Let's talk 2nd Circuit! Forum

[Anonymous User]

This post on SDNY judges, from a few years ago so a little outdated, is accurate: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=202778&start=125#p10285523

Rakoff at least nowadays is one of the lightest clerkships on SDNY

[Anonymous User]

There aren't that many "avoids" in SDNY, but there are a few in EDNY. To be sure, SDNY has insane hours but that's the price you pay for the prestige.

Berman is a definite avoid and maybe Caproni too.

Failla, Koeltl, Daniels and Gardephe have crazy hours.

A lot of the hardest-working judges on SDNY have unusually good work product, because the hours reflect the time needed to treat each case thoroughly on a court as busy as SDNY. Koeltl is a good example. Daniels is not in that group. (Fwiw I’ve also never heard he has crazy hours, but that’s just bc I’ve never heard one way or another.)

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know how active Hellerstein and Crotty are at this point? (And have a sense of how that might affect the experience/value of clerking for them)?

[Anonymous User]

Hellerstein is a bit more active than Crotty but they both have robust dockets on the criminal and civil sides, with Hellerstein a bit more so than Crotty. Hellerstein is in the middle of presiding over a high-profile criminal trial and also handled the Trump hush payments removal case last summer.

SDNY senior judges can go on and off the wheel for civil and/or criminal cases as they please, and thus can regulate the flow of their workloads.

That being said, the hours are probably a bit more on the more reasonable side than some of the active judges, and their caseloads are probably more interesting too since they can pick and choose what they take and refrain from handling more routine cases.

Hellerstein is known as a great mentor and is very invested in his clerks, but I also know Crotty clerks who love and adore him as well.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know how active Hellerstein and Crotty are at this point? (And have a sense of how that might affect the experience/value of clerking for them)?

Crotty isn’t really working right now. I don’t know that much about Hellerstein as a clerkship but his rep as a judge is not amazing. As a boss, he’s probably fine though.

[Anonymous User]

Has Ho interviewed?

[brevislux]

Has Ho interviewed?

He interviewed an alum from my school (albeit someone he already knew) about a month ago.

[mrpotatoe3045]

Anyone have intel on judges Subramanian and Ronnie Abrams? Tried looking around and could not find much here.

[Anonymous User]

Subramanian is feeder-level; think Kovner. He also really prefers a prior appellate clerkship. Abrams is also extremely competitive (granted every SDNJ judge is) but not a feeder.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have intel on judges Subramanian and Ronnie Abrams? Tried looking around and could not find much here.

Subramanian is a great clerkship in all respects. Very competitive though.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have intel on judges Subramanian and Ronnie Abrams? Tried looking around and could not find much here.

Subramanian seems to hire a lot of clerks coming off of COA feeder/semi-feeder clerkships. I’ve also heard more anecdotally that he has hired a lot of clerks with connections to Susman, where he was previously a partner. I’ll echo what the other poster said about his hiring being extremely competitive.

I’ve also heard very good things about working for him from his Susman days.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have intel on what the Richard Wesley clerkship experience is like? Does he hire ideologically?

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have intel on what the Richard Wesley clerkship experience is like? Does he hire ideologically?

Not sure if he hires ideologically, but have heard good things about the experience. Notably, he has gone on vacations with former clerks before, which I take as a pretty good sign that he treats his clerks well.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have intel on what the Richard Wesley clerkship experience is like? Does he hire ideologically?

Not sure if he hires ideologically, but have heard good things about the experience. Notably, he has gone on vacations with former clerks before, which I take as a pretty good sign that he treats his clerks well.

Former Wesley clerk here. The experience was amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better clerkship experience. He's got a very sharp mind and is such a joy to be around. He generally becomes a mentor and friend for life with his clerks. He does go on vacations with former clerks (he just did last year) and has a fun reunion every year. He's probably the most social judge on CA2 and is not shy to bring you around other Judges, etc. when appropriate. If he respects you and your work, he will pick up the phone for you to help you get career opportunities if he thinks it will be helpful and/or is appropriate.

Hiring wise, he does not necessarily hire ideologically: he has hired clerks across the political spectrum and my year, I had both conservative and liberal co-clerks. It is helpful to be recommended by someone he knows and/or respects. If you have a professor or some other connection that knows him or who has been before him frequently (and is a respected advocate) that can speak to you as a candidate, you should ask them to be your recommender. From there, if you get an interview, just be yourself. He wants good clerks that will excel and that he doesn't mind being around a ton.

[Anonymous User]

Subramanian is feeder-level; think Kovner. He also really prefers a prior appellate clerkship. Abrams is also extremely competitive (granted every SDNJ judge is) but not a feeder.

Anything on clerkship experience with Abrams? Much appreciated.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have intel on what the Richard Wesley clerkship experience is like? Does he hire ideologically?

In my experience Wesley’s clerks love him. He’s an ultra-extrovert; remember that he’s a former politician; and his clerks also seemed unusually extroverted. It sounds like it can be a bit of an intense experience because you’re out in the middle of nowhere, but Geneseo sounds lovely.

[Anonymous User]

Subramanian is feeder-level; think Kovner. He also really prefers a prior appellate clerkship. Abrams is also extremely competitive (granted every SDNJ judge is) but not a feeder.

Anything on clerkship experience with Abrams? Much appreciated.

Abrams is very relaxed, sane and fun from my experiences. She is married to a DPW partner who happens to be amazing to work for as well.

[Anonymous User]

Subramanian is feeder-level; think Kovner. He also really prefers a prior appellate clerkship. Abrams is also extremely competitive (granted every SDNJ judge is) but not a feeder.

Anything on clerkship experience with Abrams? Much appreciated.

Abrams is very relaxed, sane and fun from my experiences. She is married to a DPW partner who happens to be amazing to work for as well.

I’ve heard really great things — good mentor and cares a lot about her clerks. Very competitive clerkship, though, even for SDNY.

[kman3141]

Any intel on what Furman is like as a boss?

[Anonymous User]

Any Broderick, Gardephe, or Cronan movement?

[Anonymous User]

Curious as to anyone know why published opinions don't have a standardized format like other circuits? I could be looking @ 3 published opinions and they would look different from one another

[Anonymous User]

Curious as to anyone know why published opinions don't have a standardized format like other circuits? I could be looking @ 3 published opinions and they would look different from one another

Judges, not the clerk, format opinions, and there’s never been a universal template liked by all judges. They’ve actually gotten somewhat more consistent over time.

[Anonymous User]

Curious as to anyone know why published opinions don't have a standardized format like other circuits? I could be looking @ 3 published opinions and they would look different from one another

Judges, not the clerk, format opinions, and there’s never been a universal template liked by all judges. They’ve actually gotten somewhat more consistent over time.

It isn't just published opinions, either. The summary orders are all over the place, too.

"Format" understates it, if anything. Counsel listings! Indents! Justification! How case numbers are listed! Whether lead and consolidated cases are identified! The identification of district judges! The very purpose of those weird, borderline-pointless pre-opinion blurbs! Everything that can differ does differ.

I don't think the court realizes what an odd outlier it is. The lack of a unified look to the work-product only accentuates the whole separate-fiefdoms feel of the place.

[Anonymous User]

Curious as to anyone know why published opinions don't have a standardized format like other circuits? I could be looking @ 3 published opinions and they would look different from one another

Judges, not the clerk, format opinions, and there’s never been a universal template liked by all judges. They’ve actually gotten somewhat more consistent over time.

It isn't just published opinions, either. The summary orders are all over the place, too.

"Format" understates it, if anything. Counsel listings! Indents! Justification! How case numbers are listed! Whether lead and consolidated cases are identified! The identification of district judges! The very purpose of those weird, borderline-pointless pre-opinion blurbs! Everything that can differ does differ.

I don't think the court realizes what an odd outlier it is. The lack of a unified look to the work-product only accentuates the whole separate-fiefdoms feel of the place.

Anyone getting the sense from recent summary orders that perhaps judges who did not preside are nonetheless writing (some of) them? The "format" of some is a dead giveaway.

[Anonymous User]

To answer prior questions:

Furman is a lovely boss, but generally only hires from HYS. Hours are SDNY-esque, but not terrible.

Gardephe and Cronan hired. Broderick hires off-plan and generally does not hire current law students. Most of his clerks are 3rd-5th year associates and he likes hiring people who clerked for another judge previously, be it a circuit judge, magistrate, or even a state court judge.