2018-2019 Clerkship Application Thread Forum

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

How do I check to see which judges are hiring right now given that we can't register for OSCAR until July 1??

[emkay625]

How do I check to see which judges are hiring right now given that we can't register for OSCAR until July 1??

You ask someone a class year ahead of you to look for you. : )

[jbagelboy]

I'm sure they do. But I was hoping someone here could explain the basics? Thanks.

The answer, unfortunately, is it depends.

Some judges will hire summer after 1L, some during 2L fall, some during 2L spring, and some later than that. Some judges require you to apply online via OSCAR, some make you mail in apps, and others just kind of take recommendations directly from schools. There is no one answer.

Things you should be doing now:

1. Get killer grades. If you're a 1L, that ship has sailed already, but now focus on 2L fall. Lots of people slack off 2L year, if you want a clerkship (esp. a competitive one) you can't be one of those people. Make sure you've signed up to take federal courts, lots of judges view it as a prerequisite.
2. Line up recommendors. Develop good relationships with your professors. If 1L is over for you, go ahead and approach them about writing a letter for you. (Some profs take forever to do it, you want to give them as much time as possible).
3. Take law review seriously. If you're a 1L, you're probably in the middle of the write-on process. Many judges consider being on law review a req. for clerks. And some competitive spots (lots of COA judges) only hire people who are on ed board, so make sure once you've made LR, you do a good job so you can be selected for ed board. (But this matters less for less competitive clerkships).
4. Polish your resume now, so you're ready to go.

But we could help you more if you identified your school/rank/what kind of clerkship you want. You're anon anyway.

federal judges, even feeders, don't consider ad board or federal courts class a "prerequisite". law review is probably an unstated requirement at a lower tier law school, but its not make or break at a T14. you're going a little overboard here. The less well-reputed your law school, the more advantages you need to take to have a shot (like taking "serious" classes, doing journal/LR ad board, and getting a note published), but there aren't really any hards and fasts here.

*I actually always advise against taking federal courts in fall 2L except for the most brazen gunners, especially for people that want to apply for clerkships in spring 2L (many judges now require 3+ semesters of grades, so february-march of 2L there's a big application rush). I know a lot of good students who hurt their GPAs by trying to take fed courts and admin as soon as they could, landing them on a tough curve in a class full of other similarly minded folks. If you are going to be clerking and you think the material will be useful, take fed courts as a 3L when its less damaging.

[emkay625]

I'm sure they do. But I was hoping someone here could explain the basics? Thanks.

The answer, unfortunately, is it depends.

Some judges will hire summer after 1L, some during 2L fall, some during 2L spring, and some later than that. Some judges require you to apply online via OSCAR, some make you mail in apps, and others just kind of take recommendations directly from schools. There is no one answer.

Things you should be doing now:

1. Get killer grades. If you're a 1L, that ship has sailed already, but now focus on 2L fall. Lots of people slack off 2L year, if you want a clerkship (esp. a competitive one) you can't be one of those people. Make sure you've signed up to take federal courts, lots of judges view it as a prerequisite.
2. Line up recommendors. Develop good relationships with your professors. If 1L is over for you, go ahead and approach them about writing a letter for you. (Some profs take forever to do it, you want to give them as much time as possible).
3. Take law review seriously. If you're a 1L, you're probably in the middle of the write-on process. Many judges consider being on law review a req. for clerks. And some competitive spots (lots of COA judges) only hire people who are on ed board, so make sure once you've made LR, you do a good job so you can be selected for ed board. (But this matters less for less competitive clerkships).
4. Polish your resume now, so you're ready to go.

But we could help you more if you identified your school/rank/what kind of clerkship you want. You're anon anyway.

federal judges, even feeders, don't consider ad board or federal courts class a "prerequisite". law review is probably an unstated requirement at a lower tier law school, but its not make or break at a T14. you're going a little overboard here. The less well-reputed your law school, the more advantages you need to take to have a shot (like taking "serious" classes, doing journal/LR ad board, and getting a note published), but there aren't really any hards and fasts here.

*I actually always advise against taking federal courts in fall 2L except for the most brazen gunners, especially for people that want to apply for clerkships in spring 2L (many judges now require 3+ semesters of grades, so february-march of 2L there's a big application rush). I know a lot of good students who hurt their GPAs by trying to take fed courts and admin as soon as they could, landing them on a tough curve in a class full of other similarly minded folks. If you are going to be clerking and you think the material will be useful, take fed courts as a 3L when its less damaging.

Fed courts is a prereq for my judge. And was told by a COA judge that he only hired ed board members. Are they pre reqs for every judge? No. But if I'm giving advice to someone, my goal is to give them advice that will open as many doors as possible. Not doing those things will close some doors, so if the OP (not really OP in this situation but you get my drift) wants to maximize her/his chances, they should do those things.

But agree about waiting on fed courts if you can. Take it whatever semester will offer you the easiest curve probably makes the most sense.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

There is no reason to apply for any clerkships before hearing about law review, correct?

[Anonymous User]

Incorrect. Last year many ultra-feeders hired before LR results came out.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Incorrect. Last year many ultra-feeders hired before LR results came out.

Got it - thanks

[accessislife]

checking in but agh not ready to start applying already

[nothingtosee]

[Anonymous User]

Any updates re: Milan Smith (9th) ?

He has at least started interviews, no clue if any offers were made yet.

[Username123]

When can rising 2Ls begin applying? My school doesn't have much information on federal clerkships.

[EzraFitz]

When can rising 2Ls begin applying? My school doesn't have much information on federal clerkships.

Honestly, last week or earlier was the time to start. Seriously get apps out ASAP, get letters in as soon after the app as possible.

[Anonymous User]

When can rising 2Ls begin applying? My school doesn't have much information on federal clerkships.

Honestly, last week or earlier was the time to start. Seriously get apps out ASAP, get letters in as soon after the app as possible.

At least for my judge, rising 2Ls should apply as soon as they get their spring grades.

[Anonymous User]

When can rising 2Ls begin applying? My school doesn't have much information on federal clerkships.

Honestly, last week or earlier was the time to start. Seriously get apps out ASAP, get letters in as soon after the app as possible.

At least for my judge, rising 2Ls should apply as soon as they get their spring grades.

How is this true if OSCAR isn't available to rising 2Ls until July 1?

[Anonymous User]

When can rising 2Ls begin applying? My school doesn't have much information on federal clerkships.

Honestly, last week or earlier was the time to start. Seriously get apps out ASAP, get letters in as soon after the app as possible.

At least for my judge, rising 2Ls should apply as soon as they get their spring grades.

How is this true if OSCAR isn't available to rising 2Ls until July 1?

There are other ways to apply to judges. Paper applications comes to mind. Some judges also have separate email addresses for this express purpose.

(Also, I clerk for a feeder. We probably move waaay faster than most.)

[Anonymous User]

When can rising 2Ls begin applying? My school doesn't have much information on federal clerkships.

Honestly, last week or earlier was the time to start. Seriously get apps out ASAP, get letters in as soon after the app as possible.

At least for my judge, rising 2Ls should apply as soon as they get their spring grades.

keep in mind, this sort of advise only applies to rising 2Ls for a small minority of judges; most federal judges won't be hiring you for immediately after graduation or won't be looking at you for another 8-12 months. So if you're reading this and you're like whoa, relax.

[Anonymous User]

Is any feeder judge gonna move before spring grades come out for HYS? Most of them seem to be sitting on their hands right now.

[Anonymous User]

Is any feeder judge gonna move before spring grades come out for HYS? Most of them seem to be sitting on their hands right now.

I'm curious how you know most of them are sitting on their hands. Not to challenge you -- I'm genuinely curious. I was at a law event last week and some 1Ls were using these general phrases without actually talking about sources.

[Anonymous User]

Is any feeder judge gonna move before spring grades come out for HYS? Most of them seem to be sitting on their hands right now.

I'm curious how you know most of them are sitting on their hands. Not to challenge you -- I'm genuinely curious. I was at a law event last week and some 1Ls were using these general phrases without actually talking about sources.

I'm a competitive rising 2L candidate who has not heard back from judges yet.

[EzraFitz]

Not to dampen hopeful spirits, but the tippy top feeders are NOT sitting on their hands. They are really moving ASAP (if they haven't already filled up). But yes, this applies to a very small sect of top top judges. For most, waiting for Spring grades is fine and acceptable. For the most competitive, it's possibly too late.

[lavarman84]

Is any feeder judge gonna move before spring grades come out for HYS? Most of them seem to be sitting on their hands right now.

I'm curious how you know most of them are sitting on their hands. Not to challenge you -- I'm genuinely curious. I was at a law event last week and some 1Ls were using these general phrases without actually talking about sources.

I'm a competitive rising 2L candidate who has not heard back from judges yet.

So what you're telling us is that judges can't be moving because you're not getting interviews?

[Anonymous User]

Not to dampen hopeful spirits, but the tippy top feeders are NOT sitting on their hands. They are really moving ASAP (if they haven't already filled up). But yes, this applies to a very small sect of top top judges. For most, waiting for Spring grades is fine and acceptable. For the most competitive, it's possibly too late.

This is doubtful, unless you can name a specific judge or judges?

[Anonymous User]

Is any feeder judge gonna move before spring grades come out for HYS? Most of them seem to be sitting on their hands right now.

I'm curious how you know most of them are sitting on their hands. Not to challenge you -- I'm genuinely curious. I was at a law event last week and some 1Ls were using these general phrases without actually talking about sources.

I'm a competitive rising 2L candidate who has not heard back from judges yet.

So what you're telling us is that judges can't be moving because you're not getting interviews?

Nobody's getting interviews.

[Anonymous User]

Not to dampen hopeful spirits, but the tippy top feeders are NOT sitting on their hands. They are really moving ASAP (if they haven't already filled up). But yes, this applies to a very small sect of top top judges. For most, waiting for Spring grades is fine and acceptable. For the most competitive, it's possibly too late.

This is doubtful, unless you can name a specific judge or judges?

Based on my (very limited) sample size, the judges that are moving for 2018-19 seem to be looking at rising 3Ls or graduates - people with grades and a proven track record. It would be insane for a feeder to hire before Spring grades come out for 1Ls/rising 2Ls (especially for Yale students, who don't even have grades after the first semester.) But maybe there are some insane ones? I don't know any personally, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.

[hdunlop]

Some great trolling itt.