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Portability of CA10 Clerkship to TX? Nationally?
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2020 11:51 am
by Anonymous User
I have an upcoming clerkship at CA10. I have prior federal district court clerkship experience in TX before my CA10 clerkship. I'm wondering about the relative value of the CA10 experience if I want to focus on Houston/Dallas biglaw hiring. I'm also curious about the portability of the clerkship if I also focused on NYC/DC biglaw. Before my district court clerkship I was a corporate/finance associate in an NYC law firm. Would prefer to live in TX long-term.
I graduated from an east coast T14, probably around top 30% of the class. I have family ties to Houston and NYC.
Re: Portability of CA10 Clerkship to TX? Nationally?
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2020 2:27 pm
by Anonymous User
You're well set up for Texas without the CA10 clerkship. Your school, grades, ties to the state, and district clerkship in the state should be more than enough to get you biglaw interviews in Houston and Dallas. The CA10 doesn't hurt you, but I'm not sure it adds much unless you're looking to do appellate work, which there isn't a ton of in Texas biglaw. It might be most helpful if your clerkship is with a conservative like Tymkovich or Eid, which could help you get into the Texas SG's office, which has produced a lot of high-profile conservative lawyers. If that isn't your goal I'm not sure CA10 adds a ton in Texas beyond what your district clerkship already gets you, although you already have the job so it's a moot point now.
You didn't say what kind of firm you were at in NYC, but if you were doing corporate biglaw, doing a couple clerkships is a time-honored way to move over to litigation biglaw. The two clerkships probably won't jump off the page the way SDNY and CA2 would, but if you were good enough to get hired in NYC biglaw the first time around you should probably be able to get back in again.
DC is where the CA10 may boost you the most (excluding Denver, etc., obviously) because it has more appellate work than any other market. An out-of-market CoA clerkship will have more value-add in DC than anywhere else.
Re: Portability of CA10 Clerkship to TX? Nationally?
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2020 3:17 pm
by LBJ's Hair
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Wed Jun 17, 2020 2:27 pm
You're well set up for Texas without the CA10 clerkship. Your school, grades, ties to the state, and district clerkship in the state should be more than enough to get you biglaw interviews in Houston and Dallas. The CA10 doesn't hurt you, but I'm not sure it adds much unless you're looking to do appellate work, which there isn't a ton of in Texas biglaw. It might be most helpful if your clerkship is with a conservative like Tymkovich or Eid, which could help you get into the Texas SG's office, which has produced a lot of high-profile conservative lawyers. If that isn't your goal I'm not sure CA10 adds a ton in Texas beyond what your district clerkship already gets you, although you already have the job so it's a moot point now.
You didn't say what kind of firm you were at in NYC, but if you were doing corporate biglaw, doing a couple clerkships is a time-honored way to move over to litigation biglaw. The two clerkships probably won't jump off the page the way SDNY and CA2 would, but if you were good enough to get hired in NYC biglaw the first time around you should probably be able to get back in again.
DC is where the CA10 may boost you the most (excluding Denver, etc., obviously) because it has more appellate work than any other market. An out-of-market CoA clerkship will have more value-add in DC than anywhere else.
Why do you keep bringing up appellate litigation lol. OP didn't ask about it, that's not why most people do COA clerkships, and that's not why most law firms value them. Very confused.
Re: Portability of CA10 Clerkship to TX? Nationally?
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2020 3:27 pm
by Anonymous User
Fair, although OP didn't specify what type of practice they want to have after the clerkships. I agree that appellate lit isn't the reason most people do CoA clerkships, but I was trying to think of a career path where NYC biglaw + _.D. Tex. + CA10 is going to be a significantly better resume than just NYC biglaw + _.D. Tex. The jobs where CA10 is going to open up additional doors for an NYC alum with a solid district clerkship are mostly (1) in cities within CA10, (2) appellate or appellate related, or (3) fedgov, and OP isn't interested in (1) or (3). It'd be a different story for NYC if they didn't already practice there, or for TX if they didn't already have the TX clerkship.
Re: Portability of CA10 Clerkship to TX? Nationally?
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2020 3:54 pm
by LBJ's Hair
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Wed Jun 17, 2020 3:27 pm
Fair, although OP didn't specify what type of practice they want to have after the clerkships. I agree that appellate lit isn't the reason most people do CoA clerkships, but I was trying to think of a career path where NYC biglaw + _.D. Tex. + CA10 is going to be a significantly better resume than just NYC biglaw + _.D. Tex.
I would include "litigation at large law firms in any non-TX major market," which I think is the conventional wisdom. (Maybe TX too, but I don't know the market.) Not sure why you're resisting that.
Re: Portability of CA10 Clerkship to TX? Nationally?
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2020 3:58 pm
by Anonymous User
FWIW, I am a non-Texan but had similar credentials with a CA10 clerkship. I interviewed with three elite TX boutiques. Your d.ct. clerkship and family ties to TX make you strong candidate. Let's just hope hiring picks up.
Re: Portability of CA10 Clerkship to TX? Nationally?
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2020 5:13 pm
by Anonymous User
Thanks for all your responses. I'm definitely valuing all the insight here.
I was working at a V50 firm in NYC before my district court clerkship. Long-term I'd want to do general lit in TX. For what it's worth, my CA10 clerkship is in Oklahoma so I was hoping that the clerkship's proximity to TX would help in recruiting.