If at first you don't succeed: a pep-talk Forum

[Quichelorraine]

This is a pep-talk, one I've given a few times recently to friends in law school. This sentiment doesn't get expressed nearly enough, so I thought it made sense to post something publicly.

Clerkship hiring is capricious. In fact, it's hard to think of another legal job—especially an "entry-level" one—for which the entire process is so bizarre. Landing a clerkship is an unpredictable admixture of conventional wisdom and flat-out witchcraft: "send a slim application package with a short cover letter, a transcript, three recommendation letters, a writing sample of precisely thirteen and one-half pages, and four newt eyes. That'll do the trick."

But that being said, lots of people do very well. Have great grades? You're probably going to get a ton of interviews; you may even have your pick of judges.

When I was first applying to clerkships many, many years ago (when the Hiring Plan was still in effect), the experiences and expectations of those at the top of the heap were most talked about. Tales abounded of attempting to schedule interviews to maximize the chance of landing a prestigious judge, or phones ringing off the hook on the first day that judges were allowed to contact students. "If you get an interview," we were told, "you've got a great chance of getting the job; it's up to you to not screw it up."

For the rest of us, the first round of clerkship applications was something else entirely. Think radio silence, lack of direction, and lots of conflicting advice. Most people struck out without any interviews. Some people got interviews but weren't able to seal the deal (despite being perfectly lovely, well-adjusted folks, who had no trouble getting firm offers in OCI). Calling it "frustrating" would be an understatement. There was a sense that, if you didn't manage to get a clerkship during law school, that was it.

Here's the wisdom: if things don't work out the first time, keep trying. My class of clerkship strike-outs graduated, started our jobs, and went our separate ways. But I kept applying. I eventually got a call from a judge to whom I had applied on at least three prior occasions. Four years after graduation, I finally landed the clerkship. I had a great year and it doesn't seem to have upset my (already somewhat confused public-service) career mojo one bit. If insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results, go nuts.

So if it doesn't work out right away, don't give up. The climate is changing and a lot of judges hire alums. After graduation may be a perfect time to clerk, before you've set down serious roots, but if you want to make it work, you can.

[OutCold]

This is really something that people should take to heart. There are some people who are going to have no problem landing a clerkship, be it on the basis of their credentials or their personality. Then there are those of us who are going to have to hustle like crazy, sometimes for years.

I finished median 1L year at MVP. I started applying clerkships 2L year and received no interest at all despite sending about 100 applications. I dramatically improved my grades 2L year and again sent about 100 applications over the course of 3L year. I was finally receiving interviews, but was having no success. I must have done about 4 district court interviews and 2 COA interviews that year and didn't get a single one. The day before my last final of 3L year, I finally had a successful interview with a district court judge and took the position. It took about 7 tries.

The next week I went back to career services and sent out another 50 or so applications to COA judges. I continued to apply for the duration of my district court clerkship. I did another three interviews with no offer. I started at my firm, still continued to apply as things opened on OSCAR, and finally landed one about 6 months in (owed mostly to my district court judge's recommendation).

The moral of the story is, if clerking is something you really want to do, you need to be prepared to commit to it. Sometimes your first interview will be all you need. Sometimes you'll need 10 or more of them like I did. Sometimes you'll get lucky with 10 applications to targeted judges, other times you'll need to send hundreds of applications over 3.5 years to just about every district/circuit in the country. In the end, it wasn't my credentials that landed me the job, but rather brute-force persistence. At one point our clerkship advisor told me she had never seen someone send out so many applications over such a sustained period of time.

[Quichelorraine]

In the end, it wasn't my credentials that landed me the job, but rather brute-force persistence. At one point our clerkship advisor told me she had never seen someone send out so many applications over such a sustained period of time.

Highlighting this. For those lucky enough to be at schools with functional clerkship offices, you may get the distinct impression that you are wearing out your welcome as you launch salvo after salvo (especially the case with paper applications, although some clerkship offices take the burden off recommenders by caching letters and mail-merging them). But it's their job to help you, and you are just as worthy of their time as your feeder-credentialed peers are.

[Anonymous User]

This post is a lifesaver. I literally look at it once a day to keep my hopes up. I'm going to keep trying and trying (I'm a 2016 graduate with middling grades looking for a miracle).

[mjb447]

This was my experience applying as an alum as well. Like prior posters said, it can take a few years, but it's worth pursuing.

[Anonymous User]

It's nice to see this. I'm honestly tired. I have to work; I can't keep taking time off just to spend $500 per flight to interviews for a rejection email. It's a stressful process. I'm starting to wonder if law is worth it: the rat race, the chasing after prestige that the 1% can't do without and the 99% of the country doesn't even care about.