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Hey, I need some advice here. Thank you all for your input upfront!

I will be practicing patent law, probably prosecution. I've got an on-site interview invitation with one patent-focused magistrate judge and another with a district court judge who had few patent cases. Could anyone give me some perspectives on how they would weigh the pros and cons?

Also, is it an important factor to consider whether the Judge is located in the same state as I want to eventually practice? In other words, will an internship with a Judge in CA be considered to be of the same value as an internship with a Judge in VA if I will practice in VA?

Someone might say this question is premature as I didn't get both offers yet. I am still asking because I need to schedule the interviews based on preference -- given the presumption that the offer will be accepted immediately if made during the interview.

Thank you very much!

IMO it's not gonna be a massive value add on your resume either way so go where you want to end up geographically

nothingtosee wrote:IMO it's not gonna be a massive value add on your resume either way so go where you want to end up geographically

Agreed. I would try to work for a firm instead. Judicial internships add little to no value.

Disagree with the above two posters as I think they are premature in knocking the value of the judicial internship. First, if you want to clerk, it will give you a bump. Second, if you want to learn how to be a good writer, an internship in the right chambers will be of far more long term benefit than a summer at a firm. To that end, during your interview, you should try and find out how hands on of an approach the judge or clerks will be taking with your work and whether you will be given really substantive work in chambers. I'd lean toward selecting the more substantive internship over geographical location. If the VA district is EDVA, very good chance it will be a substantive experience. That said, if all is equal, go with the internship in the geographical area where you want to go (decent chance some of the attorneys at firms you might look at have passed through, as law clerks, the courthouse you'll be in)

Eh, I don’t think judicial internships actually give any measurable bump in clerkship applications, unless you really impress the judge and they either 1) hire you or 2) sing your praises to other judges. (The flip side is that some judges expressly won’t hire former interns.) And frankly most interns aren’t going to be amazing enough to push the needle. I haven’t ever heard a judge reference a candidate’s internship experience with another judge.

All I can say is that my 1L summer judicial internship was the deciding factor in getting a clerkship straight out of law school and has been a significant component in getting future positions.

ExperssioUnius wrote:All I can say is that my 1L summer judicial internship was the deciding factor in getting a clerkship straight out of law school and has been a significant component in getting future positions.

Neither of the judges I've clerked for cared about a judicial internship unless the judge had written a recommendation for the applicant. The experience itself can vary so much by chambers that it is hard to tell the value of internship.