Can someone give me a rundown of the process? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I haven't considered clerkship until now. A lot of the links on the sticky-ed thread for general information aren't working.

I was wondering what the app process is like in general (what materials do I need, what's the timeline, etc.)

Also, a couple questions:
Am I too late?
What kind of grades are required from a T14 for a federal clerkship?
What kind of clerkship will open doors to biglaw later on, besides CoA? is there a hierarchy of "prestige"?
Also, as a 2L, am I looking for a clerking position for next summer, or for the entire year after I graduate?

[filibuster]

i would also like to know more...

[bk1]

1. You are too late for most 15-16 clerkships. You are too late for some, but not may 16-17 clerkships. You should get on it if you want to apply for 16-17 as some judges are hiring, though most won't hire till next year. You are also late for an exceedingly small number of 17-18 clerkships.

2. There are no required grades. People get clerkships from median and below. I'd say that top 1/4 gives you a reasonable chance and top 10% is probably a decent shot (though top 10% people strike out).

3. What kind of doors are you talking about? Plenty of clerks who couldn't get biglaw as a 2L still struggle to get biglaw after clerking. If you are looking at clerkships because you struck out, know that the clerkship may not be a ticket back into biglaw (though it could be).

4. A term clerkship generally means a position (either 1 or 2 years) for full time after graduation. You can also apply to judicial externships if you want which would be the summer or a semester. But those don't turn into term clerkships. Some judges do hire from their extern pool, but some have a categorical rule against hiring their own former externs. On the whole, I don't think an externship is all that helpful in getting a clerkship.

[BVest]

I haven't considered clerkship until now. A lot of the links on the sticky-ed thread for general information aren't working.

[1] I was wondering what the app process is like in general (what materials do I need, what's the timeline, etc.)

Also, a couple questions:
[2] Am I too late?
[3] What kind of grades are required from a T14 for a federal clerkship?
[4] What kind of clerkship will open doors to biglaw later on, besides CoA? is there a hierarchy of "prestige"?
[5] Also, as a 2L, am I looking for a clerking position for next summer, or for the entire year after I graduate?

This post reflects almost no research, but since it almost seems like you have no clue where to start, here goes.
1) Decent timeline here, even though it includes some school specific stuff. Your school has something similar on their site. Find it.

2) No. Behind but not at all too late.

3) Varies widely by school. Ask your career services or clerkship coordinator.

4) Yes there's a hierarchy. COA has its own hierarchy among circuits and individual judges, but generally, 2nd, 7th, 1st, 9th and DC circuits are preferred over others. For districts, SDNY, DDC, D Mass, NDCA, CDCA, EDVA, EDNY and miscellaneous judges outside those districts are preferred over other districts.

Rule of thumb for biglaw post clerkship, however, is that if you didn't have biglaw credentials before clerking, you won't have them after clerking. (Note, that's not the same as saying that if you don't have biglaw before getting a clerkship, you can't get it after)

5) After you graduate. Summer jobs with judges (1) are a dime a dozen, and (2) are not clerkships.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Applications usually consist of a cover letter, resume, transcript, writing sample, and letters of recommendation (usually three, IME, but some are fine with two). Letters from profs are generally preferred so you want to be cultivating relationships with people who can write you glowing letters (and ideally who know judges and/or are willing to make calls to judges for you). Of course, if you have an employer who's connected/can make those calls, that can work, too.

You also want to be able to submit a writing sample that hasn't been edited by anyone else.

I agree that judicial externships don't necessarily have much to do with getting a clerkship. It can help if the judge will call other judges. But some judges won't write letters (even if they'll be a reference). So it depends.

Also, the links in the Compilation sticky in this forum are all working for me. Some of the threads are long, but are worth reading through nonetheless. Except ignore all the analyses of the federal hiring plan, because it doesn't exist any more. I think there are still a number of judges who want 3 semesters of grades before hiring, but applications are getting pushed further and further back (that is, earlier in your law school career).