2015-16 State Clerkship Application Thread Forum

[girlinlaw8]

I thought I would start a thread for those of us who are interested in applying to state clerkships over this summer and school year. I am planning on sticking to my home region and applying all over the Midwest (most specifically interested in IN & MN), as well as potentially CT, ME, and MA. Planning to apply to all levels of courts & whatever specialty courts have openings.

TTTT
Top 5%
No journal, but currently working on co-authoring with a prof
President of Moot Court
Externship with a Dist. Ct. judge

Anyone else out there starting to work on applications? Where are you applying?

[Anonymous User]

I am right there with you. I am also applying around the midwest and also south west. Where all have you sent applications out to so far?

[girlinlaw8]

Happy to hear someone else is in the same boat! I'm still waiting for the last of my semester grades to come in unfortunately, but as soon as I get those, I will have New Hampshire Superior & Supreme ready to go. I have a spreadsheet made for a plan of attack after that since there are so many varying deadlines and time frames! What is your plan? Best of luck to you!

[Anonymous User]

New Anon here:

Applying Tx SSC (plus federal district / magistrates in Austin)

UT 3.85 (approx between 5-10% I think)
Two interviews so far: US District (didn't get it) + SSC (still waiting; all of the other interviewees were classmates)

[Anonymous User]

New Anon here:

Applying Tx SSC (plus federal district / magistrates in Austin)

UT 3.85 (approx between 5-10% I think)
Two interviews so far: US District (didn't get it) + SSC (still waiting; all of the other interviewees were classmates)

Thats great! Which Justice did you interview with?

[Anonymous User]

New Anon here:

Applying Tx SSC (plus federal district / magistrates in Austin)

UT 3.85 (approx between 5-10% I think)
Two interviews so far: US District (didn't get it) + SSC (still waiting; all of the other interviewees were classmates)

Thats great! Which Justice did you interview with?

Will update when I hear something back.

[MiaFL]

New Anon here:

Applying Tx SSC (plus federal district / magistrates in Austin)

UT 3.85 (approx between 5-10% I think)
Two interviews so far: US District (didn't get it) + SSC (still waiting; all of the other interviewees were classmates)

Thats great! Which Justice did you interview with?

Will update when I hear something back.

I interned for Judge Hanen down in the Southern District (Brownsville). Great judge to work for.

[MiaFL]

Happy to hear someone else is in the same boat! I'm still waiting for the last of my semester grades to come in unfortunately, but as soon as I get those, I will have New Hampshire Superior & Supreme ready to go. I have a spreadsheet made for a plan of attack after that since there are so many varying deadlines and time frames! What is your plan? Best of luck to you!

Happy to hear someone else is in the same boat! I'm still waiting for the last of my semester grades to come in unfortunately, but as soon as I get those, I will have New Hampshire Superior & Supreme ready to go. I have a spreadsheet made for a plan of attack after that since there are so many varying deadlines and time frames! What is your plan? Best of luck to you!

Sent out all my applications on Monday morning. I applied to state courts in the NW, and in the NE. I figured there wouldn't be that much competition in Alaska, and very little in Maine. As for my stats:


3.1 (Sad, I know)
No journal, but had my thesis published under a journal.
Internships with a State Supreme Court Justice, District Court Judge, Magistrate Court Judge, and Federal Court of Appeals Judge.

I'm hoping my internship credentials carry me over.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Alaska's actually quite competitive. There are a lot of people who like the idea of living in Alaska for a year, and because it has so little established law, there are a lot of interesting cases of first impression. I think it's mostly strong T-14 grads up there.

[girlinlaw8]

Alaska's actually quite competitive. There are a lot of people who like the idea of living in Alaska for a year, and because it has so little established law, there are a lot of interesting cases of first impression. I think it's mostly strong T-14 grads up there.

I was actually really curious about that - are there many jurisdictions that seem like they would not be competitive but actually are? As I apply to RI, CT and NH, I can't help but think that they probably receive a lot of applications from students in Boston and other East Coast schools. I'm really concerned about even getting an interview in a state outside the Midwest.

[A. Nony Mouse]

To be honest, I think non-national schools are going to have a harder time placing people in state clerkships outside their region, unless you have some strong ties to the other region (or other kinds of connections that can help you out). I went to a regional school are we generally placed people into our own state and a few of the neighboring states in the same circuit - it was extremely uncommon for people to get state clerkships elsewhere. That may have partly been because many of the students were locals, though - I had a classmate get a state clerkship across the country in his home state. I'm not saying it's impossible, I just think it's something to be aware of.

[girlinlaw8]

That's a great point. My school's career center told me essentially the same thing as far as where our grads have been placed in clerkships. Coming from a TTTT, not many students from my school even bother applying for clerkships, but I certainly want to give it a shot, if nothing else.

For a separate question to anyone who may have an answer, how bad does it hurt to not have Law Review or secondary journal experience? Do solid writing/research grades and other writing experience make up for it? I know it's very important to have for federal clerkships, but I'm not sure how much it factors in for state clerkship programs.

[middlemarch]

Alaska's actually quite competitive. There are a lot of people who like the idea of living in Alaska for a year, and because it has so little established law, there are a lot of interesting cases of first impression. I think it's mostly strong T-14 grads up there.

I was actually really curious about that - are there many jurisdictions that seem like they would not be competitive but actually are? As I apply to RI, CT and NH, I can't help but think that they probably receive a lot of applications from students in Boston and other East Coast schools. I'm really concerned about even getting an interview in a state outside the Midwest.

Agree with Alaska--pretty desirable. I know several justices from Alaska actually visit some T6 schools (and maybe others in the T14) to do OCI-like recruitment/interviewing. These may be obvious but Delaware Supreme and Delaware Chancery are also competitive, and I think California Supreme is pretty competitive (at the very least for Liu).

[A. Nony Mouse]

I thought Liu was the only California SC justice who takes term clerks - that the others all have career clerks.

[middlemarch]

Ah you're right, I now remember learning the same. Just Liu then, who has high standards! Although I think I also read that after Liu changed it up, other justices may be considering hiring them in the future. See http://www.atthelectern.com/in-a-change ... aw-clerks/

[ineptimusprime]

Any applicants for the Idaho Supreme Court? I interviewed with Justice J. Jones in late May. I've heard he likes to make decisions early.

My stats are top 15% at a T2 in the Midwest, law review, etc. I'm also from Idaho and am clerking for an Idaho firm this summer.

[girlinlaw8]

Cover letters - anything that you're making sure you're including and anything that you know you want to leave out? Mine are pretty short and sweet, but I've heard mixed opinions about what judges are looking for. Any advice?

[Anonymous User]

New Anon here:

Applying Tx SSC (plus federal district / magistrates in Austin)

UT 3.85 (approx between 5-10% I think)
Two interviews so far: US District (didn't get it) + SSC (still waiting; all of the other interviewees were classmates)

Thats great! Which Justice did you interview with?

Will update when I hear something back.

This was my post. It was Justice Jeff Brown. He has filled both his slots (neither with me). One from UT one from SMU. Interview went well and he was incredibly nice. I would have loved to have worked for him. I know the UT student who got it and am not surprised I got beat.

[Anonymous User]

Cover letters - anything that you're making sure you're including and anything that you know you want to leave out? Mine are pretty short and sweet, but I've heard mixed opinions about what judges are looking for. Any advice?

In addition to the typical transmittal information, mine are a fairly short personal statement of why geographic area.

[transferror]

That's a great point. My school's career center told me essentially the same thing as far as where our grads have been placed in clerkships. Coming from a TTTT, not many students from my school even bother applying for clerkships, but I certainly want to give it a shot, if nothing else.

For a separate question to anyone who may have an answer, how bad does it hurt to not have Law Review or secondary journal experience? Do solid writing/research grades and other writing experience make up for it? I know it's very important to have for federal clerkships, but I'm not sure how much it factors in for state clerkship programs.

I'm at a T2, and have a heard stories from profs of ppl in the top 5% being unable to land clerkships specifically due to no journal. As noted, this was primarily a problem for those applying to fed clerkships, but I imagine there is some carry-over to state clerkships, though I doubt it is as big a problem, especially at the trial level.

[Anonymous User]

New Anon here:

Applying Tx SSC (plus federal district / magistrates in Austin)

UT 3.85 (approx between 5-10% I think)
Two interviews so far: US District (didn't get it) + SSC (still waiting; all of the other interviewees were classmates)

After another Texas SSC interview, I landed it. Looking forward to next year and staying in Austin for at least another year (hopefully this will help me stay beyond that).

In response to another question ITT, no journal/moot court for me. It's something I'm sure has hurt me with some firms that want to check all their boxes to give out interviews, but judges get to choose whomever they want.

GL everyone.

[ineptimusprime]

Any applicants for the Idaho Supreme Court? I interviewed with Justice J. Jones in late May. I've heard he likes to make decisions early.

My stats are top 15% at a T2 in the Midwest, law review, etc. I'm also from Idaho and am clerking for an Idaho firm this summer.

Didn't get the offer with J. Jones and have received quite a few rejection letters and not any more interviews. Trying to stay positive, but starting to think clerking isn't going to pan out for me.

[Anonymous User]

Any applicants for the Idaho Supreme Court? I interviewed with Justice J. Jones in late May. I've heard he likes to make decisions early.

My stats are top 15% at a T2 in the Midwest, law review, etc. I'm also from Idaho and am clerking for an Idaho firm this summer.

Didn't get the offer with J. Jones and have received quite a few rejection letters and not any more interviews. Trying to stay positive, but starting to think clerking isn't going to pan out for me.

That's a tough one just from the size. Is everyone full? (If you don't know, do you have a clerkship advisor or a CSO who is the point person for clerkships who might be able to make discreet inquiries as to who's full without any blowback on you?) And are you just looking at SSC or also SCOA? It seems like there's often a long gap between accepting applications and actually reviewing them for a lot of state judges. Hang in there and good luck.

[ineptimusprime]

That's a tough one just from the size. Is everyone full? (If you don't know, do you have a clerkship advisor or a CSO who is the point person for clerkships who might be able to make discreet inquiries as to who's full without any blowback on you?) And are you just looking at SSC or also SCOA? It seems like there's often a long gap between accepting applications and actually reviewing them for a lot of state judges. Hang in there and good luck.

Not sure if everyone is full. I know J. Jones and two of the COA appeals judges are full. I know Burdick was interviewing at the same time as J. Jones, so I'm probably out of the running there too.

I've applied to the entire Idaho Supreme Court and Idaho Court of Appeals. Also applied to the entire Montana Supreme Court.

I was hopeful my ties to Idaho and decent stats would have resulted in more than one interview, but I'm starting to get nervous that maybe something was wrong with my writing sample or something.

[A. Nony Mouse]

That's a tough one just from the size. Is everyone full? (If you don't know, do you have a clerkship advisor or a CSO who is the point person for clerkships who might be able to make discreet inquiries as to who's full without any blowback on you?) And are you just looking at SSC or also SCOA? It seems like there's often a long gap between accepting applications and actually reviewing them for a lot of state judges. Hang in there and good luck.

Not sure if everyone is full. I know J. Jones and two of the COA appeals judges are full. I know Burdick was interviewing at the same time as J. Jones, so I'm probably out of the running there too.

I've applied to the entire Idaho Supreme Court and Idaho Court of Appeals. Also applied to the entire Montana Supreme Court.

I was hopeful my ties to Idaho and decent stats would have resulted in more than one interview, but I'm starting to get nervous that maybe something was wrong with my writing sample or something.

Clerking is just tough to predict. A lot of SSC justices (and even state COA) tend to hire the top students from the local school and local T14 grads. Even for a state like Idaho (that is, small population), there's going to be a lot of competition. That's not saying you're not qualified or won't get something, it's just a tough process.