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I'm a 2L interested in clerking with CACD and would like to apply ASAP, but sadly my OCS doesn't have any info on whether they're on the new plan. What I've been told is that district court judges tend to prefer 3 semesters of grades. Additionally, CACD website says to apply through OSCAR, which doesn't open for class of 2020 until February, but I know that regardless of that, people have been sending paper apps and getting hired in circuits not on the new plan. Does anyone have any information regarding this, or can confirm what OCS told me? Thanks in advance!

9th Circuit, including CDCA, is on the plan

Everyone on the plan: https://www.nalp.org/judicialclerkshipi ... erservices

Former CD Cal. clerk here. It is going to come down to the individual judge on whether they follow the plan or not. Don't believe anyone who tells you that an entire district is following the plan, because that is not how hiring works for chambers clerks.

Anecdotally: My judge considered paper applications even though the judge's OSCAR profile said to only apply online. If I were you, I would submit paper applications.

Anonymous User wrote:9th Circuit, including CDCA, is on the plan

Everyone on the plan: https://www.nalp.org/judicialclerkshipi ... erservices

That just says that the Ninth Circuit is on board, not that all of the individual district courts within the Ninth Circuit are on board. Also, I know for a fact that there are Ninth Circuit judges who are *already* deviating from the plan.

Anonymous User wrote:9th Circuit, including CDCA, is on the plan

Everyone on the plan: https://www.nalp.org/judicialclerkshipi ... erservices

That doesn't say anything about the CDCA. It only says that the "great majority" of 9th Circuit judges are adopting the plan.

Yeah, anyone who thinks that what a circuit court is doing is going to dictate what the districts in the circuit are doing doesn't understand how the courts how are run. I don't think the chief judges of the various districts or the other district court judges, all of whom enjoy life tenure, are going to let the circuits dictate their hiring practices.

Anonymous User wrote:Former CD Cal. clerk here. It is going to come down to the individual judge on whether they follow the plan or not. Don't believe anyone who tells you that an entire district is following the plan, because that is not how hiring works for chambers clerks.

Anecdotally: My judge considered paper applications even though the judge's OSCAR profile said to only apply online. If I were you, I would submit paper applications.

When would you recommend applying? Or go about finding out if someone is on the new plan? I don't want to submit before I'm allowed to submit and possibly piss off a finicky judge. I considered calling judges chambers, but the website says applicants are not to call chambers lol.