester (although I could theoretically drop if needed). Fedcourts is one of the relatively few courses students are allowed to take P/F, and about a third of the class usually does. Am I better taking it for a grade, or taking it P/F and meaningfully increasing my chances at Magna/Coif? How much will district judges care about a P/F grade? To what degree am I overthinking this?

(If it makes a difference, the Professor is moderately more generous than the usual curve, and the large majority of the class get at least a B+. Also if it makes a difference, I currently only have one other black letter this semester (Evidence)).

I’d urge you to consider waiting to decide if you really want to clerk twice, especially when you already have a circuit court clerkship and the two would be back to back. Plus you could get two clerkship bonuses if you spread them out.

Some anon on this forum really hates double clerking

For OP, do not take Fed Courts P/F, that looks terrible

[Anonymous User]

3L at CCN. GPA currently a hair under top 10% (think .01). Senior-ish position on a secondary journal. I am incredibly fortunate to have a return offer from a V100 and to have accepted a COA clerkship for 24-25 (non-feeder, not 2/9/DC), but am hoping if possible to clerk for a district court in 25-26. Due to personal constraints I’m limited that year to districts commutable from New York (possibly extendable to southern NJ or Philly).

I am currently planning on taking fedcourts this semester (although I could theoretically drop if needed). Fedcourts is one of the relatively few courses students are allowed to take P/F, and about a third of the class usually does. Am I better taking it for a grade, or taking it P/F and meaningfully increasing my chances at Magna/Coif? How much will district judges care about a P/F grade? To what degree am I overthinking this?

(If it makes a difference, the Professor is moderately more generous than the usual curve, and the large majority of the class get at least a B+. Also if it makes a difference, I currently only have one other black letter this semester (Evidence)).

I’d urge you to consider waiting to decide if you really want to clerk twice, especially when you already have a circuit court clerkship and the two would be back to back. Plus you could get two clerkship bonuses if you spread them out.

Some anon on this forum really hates double clerking

For OP, do not take Fed Courts P/F, that looks terrible

I get the hate for two COA clerkships, but Dist. Ct. & COA clerkships are so different that it makes ZERO sense to conflate the two and dissuade anyone from pursuing both.

OP: You absolutely should take Fed Courts with regular grading. Fed Courts is essential to being a litigator, so your grade in that class is something judges and probably even some employers will train their eye on. Plus, you've done super well this far—go kill it in Fed Courts and bump that GPA up a notch!

[Anonymous User]

3L at CCN. GPA currently a hair under top 10% (think .01). Senior-ish position on a secondary journal. I am incredibly fortunate to have a return offer from a V100 and to have accepted a COA clerkship for 24-25 (non-feeder, not 2/9/DC), but am hoping if possible to clerk for a district court in 25-26. Due to personal constraints I’m limited that year to districts commutable from New York (possibly extendable to southern NJ or Philly).

I am currently planning on taking fedcourts this semester (although I could theoretically drop if needed). Fedcourts is one of the relatively few courses students are allowed to take P/F, and about a third of the class usually does. Am I better taking it for a grade, or taking it P/F and meaningfully increasing my chances at Magna/Coif? How much will district judges care about a P/F grade? To what degree am I overthinking this?

(If it makes a difference, the Professor is moderately more generous than the usual curve, and the large majority of the class get at least a B+. Also if it makes a difference, I currently only have one other black letter this semester (Evidence)).

I’d urge you to consider waiting to decide if you really want to clerk twice, especially when you already have a circuit court clerkship and the two would be back to back. Plus you could get two clerkship bonuses if you spread them out.

Some anon on this forum really hates double clerking

For OP, do not take Fed Courts P/F, that looks terrible

I get the hate for two COA clerkships, but Dist. Ct. & COA clerkships are so different that it makes ZERO sense to conflate the two and dissuade anyone from pursuing both.

OP: You absolutely should take Fed Courts with regular grading. Fed Courts is essential to being a litigator, so your grade in that class is something judges and probably even some employers will train their eye on. Plus, you've done super well this far—go kill it in Fed Courts and bump that GPA up a notch!

Agree with everyone else to take Fed Courts for a grade and try to get an A. If anything, take another class P/F so you can focus on Fed Courts. It's the first class my judge looks for.

Re: double clerking, I think that anon's point was to space out the salary drops. There's benefits to going both ways. I loved being able to leave biglaw twice.

[Anonymous User]

While 1L curves tend to be pretty standard, I know that 2L/3L curves in some of the T14s vary quite a bit. Like Northwestern, Georgetown, and Penn curve high even for BLLs while NYU's 2L/3L curve is actually worse for BLLs and Columbia's I think is not much better. Is this something judges or clerks are taking into account?

[Anonymous User]

While 1L curves tend to be pretty standard, I know that 2L/3L curves in some of the T14s vary quite a bit. Like Northwestern, Georgetown, and Penn curve high even for BLLs while NYU's 2L/3L curve is actually worse for BLLs and Columbia's I think is not much better. Is this something judges or clerks are taking into account?

Yes, at least some judges do. Northwestern in particular is a really egregious offender. Also even feeders don’t expect literal straight As from Chicago given its low curve, which is another way they’re sensitive.

[Anonymous User]

Is there any consensus around whether thank you notes post-interviews should be emails or handwritten mailed notes? As the digital world becomes more common, it feels more and more creepy to send physical notes, but I have seen references to mailing thank you notes versus sending an email...

[Anonymous User]

Is there any consensus around whether thank you notes post-interviews should be emails or handwritten mailed notes? As the digital world becomes more common, it feels more and more creepy to send physical notes, but I have seen references to mailing thank you notes versus sending an email...

There are probably some very traditional judges out there who still like snail mail, but I think email is a much better idea. I don't think you can try to take every idiosyncrasy into account all the time, and someone who particularly likes a snail mail thank you will doubtless still be satisfied with an e-mail. Whether a thank you note comes by e-mail or snail mail isn't going to be the thing that gets you hired (or not hired).