Top Law Schools

These are fun, right?

Looking for district and maybe appellate in the DC area, but applying across 1/3/4/6/11/DC/Fed Cir.
Clerkship advisor says I have a good shot for district court.

2L at a T10
Top 25% GPA
Secondary journal + Ed Board
Moot Court
TA for 1L legal writing
Prof Research Assistant
Published on international trade issues
Patent bar, several years legal w/e
2L SA with a DC litigation boutique
Writing sample: 1L summer appellate brief (affirmed on appeal)

Which T10 school? If you go to HYSCCNP, I think you have a really good shot. You CAN get a district clerkship from other schools, but judges are aware that those are the most impressive schools.

Mod: user has been outed and warned.

Anonymous User wrote:Which T10 school? If you go to HYSCCNP, I think you have a really good shot. You CAN get a district clerkship from other schools, but judges are aware that those are the most impressive schools.

OP here. Non-T6.

Anonymous User wrote:These are fun, right?

Looking for district and maybe appellate in the DC area, but applying across 1/3/4/6/11/DC/Fed Cir.
Clerkship advisor says I have a good shot for district court.

2L at a T10
Top 25% GPA
Secondary journal + Ed Board
Moot Court
TA for 1L legal writing
Prof Research Assistant
Published on international trade issues
Patent bar, several years legal w/e
2L SA with a DC litigation boutique
Writing sample: 1L summer appellate brief (affirmed on appeal)

I'm going to read your question as "my clerkship advisor says district court, but I think I'm circuit-level" since that's the only way I can figure this post out. Listen - you might be! This should go well either way. And getting a district might improve your chances in the next round. But the advisor's caution is fair - top 25% outside of HYS is not auto-circuit, obviously. This process is not the same as law school admissions, it's not an algorithm. "Chance me" doesn't make a lot of sense.

Nothing you're mentioning precludes you from getting a great clerkship, or two great clerkships. Make your resume one page, apply widely, have good recommendations, do what you need to do. Try not to mention "affirmed on appeal" in an interview, or to anyone again ever. Think about why you want to clerk with your background, and what you want to do after. Prep intensively for any interviews. Good luck.

Anonymous User wrote:Which T10 school? If you go to HYSCCNP, I think you have a really good shot. You CAN get a district clerkship from other schools, but judges are aware that those are the most impressive schools.

I reported this post for anon abuse because it's so ridiculous. I also reported it because there's no reason for it to be anon, but, really, it's the combination of anon and troll-level advice that makes it particularly offensive.

rpupkin wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Which T10 school? If you go to HYSCCNP, I think you have a really good shot. You CAN get a district clerkship from other schools, but judges are aware that those are the most impressive schools.

I reported this post for anon abuse because it's so ridiculous. I also reported it because there's no reason for it to be anon, but, really, it's the combination of anon and troll-level advice that makes it particularly offensive.

i was about to do the same thing "judges" are generally old. they don't know about the latest iteration of that magazine's musical chair clickbait rankings. a lot of judges OVERVALUE a michigan (my) degree because they remember when it was ultra-elite.

good grades at a T14 can get you a district court clerkship dependent on a ton of judge-specific variables. top-25% is a pretty low GPA for a clerkship, but it can happen. I look into my crystal ball and give you 30% if you're lazy, 45% if you hustle.

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I would say you have a pretty poor shot at a district court clerkship. Maybe you get lucky with an alum from your school

You have no shot at appellate in the "DC area" (and probably not elsewhere)

Anonymous User wrote:These are fun, right?

Looking for district and maybe appellate in the DC area, but applying across 1/3/4/6/11/DC/Fed Cir.
Clerkship advisor says I have a good shot for district court.

2L at a T10
Top 25% GPA
Secondary journal + Ed Board
Moot Court
TA for 1L legal writing
Prof Research Assistant
Published on international trade issues
Patent bar, several years legal w/e
2L SA with a DC litigation boutique
Writing sample: 1L summer appellate brief (affirmed on appeal)

So I don't know about DC because I don't know those judges as well, but I've known people with comparable credentials out of UVA that have clerked at the federal appellate level right after graduation. I don't know how your timing is going to work out or what those people did to get those kinds of clerkships, but it's possible. Doesn't hurt to apply.

^ I don't know anyone from UVA who was around top 1/4 and got an appellate clerkship unless they had either LR or work experience. I am sure it has happened, but I do not think those kind of results are (even close to being) typical if that is your class rank.

OP here. 100+ apps out. Interviews are trickling in - all D. Ct. so far. None from my school's alumni, as it happens.

OP here. Got an offer on my first interview (district court) for 2017 and accepted.

All it took was 112 applications, six months, and one prof's phone call.

Can you give us a sense of the competitiveness of your district? SDNY/EDNY/DDC v. flyover etc.?

Somewhere near the middle of the competitiveness spectrum. Large city in the midwest.

Anonymous User wrote:Somewhere near the middle of the competitiveness spectrum. Large city in the midwest.

Thanks for the update! Did your prof specifically call the judge you're going to clerk for?

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Somewhere near the middle of the competitiveness spectrum. Large city in the midwest.

Thanks for the update! Did your prof specifically call the judge you're going to clerk for?

Yes.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Somewhere near the middle of the competitiveness spectrum. Large city in the midwest.

Thanks for the update! Did your prof specifically call the judge you're going to clerk for?

Yes.

congratulations!!!!! prof calls ftw yet again!