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

[Anonymous User]

Received Kearse rejection letter. Very nicely said - also first judge to actually send me a rejection letter (despite tons of rejections).

[Anonymous User]

Anyone hear about interviews/offers from the EDNY judges who prefer/require work experience (Block, Gleeson, Townes)?

[rayiner]

Interview request for District of Delaware judge

Mind PM-ing me to chat?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know anything about the remaining DDC judges?

[Anonymous User]

0/2 applying as an alumnus. At least I have a job (assuming I pass the bar next week)?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know anything about the remaining DDC judges?

Lamberth hired

[Anonymous User]

Bump.

[spleenworship]

Got official rejections from all the state SC justices, including the only one I actually interviewed with.

Oh well.

[Anonymous User]

On your resume, under the firms you worked for during the summer, do you put which practice group you were assigned to? Or just leave it off?

[spleenworship]

On your resume, under the firms you worked for during the summer, do you put which practice group you were assigned to? Or just leave it off?

I'd leave it off unless directly relate to judge. Ie applying for bankruptcy judge and worked at Biglaw bankruptcy division.

[Anonymous User]

Looks as though Hamilton (7th Cir.) may be done, as I got the rejection email today.

[Anonymous User]

Anything on the recently confirmed?

[arklaw13]

So I have a question about the judges who hire far in advance like the feeder judges. So if I wanted to clerk for, say, Kavanaugh in 2016 (immediately after graduation) would I apply after I get my first semester 1L grades, or what? From what I've read here, lots of them filled their 2015 clerks in February. Do they hire based on 1L grades or do they mostly hire grads or people who have a prior clerkship?

[Anonymous User]

So I have a question about the judges who hire far in advance like the feeder judges. So if I wanted to clerk for, say, Kavanaugh in 2016 (immediately after graduation) would I apply after I get my first semester 1L grades, or what? From what I've read here, lots of them filled their 2015 clerks in February. Do they hire based on 1L grades or do they mostly hire grads or people who have a prior clerkship?

Wait, are you an incoming 1L? I have the understanding that they mostly take alums, but I have seen info suggesting feeders sometimes set aside a spot for recent grads (someone correct me if I am wrong).

[bk1]

So I have a question about the judges who hire far in advance like the feeder judges. So if I wanted to clerk for, say, Kavanaugh in 2016 (immediately after graduation) would I apply after I get my first semester 1L grades, or what? From what I've read here, lots of them filled their 2015 clerks in February. Do they hire based on 1L grades or do they mostly hire grads or people who have a prior clerkship?

Wait, are you an incoming 1L? I have the understanding that they mostly take alums, but I have seen info suggesting feeders sometimes set aside a spot for recent grads (someone correct me if I am wrong).

I don't know about all feeders, but some feeders definitely hire around 1L summer/2L fall which means the applicant only has 1L grades.

Also this forum isn't for 0Ls. But even so, it is ridiculously early to be thinking about this. As a 0L (especially one who isn't at HYS) your odds at a clerkship are low and your odds at a feeder clerkship are astronomically low.

[Anonymous User]

Re: two posts up, I actually think most feeders hire mostly (if not ony) recent grads. Some (like Tatel and Katzmann) prefer district court experience. But even these judges will hire many of their clerks before they have actually graduated.

[lolwat]

Basically, I think you either go: law school -> feeder COA (-> scotus) or law school -> D.Ct. -> feeder COA (-> scotus). I don't think feeder COA judges generally prefer alums that have biglaw experience or anything. But I could be wrong--I never had a shot at any of them so I didn't do too much research into their hiring practices. I wouldn't be surprised if they were hiring with only 1L grades though.

[Anonymous User]

So I have a question about the judges who hire far in advance like the feeder judges. So if I wanted to clerk for, say, Kavanaugh in 2016 (immediately after graduation) would I apply after I get my first semester 1L grades, or what? From what I've read here, lots of them filled their 2015 clerks in February. Do they hire based on 1L grades or do they mostly hire grads or people who have a prior clerkship?

The only "feeder" who regularly considers and hires applicants based entirely on 1L grades is Kozinski. This year, a large number of feeders, including Garland, Kavanaugh, and Fletcher, hired 2Ls in February based on three semesters of grades. (This is roughly when Wilkinson and Reinhardt had traditionally hired.) None of these judges were hiring a full year out, and several (Garland, Wilkinson, Fletcher, and Reinhardt) were hiring only, or largely, for the year after graduation (in this case, 2014).

Kavanaugh is roughly 50/50--that is, he hires some clerks for the year after graduation and some for one year out. (Most of the latter have already secured district court clerkships.)

[Anonymous User]

For an HYS student that is competitive based on grades for a District/CoA clerkship, does having a non-EIC position on a secondary journal matter much? I'm debating whether to accept a time intensive E-board position on a secondary journal for the fall, or RAing for a second professor. My thought is to reject the EBoard offer and pick up another RA, but I'd like to hear from anyone with experience on the question.

[Anonymous User]

For an HYS student that is competitive based on grades for a District/CoA clerkship, does having a non-EIC position on a secondary journal matter much? I'm debating whether to accept a time intensive E-board position on a secondary journal for the fall, or RAing for a second professor. My thought is to reject the EBoard offer and pick up another RA, but I'd like to hear from anyone with experience on the question.

Based on my experience, having an e-board position on a secondary won't boost you that much unless it's EIC. Are you still going to have some position on the journal, though? I would still have a position on the journal and RA for the second professor.

[Anonymous User]

For an HYS student that is competitive based on grades for a District/CoA clerkship, does having a non-EIC position on a secondary journal matter much? I'm debating whether to accept a time intensive E-board position on a secondary journal for the fall, or RAing for a second professor. My thought is to reject the EBoard offer and pick up another RA, but I'd like to hear from anyone with experience on the question.

Based on my experience, having an e-board position on a secondary won't boost you that much unless it's EIC. Are you still going to have some position on the journal, though? I would still have a position on the journal and RA for the second professor.

Original anon. Yes, I will still have a position on the journal. It just won't be on the E-Board, which means it would be a much smaller time commitment.

Thank you for the reply.

[Anonymous User]

Got an offer for a district court judge in WDTX.

[bk1]

For an HYS student that is competitive based on grades for a District/CoA clerkship, does having a non-EIC position on a secondary journal matter much? I'm debating whether to accept a time intensive E-board position on a secondary journal for the fall, or RAing for a second professor. My thought is to reject the EBoard offer and pick up another RA, but I'd like to hear from anyone with experience on the question.

Based on my experience, having an e-board position on a secondary won't boost you that much unless it's EIC. Are you still going to have some position on the journal, though? I would still have a position on the journal and RA for the second professor.

Original anon. Yes, I will still have a position on the journal. It just won't be on the E-Board, which means it would be a much smaller time commitment.

Thank you for the reply.

It's probably helpful to have the eboard position, though the question is whether it's worth the extra work. If you really want to clerk I'd consider taking it to give yourself every edge possible. If you want to clerk but it isn't a huge deal then I might avoid it.

[legalmindedfella]

Got an offer for a district court judge in WDTX.

Congrats!!! Anything you think helped you get it?

[Anonymous User]

Interviewed w/ N.D. Tex. last week. Judge said 1.5-2 weeks to let me know either way.

Interview next week w/ N.D. W. Va.

With my luck, I'll go 0/2 or receive an offer while I'm on my flight to interview in WV.

Best of luck everyone. I just feel lucky to have had interviews.