Delaware Judiciary Forum

[Manali]

What kinds of ties are needed for the Delaware clerkships, particularly Wilmington? Will connections (law school, WE, living there for 20+ years) to Philly suffice? Is the Delaware legal market as awful as Philly?

[TooMuchTuna]

Welcome back BL, you're on quite the posting tear huh?

If you have questions in regard to the Delaware market, I suggest you start here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... t=delaware

Not sure another thread is needed.

[Manali]

That thread is very corporate focused. I am interested in clerkships, PD, local gov't, legal aid, and other types of public interest.

[Anonymous User]

I did an externship in Del. District Court, and from what I gathered from the clerk I worked with, local ties or at least a (feigned?) interest in Wilmington or Delaware are necessary. I grew up outside of Philadelphia not too far from the Delaware border and go to a Philly market school, so that seemed sufficient. I'm sure stronger connections would be helpful, because Delaware's bar is incredibly insular and wary of perceived outsiders. If you want, I can send you a DM with more specific info, but I'd rather not share more publicly.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Delaware federal clerkships are going to be very corporate-focused.

[Manali]

Delaware federal clerkships are going to be very corporate-focused.

That's what I figured. I am interested in state trial court clerkships, though (family, juvenile, criminal, etc.)

Also, can you move this to the clerkships forum, Nony? Appreciate it.

[los blancos]

Delaware federal clerkships are going to be very corporate-focused.

IP just as much or maybe even moreso, is my impression. Think a lot of the corporate stuff happens in Chancery rather than D. Del. I could be wrong.

[Manali]

Is the Wilmington market dominated by Widener grads? Or is there a good mix of folks from the Philly law schools?

[Anonymous User]

Is the Wilmington market dominated by Widener grads? Or is there a good mix of folks from the Philly law schools?

Not just Widener, and also not just Philly. You need some ties usually, but it's not so insular as to keep out anyone else.

[rpupkin]

I did an externship in Del. District Court, and from what I gathered from the clerk I worked with, local ties or at least a (feigned?) interest in Wilmington or Delaware are necessary.

Which judge? I know what you wrote is not true for at least two of the four district court judges in Delaware. (I didn't clerk in D. Del., but I know several who have.)

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know where D. Del. clerks tend to end up afterwards? Biglaw? Wilmington? Philly?

[Anonymous User]

I'm going to be clerking District of Delaware. The federal district court in Delaware is very patent heavy. Its one of the three biggest patent jurisdictions in the country (with N.D. Cal. and S.D. Texas). The corporate stuff is in the Delaware state court, not the federal district court. I spent a fair amount of time looking at the federal district court docket and I don't think it skewed heavy substantive corporate law. Although it is heavy civil cases and there isn't a lot of criminal cases. My speculation is that the heavy patent/ civil is because of personal jurisdiction, its easier to sue corporations there because its where they are incorporated.

As far as connections, I got the clerkship with just general east coast connections, none to Delaware specifically.

When interviewing, I talked to a few former clerks. A lot are practicing in patent law either in Delaware or elsewhere. A few went on to other clerkships (what I will be doing), and a few were doing big law in DC/NY.

[tbird]

Would you be comfortable pm'ing me which judge you will be clerking for?

[Manali]

Have zero interest in corporate law and don't even plan to take Corps. Are Delaware fed clerkships out of the question?