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Hi there. Long time lurker, first time posting.

I'm going to be a 3L this fall at a T2 in the 60-80 range. I'm applying for federal district court clerkships beginning in the 2021 term. Although I am currently in the top 5% percent of my class year, based on the way our school ranks students, I will likely graduate top 10%. I am a lowly research editor in our school's flagship law review, and I am willing to go anywhere in the United States. Clerked at a biglaw firm during my 1L summer. I three letters of recommendation from professors: one very strong, one decent, and one mediocre (I leave the third rec off whenever I get the chance).

My current application strategy has been applying to any openings in places that are considered less desirable, primarily small towns that are far away from any major cities. If the district judge located in the middle of nowhere requires a two-year commitment, even better for me.

What are my chances of attaining a clerkship? I am currently working as a summer associate at a 30-attorney firm in a small market, and I really feel like I am mediocre at my work. I would love the opportunity to work for a judge and develop my skill set.

Are there any pending district court nominees in your region?

Fellow non-T14 grad here. I would try to get stronger letters of rec. And are there any professors who are willing to make calls for you? I feel like that's the key to having a judge pull your app out of the pile. This is anecdotal, but I made a "chance me" thread about a week ago; since that time, a professor has made several calls to judges he knew, and I got a COA and two district court interviews purely out of those calls. This was after applying unsuccessfully for almost a year.

Do you know any attorneys and judges from your hometown?

Could one of the attorneys from your internship replace the mediocre LOR?

dcg0120 wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:30 am

Are there any pending district court nominees in your region?

There some available clerkships in my region, and I am having the professor who wrote me a strong letter of recommendation reach out on my behalf. In terms of finding another letter of recommendation, I neglected to build some of the relationships with my professors that I should have. So I am in a bit of a bind there.

A bad letter of recommendation will sink many application, but particularly if you're applying from a T2 to a judge who mostly hires from the T14. They're not gonna give you the benefit of the doubt.

You need three strong letters, and ideally phone calls.

Hang in there. I’m also at a lower level school, and several towards the top of my class have District clerkships already. all of them are local, so I would go for that if you can.

Have you tried Senior Judges? and I also would consider utilizing any connections you might have. That’s the best way to get your feet wet.

In my opinion, the one bad letter won’t hurt unless you get a picky judge.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 08, 2020 12:44 am

Hang in there. I’m also at a lower level school, and several towards the top of my class have District clerkships already. all of them are local, so I would go for that if you can.

Have you tried Senior Judges? and I also would consider utilizing any connections you might have. That’s the best way to get your feet wet.

In my opinion, the one bad letter won’t hurt unless you get a picky judge.

Hanging in there so far. Just had my first interview today with a local senior judge. Having another interview tomorrow from a judge that is well outside of my school's zone of influence. My strategy of applying to rural, less desirable areas might just pay off.