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Hi all, I'm hoping to solicit some advice regarding a future clerkship application. I have a gig lined up for after graduation (V50; Chambers band 2 in local market - major city that is not new york). I'll be in the litigation group.

I wan to clerk after practicing for 2-4 years. Therefore, I'd realistically be looking for clerkship spots that start in 2020 or later. When should I begin applying in earnest? I know OSCAR has a few applications open for 2020, but they seem few and far between.

As far as my stats, non-T14 top 10%, law review. School is in the local market. Ideally would like to clerk in the local market (I know, this is severely limiting my chances), but would be open to other major cities, and not fly-overs.

Will a few years of work experience meaningfully improve my chances? Or am I shit out of luck? This is not life or death for me, and I will be perfectly content if I never land a clerkship. Just want to get an idea of when I should be applying/if I have a shot.

I think 4 years may be too long to wait to clerk. That means you would be clerking during what would be your 5th year and returning as a 6th year (or 7th year if you did two years of clerking). While this isn't necessarily bad, I don't see many people doing this and I would suggest clerking after 2 years, at the most. So look for 2018 and 2019 clerkships, meaning you should be applying now.

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