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Current 2L. For my 1L summer I interned with a federal magistrate judge in a pretty competitive district (not SDNY or D.C. but probably level right below). I really enjoyed the chambers and the work. At the end of the internship the Judge pretty much guaranteed me an interview for a clerkship. While I know this doesn't automatically mean I will get the clerkship it's definitely nice knowing I have that.

My question is would a clerkship with a magistrate judge in a pretty competitive district, and where you want to work full-time, be better than a district court clerkship in a fly-over district or something similar to it. I realize that even getting an interview with these district courts are very competitive hence the quotation marks in the subject.

Any feedback would be great. Thanks!

Honestly, it depends on what you want to get out of it.

I turned down an offer around the level you're referring to (for me it was on the level of E.D.Pa./D.N.J./D.Ma. etc.) to take a flyover-ish clerkship. Why? I liked the judge and I liked chambers more. My judge lets me work on all matters, not just civil, and I'm getting as much experience as I possibly could. I'm going back to my firm when I'm done and while I won't have the fancier district on my resume, I'll have experience working on everything that comes through the door.

I'm glad I made the decision I did. It helped me see a different part of the country and my judge is a great mentor and all-around great person to work for. So if you have options, try and weigh what you want out of your clerkship. If it's just the abbreviation at the end, take the one with more prestige. If not, take the one that you'll enjoy more.

It probably depends. What're you post-grad employment situation looking like?

Thanks for the advice! I guess I'm looking to get the possible possible experience and exposure but it would be disingenuous to say I didn't have a little prestige in mind (not a big deal at all but still nice).

I have an SA in a secondary market at a fairly large firm that I would be happy to work at full time. However, the firm does not have 100% hiring rate the past few years even with a smaller class size, so it's not totally crazy to think that I would be looking for another job after a potential clerkship.

Prestige-wise, any d. ct. clerkship is probably more prestigious than even a magistrate clerkship in SDNY or EDVA.

If a firm gives a clerkship bonus, it will definitely give one for a d. ct. clerkship, but not necessarily for a mag. clerkship.

You will probably have an easier time getting a job with a d. ct. clerkship rather than with a SDNY/EDVA/etc mag clerkship.

Hope that helps.