Are previous internships for politicians beneficial in the clerkship application process? What ways should I leverage these experiences/connections into helping with the process?
In undergrad I interned for a state senator and the summer before law school for a US congressmen (both represent a similar area in the suburbs of a mid-size city). I've been in close contact with both their staff's throughout law school. Is having a letter of recommendation from them going to help with my clerkship applications? Also, do these representatives typically have connections with judges that can be valuable?
Background: I'm a 2L at a school ranked in the 60s in a large city. Top 20% (will likely be top 15% after 2L year). I am from, and am applying to clerkships in a smaller city where I am from.
Thanks!
Leveraging a political internships --> clerkships Forum
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Anonymous User
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Re: Leveraging a political internships --> clerkships
The letters probably won't be weighted with any greater weight than a professor's. I would try to still get three solid prof recommendations if I were you.
The only way I can see a politician's letter giving you an edge is if that politician had a hand in getting the federal judge appointed. This is usually done by senators, not congressmen, unfortunately. Many U.S. Senators recommend certain lawyers to the president for appointments within their respective states. If you wanted to apply, say, for an AZ federal judge, and you know that McCain recommended the judge, it might be a decent edge to have a LOR from McCain.
But, all in all, based on my experience, federal judges don't feel beholden to any politicians.
The only way I can see a politician's letter giving you an edge is if that politician had a hand in getting the federal judge appointed. This is usually done by senators, not congressmen, unfortunately. Many U.S. Senators recommend certain lawyers to the president for appointments within their respective states. If you wanted to apply, say, for an AZ federal judge, and you know that McCain recommended the judge, it might be a decent edge to have a LOR from McCain.
But, all in all, based on my experience, federal judges don't feel beholden to any politicians.
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elipad
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Re: Leveraging a political internships --> clerkships
I would venture to say that these letters would be weighted less than a professor's rec. In fact, I think you would be doing yourself a disservice by not acquiring three legally-related recommendations. OP it seems like you had these political internships before law school, so it doesn't sound like those experience would give you any sort of legal training. Although these connections may give you raving reviews regarding your personality, work ethic, etc., they wouldn't really be able to comment on your legal reasoning or writing. (That is what judges care about, after all.) Outside of law school professors, what 1L summer job did you have? Assuming it was legal, that might be a good way for you to find an alternative rec if you need one.Anonymous User wrote:The letters probably won't be weighted with any greater weight than a professor's.
Additionally, I agree with the other poster re:senator contacts for judicial clerkships. Unless these politicians have some random connection to a judge, it doesn't seem very useful/relevant in this context. You didn't mention if you were applying to state or federal judges, but I think posters here generally assume you're going for federal ones unless noted otherwise. If that is the case, then political connections might be treated a little differently if they were in the same party/ran in the same political circles. That, of course, would be much more state specific.
