Top Law Schools

What is the average? My adviser is recommending I apply to at least 50. The school has a rule that I have to accept the first offer I get. I'm worried that if I expand the number of applications to 50, I'll inadvertently get an offer in a place I don't really want to live and miss out on some jobs I would prefer and have strong connections with.

My info:

2L at a T1
Army Officer, ed delay going into Army JAG Corps after school
Above top 5% GPA (cutoff is 3.748, my GPA is 3.837)
Law Review
Shooting mostly for district courts in my region; some of the judges are former JAGs, alums of my school, and frequently hire clerks from my school.

I had similar stats/softs when I applied. It's a risk to apply to too few if you want to clerk. I ended up applying to at least 40 clerkships and got two interviews (I received an offer at my first interview, so I canceled the second).

The general rule is to only apply in places and to judges with whom you would immediately accept an offer. If you don't want to live in Fargo, ND, don't apply to the judges there.

If you are still nervous, send applications out in waves, with your most preferred positions' applications going out first.

OP, how is the school's "rule" enforceable? You are sending out all of your own application materials, right? I think that their "rule" is best practice, but I'm not sure what makes them think they can impose it on you.

schools try to push that rule so the school doesn't get a bad rap when a student denies a judge's offer. its bullshit and you should do whatever works for you because ultimately you have to spend a year or two with that judge, not you CSO.

You're paying your school tens of thousands of dollars a semester - you have the right to disregard that rule. It exists for their benefit, not yours.

FYI, your exact GPA and the 5% cut off outs you for those who are on here and also go to your school. May want to change that in your original post.

I second catinthewall. Send things out in waves and wait to hear back. Also, it is only a year. I am trying to view it as being able to experience a city/location that I may never want to live in permanently, but am willing to do for one year. Maybe that can help you widen your search and not be scared about that "first offer rule." And if you are willing to clerk for senior judges, that can increase your application numbers but not necessarily the geographic range.