Let's talk 2nd Circuit! Forum

[Anonymous User]

I have heard bad things about Perez

As have I. The rest don't have great reputations as jurists, but Robinson seems like she'd be great to clerk for.

Nathan has a good reputation, but otherwise this is right. Lee, Robinson, Merriam, and Kahn all seem pretty middling so far—especially Lee and Kahn, who seem out of their depth. I’d say Perez is somewhere between that group and Nathan. Of course this is just my personal impression from clerking on CA2. Nathan and Robinson are the Biden judges I’d most like to work for. Robinson seems delightful.

As have I. Perez seems to know her stuff, but makes clerks miserable. She forced a clerk to spend hours begging not to be fired.

[Anonymous User]

I have heard bad things about Perez

As have I. The rest don't have great reputations as jurists, but Robinson seems like she'd be great to clerk for.

Nathan has a good reputation, but otherwise this is right. Lee, Robinson, Merriam, and Kahn all seem pretty middling so far—especially Lee and Kahn, who seem out of their depth. I’d say Perez is somewhere between that group and Nathan. Of course this is just my personal impression from clerking on CA2. Nathan and Robinson are the Biden judges I’d most like to work for. Robinson seems delightful.

As have I. Perez seems to know her stuff, but makes clerks miserable. She forced a clerk to spend hours begging not to be fired.

Wtf?

[Anonymous User]

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[Anonymous User]

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[Anonymous User]

Unlikely but anyone hear anything about how Vargas is to work for? Maybe some insight from the USAO?

[Anonymous User]

I have seen concerning cruelty from Perez to her clerks. I would urge applicants to stay away from someone so abusive.

[Anonymous User]

I have seen concerning cruelty from Perez to her clerks. I would urge applicants to stay away from someone so abusive.

Really curious about the details on this

[Anonymous User]

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[Anonymous User]

I am a first-year associate in biglaw lit. I will be clerking in SDNY/EDNY next term and am targeting COAs for afterward. I went to a low T14 and graduated magna, main journal, Coif, etc. Non-URM, non-conservative. I really want to clerk on a COA, but am pretty much geographically limited to the tristate area (basically the NYC CA2 judges and the Newark CA3 judges). I could probably manage to pull leaving the area for a year but it would be personally and logistically very difficult. I know there is no way to "chance me" for something as idiosyncratic as COA hiring, but can people give me some sense of how realistic it is that I would be able to get a COA clerkship around the city? I.e., if I really want to clerk on a COA, should I just bite the bullet and start trying to figure out how to make a one-year move happen, or is sticking it out with limiting apps to this area a viable strategy?

Is this SDNY or EDNY. My COA judge (who is still active) is in your area and likes SDNY clerks and would substantally weigh them over all other districts except maybe DDC and would probably pull your app if you're clerking on SDNY. EDNY is more of a meh but I still think you have a chance in the tristate area outside of NYC.

[Anonymous User]

I am a first-year associate in biglaw lit. I will be clerking in SDNY/EDNY next term and am targeting COAs for afterward. I went to a low T14 and graduated magna, main journal, Coif, etc. Non-URM, non-conservative. I really want to clerk on a COA, but am pretty much geographically limited to the tristate area (basically the NYC CA2 judges and the Newark CA3 judges). I could probably manage to pull leaving the area for a year but it would be personally and logistically very difficult. I know there is no way to "chance me" for something as idiosyncratic as COA hiring, but can people give me some sense of how realistic it is that I would be able to get a COA clerkship around the city? I.e., if I really want to clerk on a COA, should I just bite the bullet and start trying to figure out how to make a one-year move happen, or is sticking it out with limiting apps to this area a viable strategy?

Is this SDNY or EDNY. My COA judge (who is still active) is in your area and likes SDNY clerks and would substantally weigh them over all other districts except maybe DDC and would probably pull your app if you're clerking on SDNY. EDNY is more of a meh but I still think you have a chance in the tristate area outside of NYC.

Agree — ruling out the most competitive CA2 judges like Lohier, you’ll be in the pile with the tens of other competitive apps that COA judges in popular geographic areas get. Odds are unlikely without your DC judge, a prof, or someone else with connections calling, but also significantly better than zero.

[Anonymous User]

People with similar resumes get CA2, but this is a very common resume for a CA2 applicant. You're competitive, and should apply, but I wouldn't say your odds are over 50%. The biggest issue is that many CA2 judges have a strong preference for HYSCCN and would hire a cum laude HLS student (of which there are loads) over a magna Georgetown or Cornell student all else being equal.

[Anonymous User]

I am a first-year associate in biglaw lit. I will be clerking in SDNY/EDNY next term and am targeting COAs for afterward. I went to a low T14 and graduated magna, main journal, Coif, etc. Non-URM, non-conservative. I really want to clerk on a COA, but am pretty much geographically limited to the tristate area (basically the NYC CA2 judges and the Newark CA3 judges). I could probably manage to pull leaving the area for a year but it would be personally and logistically very difficult. I know there is no way to "chance me" for something as idiosyncratic as COA hiring, but can people give me some sense of how realistic it is that I would be able to get a COA clerkship around the city? I.e., if I really want to clerk on a COA, should I just bite the bullet and start trying to figure out how to make a one-year move happen, or is sticking it out with limiting apps to this area a viable strategy?

Is this SDNY or EDNY. My COA judge (who is still active) is in your area and likes SDNY clerks and would substantally weigh them over all other districts except maybe DDC and would probably pull your app if you're clerking on SDNY. EDNY is more of a meh but I still think you have a chance in the tristate area outside of NYC.

Agree — ruling out the most competitive CA2 judges like Lohier, you’ll be in the pile with the tens of other competitive apps that COA judges in popular geographic areas get. Odds are unlikely without your DC judge, a prof, or someone else with connections calling, but also significantly better than zero.

Is Lohier only super competitive for non-minority applicants? Because he’s hired some folks who are not exactly academic superstars or even interested in litigation…

[Anonymous User]

I am a first-year associate in biglaw lit. I will be clerking in SDNY/EDNY next term and am targeting COAs for afterward. I went to a low T14 and graduated magna, main journal, Coif, etc. Non-URM, non-conservative. I really want to clerk on a COA, but am pretty much geographically limited to the tristate area (basically the NYC CA2 judges and the Newark CA3 judges). I could probably manage to pull leaving the area for a year but it would be personally and logistically very difficult. I know there is no way to "chance me" for something as idiosyncratic as COA hiring, but can people give me some sense of how realistic it is that I would be able to get a COA clerkship around the city? I.e., if I really want to clerk on a COA, should I just bite the bullet and start trying to figure out how to make a one-year move happen, or is sticking it out with limiting apps to this area a viable strategy?

Is this SDNY or EDNY. My COA judge (who is still active) is in your area and likes SDNY clerks and would substantally weigh them over all other districts except maybe DDC and would probably pull your app if you're clerking on SDNY. EDNY is more of a meh but I still think you have a chance in the tristate area outside of NYC.

Agree — ruling out the most competitive CA2 judges like Lohier, you’ll be in the pile with the tens of other competitive apps that COA judges in popular geographic areas get. Odds are unlikely without your DC judge, a prof, or someone else with connections calling, but also significantly better than zero.

Is Lohier only super competitive for non-minority applicants? Because he’s hired some folks who are not exactly academic superstars or even interested in litigation…

I think he may dip significantly for minority applicants, but for non-minority applicants he is the most grade-concious on CA2.

[Anonymous User]

I have heard bad things about Perez

As have I. The rest don't have great reputations as jurists, but Robinson seems like she'd be great to clerk for.

Nathan has a good reputation, but otherwise this is right. Lee, Robinson, Merriam, and Kahn all seem pretty middling so far—especially Lee and Kahn, who seem out of their depth. I’d say Perez is somewhere between that group and Nathan. Of course this is just my personal impression from clerking on CA2. Nathan and Robinson are the Biden judges I’d most like to work for. Robinson seems delightful.

As have I. Perez seems to know her stuff, but makes clerks miserable. She forced a clerk to spend hours begging not to be fired.

Wtf?

I was there to hear this and more. She took away some clerks' responsibilities for cases for the rest of the year sometime in the fall. I feel bad. TMCH is small and those who heard are naturally guessing which of the four clerks it is, but Perez hired someone who wanted to impress by being in the know. Stay away from that chambers!

[Anonymous User]

Besides Perez, are there other Second Circuit judges you would avoid at all costs?

[Anonymous User]

Merriam is pretty bad, too and there was a judicial misconduct report filed against her by a clerk.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know what McMahon’s chambers environment/reputation is like now that she’s senior?

[Anonymous User]

McMahon is a pretty tough clerkship, but I know clerks who appreciated it. She has a career clerk who handles her criminal matters; her term clerks only handle civil cases.

[Anonymous User]

By reputation, McMahon is tough as nails, but a good judge.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know what McMahon’s chambers environment/reputation is like now that she’s senior?

I have heard mostly negative things about McMahon as a jurist and boss.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any insight on how MJs are used in SDNY vs EDNY? Does one district tend to have more consent cases than the other?

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have any insight on how MJs are used in SDNY vs EDNY? Does one district tend to have more consent cases than the other?

They are pretty different. There are few consent cases in either district from my understanding, but in EDNY, MJs do most non-dispositive proceedings by default, while in SDNY, they do not. From experience I know that SDNY magistrates are incredibly overworked (as are SDNY district judges fwiw). Less sure about EDNY.

[Anonymous User]

Agreed. EDNY magistrates do far more than SDNY mags. Many SDNY judges prefer to keep all aspects of cases, including civil matters, for themselves, and seldom refer anything out to a USMJ. By default in SDNY, when a civil case is wheeled out, a USMJ is assigned, but they don't have any role unless a district judge files an order referring aspects of the case to them. SDNY MJs also serve weeks as the Duty Magistrate responsible for arraignments, presentments, guilty pleas, and signing warrants and complaints. EDNY MJs do more. Everyone is overworked in SDNY.

[Anonymous User]

I've heard that some CA2 judges value diversity (especially Lohier). Does anyone have a sense of which other judges may care about this? And for Lohier, does he only move for Black applicants or Latino applicants as well (I'm from Latin America and immigrated to the U.S. as a kid). Lohier has an interesting immigration story so I think it's possible he/his clerks look for diversity broadly when going through apps, but just curious!

[Anonymous User]

Eunice Lee, and to a lesser degree, Myrna Perez.