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For those of you who have gotten clerkships and/or interviews for clerkships, how long did it take from when you submitted your application to when you heard back for an interview?

Response time ranges from a couple of days to several months, depending on several factors.

Same day (local judge), 3 days, 4 days, a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks. (I started the process about 7 weeks ago)

It's a longer, and honestly, worse process than biglaw hiring. I was early for a handful of them, so I'm still waiting to hear back.

Anywhere between 24 hours and 2 months.

Anonymous User wrote:Same day (local judge), 3 days, 4 days, a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks. (I started the process about 7 weeks ago)

It's a longer, and honestly, worse process than biglaw hiring. I was early for a handful of them, so I'm still waiting to hear back.

Congrats! Are you a 2L, 3L, or working? Are you applying primarily to CoAs or district courts? That's incredible.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Same day (local judge), 3 days, 4 days, a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks. (I started the process about 7 weeks ago)

It's a longer, and honestly, worse process than biglaw hiring. I was early for a handful of them, so I'm still waiting to hear back.

Congrats! Are you a 2L, 3L, or working? Are you applying primarily to CoAs or district courts? That's incredible.

Working, but just started. 5 district and 1 magistrate (the 3 weeks one). I'm a very average candidate to be honest (no law review, no latin honors, and most of my decent qualifications come with a "but...") I think the only reason I get interviews is because I'm willing to go anywhere but the Virgin Islands for a D.Ct. clerkship.

You'll get something; it takes a little while, and you don't want to be the first person interviewed anyway.

Could even be a year or more. Sometimes a judge collects all apps in a pile before reviewing them.

Fair. OP here. I'm a 2L who isn't qualified for feeders but has at least an outside chance at CoA. I'd imagine things can move slower for jobs that start 2 years from now than for the 2017 term. (Here's to hoping, at least.)

Anonymous User wrote:Fair. OP here. I'm a 2L who isn't qualified for feeders but has at least an outside chance at CoA. I'd imagine things can move slower for jobs that start 2 years from now than for the 2017 term. (Here's to hoping, at least.)

As a clerk in the chambers of a COA judge, we only have one spot left for the 2018-2019 term. Obviously can't speak to other chambers' situation, but things are moving shockingly fast.

Just apply and try not to think about it afterward (unless you need to update your app) until you receive an interview or the position is filled. There's really no rhyme or reason to the timing of the process, and there's also not really much you can do to control it.

mjb447 wrote:There's really no rhyme or reason to the timing of the process, and there's also not really much you can do to control it.

Get used to this in general. You have very little control over what happens in regards to clerkship hiring; the only real control you have is deciding which judges to apply to (don't apply to the 2nd circuit judges in Syracuse unless you're cool with living in a frozen wasteland for a year). Once the apps are out, the process more or less becomes a black box until you get an offer that you have to immediately accept.