Let's Talk 1st Circuit Forum

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 28, 2022 4:43 pm

The First Circuit has a new nominee: Lara Montecalvo, Chief Public Defender for the Rhode Island Office of the Public Defender.

https://amp.providencejournal.com/amp/9551349002

https://www.law360.com/amp/articles/1487819

Also, any updates? I know that Gelpí has hired a few for 2023.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 29, 2022 3:20 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 28, 2022 4:43 pm
The First Circuit has a new nominee: Lara Montecalvo, Chief Public Defender for the Rhode Island Office of the Public Defender.

https://amp.providencejournal.com/amp/9551349002

https://www.law360.com/amp/articles/1487819

Also, any updates? I know that Gelpí has hired a few for 2023.
Fantastic nominee - I thought he would pick Melissa Long from the RI Supreme Court, but Montecalvo's PD background hopefully means she will be more progressive and fairer to criminal defendants.

Haven't heard any updates in terms of clerk hiring, but does Gelpi only hire Puerto Ricans/those with ties to Puerto Rico?

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:20 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 29, 2022 3:20 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 28, 2022 4:43 pm
The First Circuit has a new nominee: Lara Montecalvo, Chief Public Defender for the Rhode Island Office of the Public Defender.

https://amp.providencejournal.com/amp/9551349002

https://www.law360.com/amp/articles/1487819

Also, any updates? I know that Gelpí has hired a few for 2023.
Fantastic nominee - I thought he would pick Melissa Long from the RI Supreme Court, but Montecalvo's PD background hopefully means she will be more progressive and fairer to criminal defendants.

Haven't heard any updates in terms of clerk hiring, but does Gelpi only hire Puerto Ricans/those with ties to Puerto Rico?
He’s hired folks from Suffolk, his alma mater, too. I don’t think they had any ties to Puerto Rico.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:21 pm

My clerkship office told me to not bother applying to any First Circuit judges because they only hire people with New England ties. Does that sound accurate?

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:49 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:21 pm
My clerkship office told me to not bother applying to any First Circuit judges because they only hire people with New England ties. Does that sound accurate?
No.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 29, 2022 5:19 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:49 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:21 pm
My clerkship office told me to not bother applying to any First Circuit judges because they only hire people with New England ties. Does that sound accurate?
No.
Agreed - my clerkship office said New England ties help, but that folks without ties have been hired before (though they were usually magna+ at my lower T14). Can't hurt to apply though and see what happens.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 29, 2022 5:25 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:21 pm
My clerkship office told me to not bother applying to any First Circuit judges because they only hire people with New England ties. Does that sound accurate?
For many judges, yes. But definitely not all.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 29, 2022 5:42 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:21 pm
My clerkship office told me to not bother applying to any First Circuit judges because they only hire people with New England ties. Does that sound accurate?
I never quite get the “don’t bother applying” advice. I guess if you’re up against the OSCAR limit and need to triage, sure, maybe stick with judges in locations where you have more ties? But otherwise, sending out additional applications is such minor effort for the possible return.

(I mean sure, “don’t bother applying to SCOTUS if you’re median at UCLA” or the like is reasonable, but if you’re competitive for COA positions at all I don’t see the point of counting yourself out.)

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 19, 2022 8:39 am

Anyone have any insight into Gelpi?

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jul 22, 2022 4:33 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:21 pm
My clerkship office told me to not bother applying to any First Circuit judges because they only hire people with New England ties. Does that sound accurate?
Do they consider Connecticut sufficient even though it’s technically in the second circuit?

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 26, 2022 10:03 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Jul 22, 2022 4:33 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:21 pm
My clerkship office told me to not bother applying to any First Circuit judges because they only hire people with New England ties. Does that sound accurate?
Do they consider Connecticut sufficient even though it’s technically in the second circuit?
The New England-ties thing doesn't make much sense to me. I doubt someone like Lynch cares about ties, but she might care about academic pedigree and so on.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 26, 2022 10:22 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 10:03 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Jul 22, 2022 4:33 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:21 pm
My clerkship office told me to not bother applying to any First Circuit judges because they only hire people with New England ties. Does that sound accurate?
Do they consider Connecticut sufficient even though it’s technically in the second circuit?
The New England-ties thing doesn't make much sense to me. I doubt someone like Lynch cares about ties, but she might care about academic pedigree and so on.
.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 26, 2022 10:51 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 10:03 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Jul 22, 2022 4:33 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:21 pm
My clerkship office told me to not bother applying to any First Circuit judges because they only hire people with New England ties. Does that sound accurate?
Do they consider Connecticut sufficient even though it’s technically in the second circuit?
The New England-ties thing doesn't make much sense to me. I doubt someone like Lynch cares about ties, but she might care about academic pedigree and so on.
You'd be surprised at how many judges care about regional ties to some degree. My non-New England T14 basically said that judges on CA1 either do value ties or just hire heavily from Harvard/Yale (though honestly, doesn't every COA judge like to hire from HYS).

To the OP asking about Connecticut - just apply and mention that you have Connecticut ties in your cover letter. It may or may not help, but can't hurt either.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Jul 27, 2022 8:49 am

I could see it varying by judge. I wouldn't be surprised if someone like Howard cares a lot about New England ties, or a Gelpi about Puerto Rico ties. But the judges with national reps, like Barron and Lynch----hard to see them turning their nose at a stellar Stanford candidate who grew up in CA. Sure, most 1st Circuit clerkships go to H and Y, but that's more because they get so many applications from law students (especially Harvard) who want to stay local for their clerkship.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Jul 27, 2022 9:13 am

I don't think anyone, even the clerkship office who said that, would think that the First Circuit *never ever* hires non-New England locals - it may be that what the clerkship office really meant is "from our school, the First Circuit only hires people with New England ties," which could be true and still consistent with some judges hiring nationally. It may also be that the clerkship office considers "went to Harvard" to be "New England ties," which would kind of connect the dots on a lot of 1st Cir clerks. I practice in the circuit (and also took a quick swing through LinkedIn) and all the First Circuit clerks I know (admittedly a small sample) are locals, but there are also a ton of Harvard grads, not all of whom are clearly from New England originally. I would think having gone to Harvard (also probably Yale) and expressing a desire to practice in New England would get you to "New England ties" for a lot of judges.

More practically, my take is that you should never rule yourself out, so it's always worth applying, unless you're at your 100 application max in OSCAR and therefore have to cut somewhere. If that's the case, cutting the 1st Circuit if you don't have ties (or maybe a compelling articulable reason to be there) could make sense. Otherwise apply anywhere you'd consider living for a year.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 02, 2022 5:44 pm

Does anyone have an insight into whether Thompson has hired for 2023/when is her next opening?

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Nov 03, 2022 10:47 am

On the same topic, any recent hiring news from 1st Circuit judges?

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Nov 03, 2022 7:04 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Nov 03, 2022 10:47 am
On the same topic, any recent hiring news from 1st Circuit judges?
Gelpí is full for 2023

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Nov 05, 2022 12:54 pm

Will Breyer sit by designation? And has Souter stopped sitting on panels this year?

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:14 pm

Does anyone have perspective on whether Barron is still as competitive at HYS as the posts from 2016/2018 suggest him to be?

Only data points from the last few years are prez of LR + magna and someone who was not on LR and did not graduate magna. So, not exactly helpful

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 20, 2023 8:12 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:14 pm
Does anyone have perspective on whether Barron is still as competitive at HYS as the posts from 2016/2018 suggest him to be?

Only data points from the last few years are prez of LR + magna and someone who was not on LR and did not graduate magna. So, not exactly helpful
Yeah he's pretty competitive still. If anything, probably even more since he's sort of solidified his place at the top for lib semi-feeders.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:13 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 8:12 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:14 pm
Does anyone have perspective on whether Barron is still as competitive at HYS as the posts from 2016/2018 suggest him to be?

Only data points from the last few years are prez of LR + magna and someone who was not on LR and did not graduate magna. So, not exactly helpful
Yeah he's pretty competitive still. If anything, probably even more since he's sort of solidified his place at the top for lib semi-feeders.
Any perspective on what he is looking for?

Am 3L on the fringe of magna (depends on this semester, knock on wood) with non-prestigous liberal bona fides (major roles on major campaigns, but not in WH) but no HLR and don't have a prestige undergrad (he seems to like ivy undergrads but not sure if thats correlation/causation)

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 20, 2023 3:27 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:13 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 8:12 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:14 pm
Does anyone have perspective on whether Barron is still as competitive at HYS as the posts from 2016/2018 suggest him to be?

Only data points from the last few years are prez of LR + magna and someone who was not on LR and did not graduate magna. So, not exactly helpful
Yeah he's pretty competitive still. If anything, probably even more since he's sort of solidified his place at the top for lib semi-feeders.
Any perspective on what he is looking for?

Am 3L on the fringe of magna (depends on this semester, knock on wood) with non-prestigous liberal bona fides (major roles on major campaigns, but not in WH) but no HLR and don't have a prestige undergrad (he seems to like ivy undergrads but not sure if thats correlation/causation)
I'd still apply because hey you never know, but in my experience, I don't think he takes those kind of people. You seem to be well set for an appellate clerkship somewhere, though, so I wouldn't be too bummed about it. But again still apply—it's only an OSCAR spot.

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 20, 2023 4:03 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 3:27 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:13 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 8:12 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:14 pm
Does anyone have perspective on whether Barron is still as competitive at HYS as the posts from 2016/2018 suggest him to be?

Only data points from the last few years are prez of LR + magna and someone who was not on LR and did not graduate magna. So, not exactly helpful
Yeah he's pretty competitive still. If anything, probably even more since he's sort of solidified his place at the top for lib semi-feeders.
Any perspective on what he is looking for?

Am 3L on the fringe of magna (depends on this semester, knock on wood) with non-prestigous liberal bona fides (major roles on major campaigns, but not in WH) but no HLR and don't have a prestige undergrad (he seems to like ivy undergrads but not sure if thats correlation/causation)
I'd still apply because hey you never know, but in my experience, I don't think he takes those kind of people. You seem to be well set for an appellate clerkship somewhere, though, so I wouldn't be too bummed about it. But again still apply—it's only an OSCAR spot.
That's kinda what I expected to hear, but thank you reaffirming! Agh, yeah - you're probably right but I struck out 2L and have no idea where I should be applying cuz the clerkship office is simply not helpful. Missing HLR really seems to be a dagger

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Re: Let's Talk 1st Circuit

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Apr 20, 2023 4:20 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 4:03 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 3:27 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 1:13 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 8:12 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:14 pm
Does anyone have perspective on whether Barron is still as competitive at HYS as the posts from 2016/2018 suggest him to be?

Only data points from the last few years are prez of LR + magna and someone who was not on LR and did not graduate magna. So, not exactly helpful
Yeah he's pretty competitive still. If anything, probably even more since he's sort of solidified his place at the top for lib semi-feeders.
Any perspective on what he is looking for?

Am 3L on the fringe of magna (depends on this semester, knock on wood) with non-prestigous liberal bona fides (major roles on major campaigns, but not in WH) but no HLR and don't have a prestige undergrad (he seems to like ivy undergrads but not sure if thats correlation/causation)
I'd still apply because hey you never know, but in my experience, I don't think he takes those kind of people. You seem to be well set for an appellate clerkship somewhere, though, so I wouldn't be too bummed about it. But again still apply—it's only an OSCAR spot.
That's kinda what I expected to hear, but thank you reaffirming! Agh, yeah - you're probably right but I struck out 2L and have no idea where I should be applying cuz the clerkship office is simply not helpful. Missing HLR really seems to be a dagger
FWIW I know people who were not on HLR that clerked for him, but they were stellar candidates in other things. Anyways (hopefully this is not condescending, I don't mean it to be), chin-up, you are a great COA candidate for somewhere. You're just not the type of candidate that can only apply to the Barrons of the world and get a bunch of offers.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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