Clerks Taking Questions Forum

[Anonymous User]

If I'm applying for a district court late. I.e, 4+ years after graduating what should my LOR breakdown be. Two employers and one professor I can maybe wrangle up?

[Anonymous User]

If I'm applying for a district court late. I.e, 4+ years after graduating what should my LOR breakdown be. Two employers and one professor I can maybe wrangle up?

I’m ALWAYS a proponent of whatever is the strongest collection. Judges by and large are looking for people who can do the work and fit, so just make sure whatever breakdown you have can help paint that picture. my letters for my current clerkship and interviews often did not perfectly align with what was requested, and Im straight out. You’ll have more leeway.

[Anonymous User]

If I've accepted a COA clerkship for a few years out (say 2027-2028), should I update my applications to clerkships with 2025/2026 starts? It doesn't really feel relevant since it would be after the ones I'm still applying to, but I also feel like it might get my application noticed more easily, especially for district court clerkships in the same circuit. What's the proper procedure?

[Anonymous User]

If I've accepted a COA clerkship for a few years out (say 2027-2028), should I update my applications to clerkships with 2025/2026 starts? It doesn't really feel relevant since it would be after the ones I'm still applying to, but I also feel like it might get my application noticed more easily, especially for district court clerkships in the same circuit. What's the proper procedure?

Yes update the apps. The Circuit acceptance serves as a "vouch" for you.

[Anonymous User]

Definitely update

[Anonymous User]

When do LORs go stale if ever. I've graduated so nothing new for the Professor to add after a year besides like hey this guy got one year older.

[Anonymous User]

When do LORs go stale if ever. I've graduated so nothing new for the Professor to add after a year besides like hey this guy got one year older.

If you've been out a couple years it might be worth asking if the professor could have their assistant re-date the letter. But judges hiring alumni candidates obviously expect that any academic reference will be several years old.

[Anonymous User]

When do LORs go stale if ever. I've graduated so nothing new for the Professor to add after a year besides like hey this guy got one year older.

If you've been out a couple years it might be worth asking if the professor could have their assistant re-date the letter. But judges hiring alumni candidates obviously expect that any academic reference will be several years old.

Oh interesting, yeah I'll check on that. How often should i be asking Professors to re-date letters. Obviously a 10-year old letter would be a red flag, but would a one or two year old letter be that much of a red flag. I'm not the best candidate so I'm buckling in for a long and continuous application cycle.

[Anonymous User]

When do LORs go stale if ever. I've graduated so nothing new for the Professor to add after a year besides like hey this guy got one year older.

If you've been out a couple years it might be worth asking if the professor could have their assistant re-date the letter. But judges hiring alumni candidates obviously expect that any academic reference will be several years old.

Oh interesting, yeah I'll check on that. How often should i be asking Professors to re-date letters. Obviously a 10-year old letter would be a red flag, but would a one or two year old letter be that much of a red flag. I'm not the best candidate so I'm buckling in for a long and continuous application cycle.

My schools forces our recommenders to re-date the letter yearly.

[Anonymous User]

Comment on my stats? Would prefer COA but maybe not likely.

- T14
- Sec. Journal
- Top 15%/Cum Laude
- Good grades from undergrad
- Prior internships with district judges
- Good letters of rec but maybe a bit generic/short
- 2 yrs working at a V15 firm (litigation)

Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

Comment on my stats? Would prefer COA but maybe not likely.

- T14
- Sec. Journal
- Top 15%/Cum Laude
- Good grades from undergrad
- Prior internships with district judges
- Good letters of rec but maybe a bit generic/short
- 2 yrs working at a V15 firm (litigation)

Thanks!

Any georgraphic constrains?

[Anonymous User]

Nope

[Anonymous User]

If applying after two or three years of work experience, you might be applying to clerkships that are posted for two or three years after, that? So you would be clerking as a fourth or fifth year? Is this normal/common? (3L who has been striking out and anticipating possibly applying for years)

[Anonymous User]

If applying after two or three years of work experience, you might be applying to clerkships that are posted for two or three years after, that? So you would be clerking as a fourth or fifth year? Is this normal/common? (3L who has been striking out and anticipating possibly applying for years)

It’s becoming more common to clerk 4 or 5 years out. I have clerked alongside people who were in their 4th year of practice, 9th year, and 7th year. But you would ideally apply continuously during your first and second year (and summer before starting when you’re studying for the bar) to land something sooner than that.

[Anonymous User]

For SLS grads, what are the typical grades needed for non-SDNY big-city district courts (NDCA/EDNY/NDIL etc)? Would half-Hs get a serious look, or do you need to be pushing 2/3rds to have a shot?

[Anonymous User]

Any idea how competitive I'd be if I were to apply for a year or two out? I struck out on plan last year but I'm still interested in potentially clerking in a few years. I know this forum tilts heavily T14, but I'm curious:

- EIC of T50 flagship
- Non-traditional student with significant PI experience (pre-law school)
- 3.8+ GPA, multiple "CALIs" (not sure on final rank yet, but def top 10%), took several of the "harder" courses (Fed Courts, Admin, Evidence, Advanced Civil Procedure) and got either an A or A- in them.
- Will start in BL litigation this fall
- Great letters of rec

[Anonymous User]

For SLS grads, what are the typical grades needed for non-SDNY big-city district courts (NDCA/EDNY/NDIL etc)? Would half-Hs get a serious look, or do you need to be pushing 2/3rds to have a shot?

You should get some interviews and don’t necessarily rule out SDNY.

[Anonymous User]

Any idea how competitive I'd be if I were to apply for a year or two out? I struck out on plan last year but I'm still interested in potentially clerking in a few years. I know this forum tilts heavily T14, but I'm curious:

- EIC of T50 flagship
- Non-traditional student with significant PI experience (pre-law school)
- 3.8+ GPA, multiple "CALIs" (not sure on final rank yet, but def top 10%), took several of the "harder" courses (Fed Courts, Admin, Evidence, Advanced Civil Procedure) and got either an A or A- in them.
- Will start in BL litigation this fall
- Great letters of rec

That profile should get CoA interviews in the circuit your law school is located in (unless your school is in NYC/DC), and from judges nationally who value PI and work experience (especially if you say in your cover letter you are looking for a clerkship as part of a plan to transition to PI after a couple years in BL). Definitely competitive for D. Ct., especially in markets you have ties to but also generally. Apply around.

[lavarman84]

Any idea how competitive I'd be if I were to apply for a year or two out? I struck out on plan last year but I'm still interested in potentially clerking in a few years. I know this forum tilts heavily T14, but I'm curious:

- EIC of T50 flagship
- Non-traditional student with significant PI experience (pre-law school)
- 3.8+ GPA, multiple "CALIs" (not sure on final rank yet, but def top 10%), took several of the "harder" courses (Fed Courts, Admin, Evidence, Advanced Civil Procedure) and got either an A or A- in them.
- Will start in BL litigation this fall
- Great letters of rec

Surprised you struck out. You should get a clerkship. Look into judges who have hired from your law school in the past. Additionally, I would assume that multiple past EICs of your law review have clerked. Reach out to the ones who have and see if they can offer any support.

[Anonymous User]

Re: the last candidate - you certainly have a decent shot but it’s not as weird you didn’t get anything on plan as people are suggesting, especially COA. I went to a T50 and the #1 student in my year, on LR though not EIC, struck out on federal clerkships completely. The #2 or #3 student (not sure what they were at that point), on eboard, got COA, and was the only one in my year who did. Our EIC got a district court clerkship, as did another woman on the eboard who had interned for the judge when he was a state judge. I was on the eboard and got a federal clerkship only after doing a state one first (which was pretty common out of my school).

That’s not to say you shouldn’t get anything - just saying it’s even harder to predict from this kind of school. I would say that we sent maybe 1 person a year to COA, if that.

That said, a couple years’ work experience will definitely put you in a better position. However, just from my anecdotal experience, DCt judges seem to value work experience more than COA judges. Most of the people I know who did COA did a lower level clerkship first.

But this is all entirely unscientific. It’s definitely worth applying in future. Connections through your firm could help a lot, too.

[Anonymous User]

Any ideas on where I'd be competitive? Looking for district, no geographic constraints but prefer to be in as major a district as I can land that will have some prestige pull for post-clerkship jobs in NYC. I applied last year as a 2L and struck out w/ one interview but I admittedly had too narrow of an application strategy. Just graduated and going for it again. Strong preference for '25-26 but would consider beyond that.

- T14
- 3.7 final GPA (cum laude)
- Law Review with published note
- Prior internship with district judge
- Good LOR, but probably not next-level amazing
- Some work experience prior to law school (nothing special)
- Litigation at V15 firm (NYC)

[Anonymous User]

Any consensus on how many years out of law school one is aged-out of a COA clerkship? Any judges COA judges prefer more experienced clerks?

[Anonymous User]

Re: the last candidate - you certainly have a decent shot but it’s not as weird you didn’t get anything on plan as people are suggesting, especially COA. I went to a T50 and the #1 student in my year, on LR though not EIC, struck out on federal clerkships completely. The #2 or #3 student (not sure what they were at that point), on eboard, got COA, and was the only one in my year who did. Our EIC got a district court clerkship, as did another woman on the eboard who had interned for the judge when he was a state judge. I was on the eboard and got a federal clerkship only after doing a state one first (which was pretty common out of my school).

That’s not to say you shouldn’t get anything - just saying it’s even harder to predict from this kind of school. I would say that we sent maybe 1 person a year to COA, if that.

That said, a couple years’ work experience will definitely put you in a better position. However, just from my anecdotal experience, DCt judges seem to value work experience more than COA judges. Most of the people I know who did COA did a lower level clerkship first.

But this is all entirely unscientific. It’s definitely worth applying in future. Connections through your firm could help a lot, too.

EIC anon, here.

Thanks for all of the advice. As some have speculated, my school is located in one of the bigger circuits (2d/9th/DC), so that's part of the problem. My school has better success with state courts, and my clerkship advisor said not to apply to SSC because I had a BL offer already and she believed I'd get federal (this was bad advice, but she was coming from a good place). I'll polish my samples and do another round of applications after the bar and keep at it as I build more connections.

[Anonymous User]

Any idea how competitive I'd be if I were to apply for a year or two out? I struck out on plan last year but I'm still interested in potentially clerking in a few years. I know this forum tilts heavily T14, but I'm curious:

- EIC of T50 flagship
- Non-traditional student with significant PI experience (pre-law school)
- 3.8+ GPA, multiple "CALIs" (not sure on final rank yet, but def top 10%), took several of the "harder" courses (Fed Courts, Admin, Evidence, Advanced Civil Procedure) and got either an A or A- in them.
- Will start in BL litigation this fall
- Great letters of rec

Fellow non-T14er here. I had similar stats, finished 2nd, and was EIC of the flagship at a T60-ish school. Currently clerking for a district court in a fly-over district and will be transitioning to a COA clerkship next term.

I luckily landed the district court clerkship before the OSCAR cycle, so I only applied for COAs. But I had very little luck--just an interview that was scheduled but never actually occurred. In my experience, those of us from the non-elite law schools don't fare well in the OSCAR process (not saying that's unfair/unjustified, considering the excellent candidates that swarm OSCAR each cycle).

That said, I do think that your stats make you a very solid candidate at the end of the day, especially with some litigations experience under your beld. I wound up with my clerkships largely through networking, and my similarly situated friends who landed a clerkship followed the same path. Perhaps a former professor or colleague clerked for a Judge who's still active and could put in a word for you. If that's not an option, I'd recommend sending paper applications to chambers you think you'd have a reasonable shot with. Some Judges don't go the OSCAR route (or at least don't strictly adhere to the plan), so a paper application could widdle down the applicant pool and demonstrate significant interest.

All in all, I think there a good amount of chambers that would welcome you as a clerk with your stats and background, save the crazy competitive spots like SDNY and DDC. But you may have to take a less conventional approach to the application process to secure a position.

[Anonymous User]

3L, just graduated. Six interviews, five nos. I promise I am not a weirdo or acting strange in these interviews or anything. Any success stories from anyone that had to push through this much failure to eventually succeed? I don't want to quit, but I have to believe there's hope to keep trying.