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I heard it's not very prestigious because of the types of cases they do. Would it help getting into a mid to big sized firm doing commercial litigation? How do midlaw firms view it? Thanks!

From what I understand, the state-level trial court clerkship itself would not help you get jobs you were not otherwise qualified for. Even though DC Superior Court is an excellent state-level court, DC is a competitive market. However, if your judge helps you network, that relationship may be quite valuable.

So if my stats and experience prior to the clerkship wouldn't be sufficient to get an interview or job at a firm, this won't help change that?

Anonymous User wrote:So if my stats and experience prior to the clerkship wouldn't be sufficient to get an interview or job at a firm, this won't help change that?

For biglaw most likely not. If your stats/experience were sufficient before, it won't make a difference. But if they weren't, it will not provide the bump necessary to be competitive. I don't really know enough about midlaw (or even what constitutes "midlaw" in a place like DC) to say for sure.

Mr. Blackacre wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:So if my stats and experience prior to the clerkship wouldn't be sufficient to get an interview or job at a firm, this won't help change that?

For biglaw most likely not. If your stats/experience were sufficient before, it won't make a difference. But if they weren't, it will not provide the bump necessary to be competitive. I don't really know enough about midlaw (or even what constitutes "midlaw" in a place like DC) to say for sure.

Seconded. Do a clerkship for the experience, not the resume line. It will make you more competitive than someone else with similar credentials, but it won't replace an otherwise insufficient resume.

I'm a superior court clerk. I'm going to a non-immigration DOJ honors component. Its all what you make of it.

Anonymous User wrote:

Mr. Blackacre wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:So if my stats and experience prior to the clerkship wouldn't be sufficient to get an interview or job at a firm, this won't help change that?

For biglaw most likely not. If your stats/experience were sufficient before, it won't make a difference. But if they weren't, it will not provide the bump necessary to be competitive. I don't really know enough about midlaw (or even what constitutes "midlaw" in a place like DC) to say for sure.

Seconded. Do a clerkship for the experience, not the resume line. It will make you more competitive than someone else with similar credentials, but it won't replace an otherwise insufficient resume.

For the record, I'd also like to say that D.C. Superior Court is the bomb and some judges there are truly amazing. So with realistic expectations, I would totally do it.

What if the associate judge specializes in family court matters? What post-clerk employment options would you have clerking for, essentially, a family court judge?

arglenbargle wrote:What if the associate judge specializes in family court matters? What post-clerk employment options would you have clerking for, essentially, a family court judge?

Probably opportunities to work for family law firms, which are mostly solo / 2-5 sized firms. Don't know anything about the family law market in DC, but I'd have a long think about it before getting into that area of practice. Family law is probably the most contentious area of law, with the least reasonable clients. It can be soul-crushing to deal with the emotional drama in/out, and getting paid / having to respond to lots of bar complaints is a real pain.

Anonymous User wrote:From what I understand, the state-level trial court clerkship itself would not help you get jobs you were not otherwise qualified for.

Putting aside networking opps, this is probably true of A3 clerkships as well, FWIW.

Anonymous User wrote:I'm a superior court clerk. I'm going to a non-immigration DOJ honors component. Its all what you make of it.

If you don't mind me asking, what were your stats like? I'm considering a super court clerkship. I'm a tier 2, top 10%, law review-er. Also, what were the exit options like for other clerks?

i could not find any information on this and i didnt go to a local law school (but from the dc area). how can i apply to a dc superior court clerkship? i only see information on the website for dc court of appeals judges. thanks!

Anonymous User wrote:i could not find any information on this and i didnt go to a local law school (but from the dc area). how can i apply to a dc superior court clerkship? i only see information on the website for dc court of appeals judges. thanks!

Look up the list of all associate judges on superior court. Narrow it by the subject matter of the cases they hear. Now call the number listed for each judge in an area you’re interested in and ask them whether they’re still hiring for a specific term. If so, ask what you need to send and when.

My judge gets about three calls a day from folks doing exactly that. We’re used to it and happy to help.