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Hi all,

I'm wondering whether I should apply to the NJ SSC. Originally from NJ, I'm a 3L between top 10-15% of my class at CCN, and on the exec board of a secondary journal. Doing lit at a v10 firm after graduation in NYC. No work experience before law school but unusual work experiences during law school that make me stand out as a candidate. Long term probably want to be a prosecutor, either state or federal unsure as of right now, but short term want to make some money for a few years in big law. I believe that with my stats I can at least get interview(s) for the NJ SSC in June, but I'm not sure if it's worth doing. And I don't want to apply at all if I'm not going to take it, because from what I understand the entire process happens very quickly (within a week or 2) so I'll be pressured to accept. I'm wondering then if the opportunity cost is worth it if I'm not sure I want to practice in NJ long term, or become a state/federal prosecutor there, or in NYC instead. Given that I'm not sure where I want to end up geographically (NYC vs. NJ), is it worth taking the salary cut for this clerkship? In other words, will this help me at all outside of NJ, or will this basically commit me to practicing there for it to have any use (and how is clerking for this court regarded in the legal community)?

On a separate note, should I maybe instead (or in addition) gun for DNJ, EDNY/SDNY? Am I competitive for those courts, or maybe even for the 2nd/3rd circuits? And would doing NJ SSC first be helpful if I want to thereafter apply to any of those courts?

Any and all advice would be appreciated, thanks!

You're top 15% at CCN, want to be a prosecutor, and aren't sure you want to work in NJ long-term. I would definitely try for SDNY/EDNY/DNJ instead. You have the stats for it, trial-level clerkships are more valuable for prosecution than appellate clerkships, and federal clerkships aren't as geographically limited in their usefulness as SSC.

OP here: so, if I can't get one of either DNJ, SDNY, EDNY, 2nd or 3rd Circuit clerkships, I shouldn't take the chance of applying to the NJ SSC in June, I should instead just keep trying for one of those? What if I did the NJ SSC for a year, would it be helpful in landing one of those or in the future generally?

Thanks!

This isn't responsive to your question, but curious—if you're considering the Third Circuit, have you also considered the Fourth Circuit? Baltimore isn't too far from NJ.

I hadn't considered it, but also don't want to be that far away from friends and family for a year