Applying as an alum
Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 2:34 pm
I am woefully ignorant about applying for clerkships in general, so my apologies if some of these questions are obvious.
I just graduated and will begin work at a firm in September. I am thinking about applying for both district and coa clerkships for 2015 and 2016. What's my timeline like? I had assumed that I would be OK if I had my application together by January-ish, but I've been hearing that many judges have already hired for both 2015 and 2016. Is this true? Is there any way to find out which judges are on an advanced timeline? OSCAR doesn't seem to be that helpful.
Also, I have 2 profs that will be willing to write letters for me. Would it be better to get the third from an employer or a clinical instructor? For those of you that asked an employer, did your apparent desire to leave so soon raise any issues?
Finally, specific to HLS alums: what grade ranges make you competitive for a district court clerkship in NY/SF/LA? I graduated cum laude, with about a 3.75 if you translate Hs to 4s and Ps to 3s.
(FWIW, I talked to someone at OCS after 1L - when my GPA-equivalent was just about what I graduated with, and she told me that if I applied, I should apply everywhere, but I'm not sure how accurate that is, or if judges would have expected my grades to go up after 1L. )
Thanks!
I just graduated and will begin work at a firm in September. I am thinking about applying for both district and coa clerkships for 2015 and 2016. What's my timeline like? I had assumed that I would be OK if I had my application together by January-ish, but I've been hearing that many judges have already hired for both 2015 and 2016. Is this true? Is there any way to find out which judges are on an advanced timeline? OSCAR doesn't seem to be that helpful.
Also, I have 2 profs that will be willing to write letters for me. Would it be better to get the third from an employer or a clinical instructor? For those of you that asked an employer, did your apparent desire to leave so soon raise any issues?
Finally, specific to HLS alums: what grade ranges make you competitive for a district court clerkship in NY/SF/LA? I graduated cum laude, with about a 3.75 if you translate Hs to 4s and Ps to 3s.
(FWIW, I talked to someone at OCS after 1L - when my GPA-equivalent was just about what I graduated with, and she told me that if I applied, I should apply everywhere, but I'm not sure how accurate that is, or if judges would have expected my grades to go up after 1L. )
Thanks!