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

[Anonymous User]

Well, the letter I got wasn't an out and out rejection. I just assumed it was, but maybe it was a confirmation of receipt

Yeah, when I get letters I just look at the signature and don't read the body, too.

was posting from phone, didn't feel like outlining every step of my reasoning. surely it makes more sense to figure that I did read the body and assumed from the body that it was a rejection?

kudos, though

[Anonymous User]

Well, the letter I got wasn't an out and out rejection. I just assumed it was, but maybe it was a confirmation of receipt

Yeah, when I get letters I just look at the signature and don't read the body, too.

was posting from phone, didn't feel like outlining every step of my reasoning. surely it makes more sense to figure that I did read the body and assumed from the body that it was a rejection?

kudos, though

If you have the same letter I have, then I have no idea how you assumed it was a rejection- easily one of the most courteous and promising confirmations of receipt I've received out of dozens.

[Anonymous User]

How long was it after you sent in applications that you got this confirmation?

[Anonymous User]

How long was it after you sent in applications that you got this confirmation?

Roughly a week.

[Anonymous User]

Gonna start a separate 10th Cir. thread.

[Anonymous User]

School range: NYU
Rank: Top 20% (?)
LR?: Yes, no board.
Published?: Nahdawg.
Recs: 1 solid (well-know prof.); 2 effectively still ???? (working on it).
2L/3L/Alum?: 2L
Where applying?: 9th Cir. wilderness/10/1/4/SDNY/EDNY
Any other factors: Pre-LS resume very heavy on public interest work, but summering at fancy-pants biglaw firm. I don't know what that means.

Someone talk chances to me?

-Lolrev

[Anonymous User]

My impression, although I could be wrong, is that the courts you're looking at are more into top 10%. Might have some more luck with the 10th Cir./1st in rural places/EDNY, but beyond that I think it will be an uphill battle.

[Anonymous User]

Really, really not happy with OSCAR being down. Will be next to impossible to duplicate it as a resource for checking openings. Basically stalled until mid-April when it comes back.

[Anonymous User]

I have an interview coming up with a COA judge in what is the epitome of a flyover location. It's the first interview I've been given, but I haven't sent out many apps yet, either (I'm a little behind).

I don't know how the judge operates, but if I'm lucky enough to receive an offer very soon after I interview, I want to be able to accept it without reservation. The thing is, I have a few judges on my list who are in more desirable locations (both objectively and for personal reasons), and I want to make sure I'm not missing out on better opportunities just because I'm in a rush to land something -- anything.

To provide a little more context, I'm from a flyover part of the country myself, and I probably eventually want to settle down there to start a family. But before I do that, I'd like to take a shot at some kind of complex litigation/appellate practice in CHI/DC/etc., whether with a big firm's appellate group or a boutique. As far as I can tell, that kind of work doesn't really exist in the medium-sized city I'm from.

I go to a school a little outside the T14, but I'm at the top of the class. I don't think feeder judges are in play, both because it's too late and because we've never really sent anyone to the most competitive judges.

So, to crystallize that rambling into a few questions:

1) Once you get past the "prestigious" feeder-like judges, is everything sort of interchangeable? I.e., will I have similar career opportunities clerking for a random judge in a flyover location than clerking for a non-feeder judge in a more desirable location?

2) Assuming that non-feeder clerkships are fungible, would it be better to wait on the 2 or 3 judges who are much closer to my eventual geographic landing spot? My thinking is that this would better connect me to that part of the country, but I could see this mattering more for a district court position (where you actually interact with the attorneys).

Basically, If I were ranking COA positions, this would be toward the bottom. But it seems foolish to pass up ANY COA position, because you never know if something else will come along. I'd appreciate any advice/perspective on this. Thanks!

Edit: I'm feeling a little paranoid for some reason (thus the vagueness above)... if you would mind not quoting but just referring to this post as "flyover guy" or something, I'd appreciate it.

[Tangerine Gleam]

To FlyoverGuy: how have students at your school with your class standing fared in previous years? That could (obviously) give you a good idea of what might be in play if you were to wait out the application process. Do these judges in more desirable areas have a track record of hiring from your school?

[Anonymous User]

Any thoughts on semi-flyover non-feeder circuit court (phoenix, new orleans, etc...) vs strong district judge in city (Not in NY or CA) that I intend to practice in?

different anonymous.

[Anonymous User]

To FlyoverGuy: how have students at your school with your class standing fared in previous years? That could (obviously) give you a good idea of what might be in play if you were to wait out the application process. Do these judges in more desirable areas have a track record of hiring from your school?

It's a mixed bag. We've sent fewer than 5 people to 2/9/DC (our clerkship placement is not commensurate with our USNEWS ranking), but we send people to 3/5/6/8/10 pretty frequently, some to big cities, some not.

There are definitely judges who have hired from our school whom I would prefer to clerk for. But that "preference" is mostly a matter of where I would like to live for a year and my potentially wrong notion that big-time firms won't be as impressed with a COA clerkship in nowheresville as one in a bigger city. I'm way more concerned with the latter than the former -- I can put up with anything for a year, so long as I'm not harming career prospects.

Edit: Given your active presence in this thread and the great help you've been, I'd really like to PM you the specifics, if that's ok?

[Tangerine Gleam]

Sure, PM me.

[Anonymous User]

Well, the letter I got wasn't an out and out rejection. I just assumed it was, but maybe it was a confirmation of receipt

Yeah, when I get letters I just look at the signature and don't read the body, too.

was posting from phone, didn't feel like outlining every step of my reasoning. surely it makes more sense to figure that I did read the body and assumed from the body that it was a rejection?

kudos, though

If you have the same letter I have, then I have no idea how you assumed it was a rejection- easily one of the most courteous and promising confirmations of receipt I've received out of dozens.

FWIW I went back and looked at the letter. I can see how you'd think it's promising, but it seemed like a pro forma confirmation of receipt at best.

Trust me, I'd love for you to be right, not me

[Anonymous User]

Got an e-mail from a judge's secretary asking 1) if I was willing to do a two year clerkship and 2) whether I was willing to take that state's bar...

Is this pretty standard for candidates without obvious ties, or are they actually interested? Trying to manage expectations here...

[Anonymous User]

Got an e-mail from a judge's secretary asking 1) if I was willing to do a two year clerkship and 2) whether I was willing to take that state's bar...

Is this pretty standard for candidates without obvious ties, or are they actually interested? Trying to manage expectations here...

Actually interested. I got a call from my judge's former clerk asking the same kinds of questions to verify that I was still interested, then got a call for an actual interview the next day.

[Anonymous User]

just missed two calls from blocked numbers while in class.

I know it's probably a spam telemarketer but

[Anonymous User]

.

[Anonymous User]

I have a SSC interview in a mid-Atlantic state. I grew up there and would like to return but have a SA somewhere else. I'm pretty nervous. Does anyone have advice for me about the interview? I looked at the resources but nothing really seemed that relevant other than to say "I would accept the clerkship if offered" according to Judge Aldisert and try to be a person.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I have a SSC interview in a mid-Atlantic state. I grew up there and would like to return but have a SA somewhere else. I'm pretty nervous. Does anyone have advice for me about the interview? I looked at the resources but nothing really seemed that relevant other than to say "I would accept the clerkship if offered" according to Judge Aldisert and try to be a person.

It will probably be like most other clerkship interviews - the judge (justice) will mostly want to know whether you seem like a reasonable person and how well you'll fit into chambers. It will be the typical, "tell me about yourself/why law school/why do you want to clerk/what do you want to do after clerking" kinds of questions. You should be prepared to talk about anything on your resume, though (law review note/publications if you have them). You may get asked about your writing/research experience. You may get asked what you'd do if you disagreed with the justice on how a case should go. (If the state has the death penalty you might get asked about that, too.) You may get asked about your hobbies and what you do in your spare time.

Most clerkship interviews are fairly conversational. When they're not, they can be a bit more like defending a dissertation or such! But those are less common. If you're grilled, in theory you could get asked things like what's your favorite SCOTUS case, or who's your favorite judicial writer, or what SCOTUS case you most disagree with - stuff like that. (I have never had these questions but I know they're a possibility. When I interviewed with a SSC justice we just talked a lot about where I grew up and where I'd lived, and a little bit about some recent current events, on top of the "why clerk/what do you want to do" conversation.)

[Anonymous User]

Any news about N.D. Ill.?

[Anonymous User]

The poster on the thread about magistrate to district in an undesired city might have information about the Illinois judges. I don't personally have anything. Anyone know of other websites/resources to find out what judges are done/interviewing/actively seeking applications? Thanks TLSers.

[Anonymous User]

Per the 5th Circuit thread, it seems that Smith has three confirmed spots filled. So, possibly one spot left (or we don't know who he gave the other one to).

[ph14]

Per the 5th Circuit thread, it seems that Smith has three confirmed spots filled. So, possibly one spot left (or we don't know who he gave the other one to).

OP updated.

[Anonymous User]

A law clerk at "US Court of Appeals" was creeping on my LinkedIn last week. I guess he or she didn't like what they saw, as radio silence continues...