Has 2020 hiring been slow because of the new hiring plan? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Recent graduate with a '19 COA clerkship. I've been applying for '20 clerkships - mostly on other COAs, but with DCs too - and haven't heard back from any judges. I've been applying in earnest since January or so. Conventional wisdom says that with a first clerkship, the second clerkship should be easier to obtain. Of course, I didn't expect to hear from every judge I applied to, but I expected to have as much luck, if not better than my first time around.

I wondered if other similarly situated people are having the same experience. Do you think 2020 hiring has been slower because of the new hiring plan or for some other reason? If not, would you mind sharing your anecdotal experience?

[Anonymous User]

Absolutely. I'm in the same position (COA and looking for DC), but shifted one year forward because I'm looking in a district where most of the judges have openings for 2021. Certain districts seem to be really dedicated to the Plan, so that means that even though they COULD hire people from Class of 2019 before June 17, they want to see all of their options once the Plan opens up. I've confirmed this with professors, my COA judge, and even DC judges I've interviewed with. My guess is that things will move much quicker after June 17.

[Anonymous User]

I’ve actually had a few interviews this calendar year, but I will say I sent out a lot of paper apps about two months ago, and I got far fewer rejection/“we’re not/done hiring” notifications than I did when I sent out fewer paper apps a year ago, so I got the same vibe that people might be waiting. I’ve also recently gotten a few calls/emails asking if I’m still interested in x term or if my materials are up to date. So fingers crossed movement soon!

[Anonymous User]

Current COA clerk, can confirm that at this point we're waiting for June 19 to see what we get from current 2L's before we give anyone a call.