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CoA worth a shot?
Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 12:29 pm
by Anonymous User
3d year biglaw litigator here (in major market). Replacing my 4th year with a D.Ct. clerkship in non-flyover but non-SDNY/NDIL/CDCAL district. With the below stats and this background, is it worth it to apply for CoA (non-feeder, obviously) for 2017? Even with a D.Ct clerkship and work experience, I feel like the odds are pretty low and I admittedly am ignorant to whether or not CoA would actually help me as a litigator, other than prestige--which would admittedly help if I am trying to snag government by year 6/7. Thanks.
Top 1/3 M/V/P
Good to somewhat Great Recs - willing to make calls - judge might help?
Secondary Journal
Re: CoA worth a shot?
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 4:08 am
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:3d year biglaw litigator here (in major market). Replacing my 4th year with a D.Ct. clerkship in non-flyover but non-SDNY/NDIL/CDCAL district. With the below stats and this background, is it worth it to apply for CoA (non-feeder, obviously) for 2017? Even with a D.Ct clerkship and work experience, I feel like the odds are pretty low and I admittedly am ignorant to whether or not CoA would actually help me as a litigator, other than prestige--which would admittedly help if I am trying to snag government by year 6/7. Thanks.
Top 1/3 M/V/P
Good to somewhat Great Recs - willing to make calls - judge might help?
Secondary Journal
My friend got a 2d/9th/DDC-level clerkship with median grades from our T40 school. I got a D.Ct. clerkship with similar grades, which was also a huge long shot. We are of course exceptions to the rule, but it's reason enough to apply. And because you can apply to dozens of clerkships with a few clicks on OSCAR, I don't see any reason not to apply.
As for career boost, yes, it will absolutely help you. If anything, you can credibly say you have some idea what to do at the appellate level, which opens up a lot of doors.
Re: CoA worth a shot?
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:03 am
by seizmaar
I wouldn't do it just for prestige bro. If you've got a solid trial court clerkship I don't think trading another year of your life for a non-feeder is a winning bet. You're set up well for gov't now. I would recommend dual-tracking your gov't and COA apps and see how many bites you get.