2016-17 Post-Clerkship Hiring Thread Forum

[Anonymous User]

I swear every firm in LA is full and not hiring. God damn. I am having no luck there. But I'm a non-trad/non-prestigious clerk, so that probably explains things.

[Anonymous User]

I swear every firm in LA is full and not hiring. God damn. I am having no luck there. But I'm a non-trad/non-prestigious clerk, so that probably explains things.

Not trying to dump on you (just rather trying to offer a different view of things for interested people and posterity), but people at my non-CA9/2/DC COA have had a fair amount of luck in LA. I don't think the firms are full/not hiring

[Anonymous User]

I swear every firm in LA is full and not hiring. God damn. I am having no luck there. But I'm a non-trad/non-prestigious clerk, so that probably explains things.

Not trying to dump on you (just trying to offer a different view of things for interested people and posterity), but people at my non-CA9/2/DC COA have done alright in LA. I don't think the firms are full/not hiring

[Anonymous User]

Is it really that bad that people aren't even getting interviews? I'm pretty shocked at the results in here.

I'm a big law junior associate in DC and I have clerkship interviews lined up in secondary markets (Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, etc).

Am I making a dumb choice?

Selfishly, I want you to leave so one of us can take your spot. I don't think I would leave at this point, unless your firm has guaranteed you a spot when you return.

Haha, ill add that to the "pro" list of leaving (give back to TLS).

Do clerks generally just apply to open general Litigation spots? I'm wondering if the lack of success this cycle is due to the lack of openings in regular general lit? Whenever I look at lateral openings, they rarely have a position open for just general litigation, rather the openings are always pretty specific (e.g., labor and employment lit associate, white collar associate, etc).

Not sure that applies to clerks though so I may be totally off the mark -- totally possible that all the general lit openings are reserved for clerks which is why I don't see them as a lateral.

[los blancos]

The TLS conventional wisdom is that clerking mid-career is presumptively a bad idea unless you have an offer to return to your firm and/or are going all-out after gvt.

I think it's probably accurate, particularly if your paper credentials aren't that great.

[Jchance]

Maybe the NY to 180k move has made firm nervous to take on clerks, which then brings upon the clerkship bonus question. Could be a slow season given the recent increase.

[Anonymous User]

I swear every firm in LA is full and not hiring. God damn. I am having no luck there. But I'm a non-trad/non-prestigious clerk, so that probably explains things.

Not trying to dump on you (just rather trying to offer a different view of things for interested people and posterity), but people at my non-CA9/2/DC COA have had a fair amount of luck in LA. I don't think the firms are full/not hiring

Yeah, I wasn't entirely serious about no one hiring there. I'm aware that I'm not the most desirable candidate and obviously a lot of firms are hiring. But I'm having no luck at all and a friend who's clerking at CDCA isn't either, nor are a couple of other clerks s/he knows there.

[Anonymous User]

Is it really that bad that people aren't even getting interviews? I'm pretty shocked at the results in here.

I'm a big law junior associate in DC and I have clerkship interviews lined up in secondary markets (Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, etc).

Am I making a dumb choice?

Selfishly, I want you to leave so one of us can take your spot. I don't think I would leave at this point, unless your firm has guaranteed you a spot when you return.

Haha, ill add that to the "pro" list of leaving (give back to TLS).

Do clerks generally just apply to open general Litigation spots? I'm wondering if the lack of success this cycle is due to the lack of openings in regular general lit? Whenever I look at lateral openings, they rarely have a position open for just general litigation, rather the openings are always pretty specific (e.g., labor and employment lit associate, white collar associate, etc).

This has been my observation too. I can think of like two big firms that have posted for general post-clerk litigation positions. The rest are for specific practice groups, e.g., everyone seems to be hiring a ton for L&E.

[Anonymous User]

Is it really that bad that people aren't even getting interviews? I'm pretty shocked at the results in here.

I'm a big law junior associate in DC and I have clerkship interviews lined up in secondary markets (Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, etc).

Am I making a dumb choice?

Selfishly, I want you to leave so one of us can take your spot. I don't think I would leave at this point, unless your firm has guaranteed you a spot when you return.

Haha, ill add that to the "pro" list of leaving (give back to TLS).

Do clerks generally just apply to open general Litigation spots? I'm wondering if the lack of success this cycle is due to the lack of openings in regular general lit? Whenever I look at lateral openings, they rarely have a position open for just general litigation, rather the openings are always pretty specific (e.g., labor and employment lit associate, white collar associate, etc).

This has been my observation too. I can think of like two big firms that have posted for general post-clerk litigation positions. The rest are for specific practice groups, e.g., everyone seems to be hiring a ton for L&E.

Clerks with experience, while more common now, are still somewhat odd beasts in terms of post-clerkship private employment. From those who I have talked to and myself included, people are applying to open spots as laterals if they have the relevant experience. Otherwise, they are applying through the clerkship "portals" and letting the cover letter/resume do the explaining.

[Anonymous User]

Are there any COA clerks that are struggling to get interviews?

COA here, non-feeder/not in a big market, have posted a bit in the thread previously. Have yet to receive a biglaw interview after about 20 apps (non-NYC offices). Smaller firms (nominally no less competitive) have been a lot more responsive and I have gotten interviews that route. Like the posters immediately above said, there seems to be less clerkship appetite among the big firms this year. I'm not entirely sure why. But the data here is very limited and others may be having more luck. And even if there is a downturn in clerk hiring this year in biglaw, it'll take some time to figure out if it's a one-year fluke or some kind of structural adjustment.

Also, I assume if you're feeder/Supreme Court, or stellar grades, or have a previous relationship with the firm, then it's going to be easier. Or if you're clerking in the market you want to work in, or if you're targeting big law in NYC.

Hope that's of some use.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for the response to my question. If you don't mind me asking, what are your stats and what market(s) are you targeting? Responding to post above.

[Anonymous User]

Is it really that bad that people aren't even getting interviews? I'm pretty shocked at the results in here.

I'm a big law junior associate in DC and I have clerkship interviews lined up in secondary markets (Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, etc).

Am I making a dumb choice?

Selfishly, I want you to leave so one of us can take your spot. I don't think I would leave at this point, unless your firm has guaranteed you a spot when you return.

Haha, ill add that to the "pro" list of leaving (give back to TLS).

Do clerks generally just apply to open general Litigation spots? I'm wondering if the lack of success this cycle is due to the lack of openings in regular general lit? Whenever I look at lateral openings, they rarely have a position open for just general litigation, rather the openings are always pretty specific (e.g., labor and employment lit associate, white collar associate, etc).

This has been my observation too. I can think of like two big firms that have posted for general post-clerk litigation positions. The rest are for specific practice groups, e.g., everyone seems to be hiring a ton for L&E.

Clerks with experience, while more common now, are still somewhat odd beasts in terms of post-clerkship private employment. From those who I have talked to and myself included, people are applying to open spots as laterals if they have the relevant experience. Otherwise, they are applying through the clerkship "portals" and letting the cover letter/resume do the explaining.

I'm a few years out--2 year clerkship and 1.5 years of work before clerking was government experience that's essentially irrelevant to 99% of firms-- so I'm explicitly stating in my CLs that I'm open to joining the firm at any class level. My recruiter dude suggested it and also said "be ready to say you're okay with not receiving a clerkship bonus."

The caveat here is I'm not a traditional clerk candidate because I'm a few years out and my grades suck. I'm also only targeting SoCal.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for the response to my question. If you don't mind me asking, what are your stats and what market(s) are you targeting? Responding to post above.

Top 25% at a non-HYS T14 school, markets I'd prefer not to say.

[Anonymous User]

So, can we all hope that hiring is just *now* beginning to amp up? It's later than other years, but still maybe?

[Anonymous User]

So, can we all hope that hiring is just *now* beginning to amp up? It's later than other years, but still maybe?

Not in DC. Almost all Big Law has already interviewed or rejected clerk candidates.

[Anonymous User]

So, can we all hope that hiring is just *now* beginning to amp up? It's later than other years, but still maybe?

Not in DC. Almost all Big Law has already interviewed or rejected clerk candidates.

What about NY? Or secondary markets?

[Anonymous User]

So, can we all hope that hiring is just *now* beginning to amp up? It's later than other years, but still maybe?

Not in DC. Almost all Big Law has already interviewed or rejected clerk candidates.

DC is basically saturated with federal government attorneys leaving prestigious administration jobs, now looking to enter biglaw. There is also the reverse factor: firms over-hired in recent years expecting there to be an exodus for a democratic administration. Both factors together mean less clerk hiring period.

[Anonymous User]

So, can we all hope that hiring is just *now* beginning to amp up? It's later than other years, but still maybe?

Not in DC. Almost all Big Law has already interviewed or rejected clerk candidates.

What about NY? Or secondary markets?

NYC clerk hiring seems to turn most on your prior relationship with the firm in terms of summer, connection, etc. There just are not many firms looking to hire litigators in NYC right now.

[Anonymous User]

So, can we all hope that hiring is just *now* beginning to amp up? It's later than other years, but still maybe?

Not in DC. Almost all Big Law has already interviewed or rejected clerk candidates.

What about NY? Or secondary markets?

NYC clerk hiring seems to turn most on your prior relationship with the firm in terms of summer, connection, etc. There just are not many firms looking to hire litigators in NYC right now.

Perhaps this is true on a broad level but as an SDNY/EDNY/COA 2 clerk, my chambers (as well as the chambers of other clerks in my courthouse) have been flooded with firm reception invites since January. This is just a sampling of the firms that have reached out:

Patterson Belknap
Jenner & Block
Gibson Dunn
Cleary
Morvillo
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
Goodwin Procter
Kirkland
Quinn Emmanuel
Kramer Levin

Now whether you actually want to work at some of these firms is one thing but I don't think it's completely accurate to say that NYC firms just aren't looking for litigators or that post-clerkship hiring turns exclusively on prior connections.

[deuceindc]

So, can we all hope that hiring is just *now* beginning to amp up? It's later than other years, but still maybe?

Not in DC. Almost all Big Law has already interviewed or rejected clerk candidates.

DC is basically saturated with federal government attorneys leaving prestigious administration jobs, now looking to enter biglaw. There is also the reverse factor: firms over-hired in recent years expecting there to be an exodus for a democratic administration. Both factors together mean less clerk hiring period.

How does the first factor impact post-clerkship hiring? Gov laterals (especially from "prestigious administration jobs") are probably joining a firm as an upper-level associate or counsel. Clerks, OTOH, are typically entering as 2nd/3rd year associates. By and large, they're not competing for the same openings.

[Anonymous User]

Does anybody have experience negotiating clerkship bonuses as an alum clerk?

[Anonymous User]

I looked through the thread and didn't see anything about this, so how are clerks in flyover districts doing with finding work in a major market? Specifically places like NYC/DC/Chi/LA. Seems as though hiring is down this year for DC firms.

[Anonymous User]

I looked through the thread and didn't see anything about this, so how are clerks in flyover districts doing with finding work in a major market? Specifically places like NYC/DC/Chi/LA. Seems as though hiring is down this year for DC firms.

I am in a flyover district with excellent (though not HYS magna excellent) credentials. I got two interviews from major markets.

[Anonymous User]

So, can we all hope that hiring is just *now* beginning to amp up? It's later than other years, but still maybe?

Not in DC. Almost all Big Law has already interviewed or rejected clerk candidates.

DC is basically saturated with federal government attorneys leaving prestigious administration jobs, now looking to enter biglaw. There is also the reverse factor: firms over-hired in recent years expecting there to be an exodus for a democratic administration. Both factors together mean less clerk hiring period.

How does the first factor impact post-clerkship hiring? Gov laterals (especially from "prestigious administration jobs") are probably joining a firm as an upper-level associate or counsel. Clerks, OTOH, are typically entering as 2nd/3rd year associates. By and large, they're not competing for the same openings.

You're right, except that we're also talking about 2011, 2012, 2013 grads leaving DOJ who are crowding-out clerks who are not too dissimilar in terms of class year.

[Anonymous User]

Any word from Sidley or Quinn DC?