Current District Court Clerk, How to Apply to CoAs Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hi all!

I am a district court clerk in mid-size district; it’s definitely not SDNY, NDIL etc. size but it’s also not exactly flyover. I am very interested in applying for COA clerkships as well, but I’m not really sure how the process might be different now. I should also mention that my clerkship isn’t on the normal September to September or so timeframe, so I haven’t been in my current job for that long and I’ll still be here for the next ten months or so. I should also mention that I would be perfectly happy seeking CoA clerkships that start a year or two after my current one ends.

I graduated from a t14, am admitted in New York, and have about one years worth of biglaw litigation experience. My school publishes average GPAs/class ranks for clerkships, and I fell right about average for District Court clerkships and what would be below average for CoA clerkships. For my current clerkship, I applied with three letters of recommendations, all from professors, and used a moot court brief as a writing sample.

I’m not sure that I’ve done enough substantive work for my judge yet to feel comfortable asking for a letter of recommendation, but I could probably use one of the things I’ve written here as a new writing sample—although I think that my current sample is better. Because my GPA/class rank will likely not be good enough to impress any CoA judges, I want to get whatever advantage I can in emphasizing my current clerkship and biglaw work experience. That said, I also don’t want to miss out on any opportunities by waiting until I’ve worked with my judge enough to ask for a recommendation or reference etc.

Any advice is appreciated!