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Here's the situation: My partner and I (both 3Ls at a T14 going into biglaw) are both probably competitive for some district court clerkships for 2022-23 term. But we're worried about applying to judges outside of a small geographical area because we don't want to end up clerking in vastly different regions for a whole year. We wouldn't mind going somewhere far-flung from where we went to school or plan to practice, but if one of us ends up going somewhere else, we don't want to be separated. I'm wondering if there's some way around that. Have you ever heard of someone specifying in a cover letter that they'll only accept the clerkship if their partner gets one in the same area/courthouse? We probably wouldn't want to be in the position of clerking for the same judge, but if we did, could we apply jointly in some way (kind of akin to how medical residencies are done)?

You're welcome to put that in your cover letter, but I don't see it helping you land a clerkship. I think it would be tough to apply together.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:43 pm

Here's the situation: My partner and I (both 3Ls at a T14 going into biglaw) are both probably competitive for some district court clerkships for 2022-23 term. But we're worried about applying to judges outside of a small geographical area because we don't want to end up clerking in vastly different regions for a whole year. We wouldn't mind going somewhere far-flung from where we went to school or plan to practice, but if one of us ends up going somewhere else, we don't want to be separated. I'm wondering if there's some way around that. Have you ever heard of someone specifying in a cover letter that they'll only accept the clerkship if their partner gets one in the same area/courthouse? We probably wouldn't want to be in the position of clerking for the same judge, but if we did, could we apply jointly in some way (kind of akin to how medical residencies are done)?

Best bet is to apply to markets with lots of judges. Or, one of you accept a clerkship, then see if your judge can connect your spouse with another judge.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:43 pm

Here's the situation: My partner and I (both 3Ls at a T14 going into biglaw) are both probably competitive for some district court clerkships for 2022-23 term. But we're worried about applying to judges outside of a small geographical area because we don't want to end up clerking in vastly different regions for a whole year. We wouldn't mind going somewhere far-flung from where we went to school or plan to practice, but if one of us ends up going somewhere else, we don't want to be separated. I'm wondering if there's some way around that. Have you ever heard of someone specifying in a cover letter that they'll only accept the clerkship if their partner gets one in the same area/courthouse? We probably wouldn't want to be in the position of clerking for the same judge, but if we did, could we apply jointly in some way (kind of akin to how medical residencies are done)?

I've never heard of anyone doing this, and to be honest, I don't think it would go over well. Maybe that's unfair or old-fashioned of me, but that's my gut reaction. (Well, maybe the most elite of the elite could pull it off, like clearly SCOTUS candidates? but even then I feel like it would be something maneuvered behind the scenes with the assistance of connections.) I agree that your best bet is to apply in markets with lots of judges, and whoever gets an offer first, find out if that judge can help out at all.

I have heard of this happen once before. A classmate and his partner both went to the same boutique firm that's well-connected with judges. After a few years of working there, the firm helped place both of them in the same courthouse using the goodwill that the firm had built up with the judges.

Basically, it's possible but this will take some planning. What State are you currently working in and where do you want to end up?

nixy wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:47 pm

I've never heard of anyone doing this, and to be honest, I don't think it would go over well. Maybe that's unfair or old-fashioned of me, but that's my gut reaction. (Well, maybe the most elite of the elite could pull it off, like clearly SCOTUS candidates? but even then I feel like it would be something maneuvered behind the scenes with the assistance of connections.) I agree that your best bet is to apply in markets with lots of judges, and whoever gets an offer first, find out if that judge can help out at all.

Agreed on all counts. One of the judges I clerked for would have thought this was nice (and *maybe* would have tried to help once hiring one of the clerks). The other judge would have rejected your application for mentioning this in a cover letter. Not saying that's fair or right, but it is true. That's not a reason not to do this, but you should go in eyes open and know that you're limiting yourself.

If you are top of the class, maybe, otherwise it's going to be quite limiting.

accidental anon - sorry

That's going to be tough since there isn't a "couples match" in the same way that there is for med school. I agree with all of the suggestions above about applying to larger markets with a lot of judges.

Some other things to think about:

• You could stagger your clerkships so that one of you clerks at the same time that the other is at the firm (assuming you're in the same market as the firm)

• A year apart isn't that long. Long-distance isn't ideal, obviously, but a year goes by quickly especially when you're both busy. I knew plenty of couples who were long distance for all or part of law school, or for the first year or two of working until they could be in the same city

• Going along with the above, even if you can't end up in the same courthouse or the same city, you can try and coordinate clerkships that are within a couple of hours of each other so that you can visit on weekends. Again, not ideal, but the time goes by quickly. In both the market where I went to school (prominent secondary market) and the market where I work (SDNY), judges are pretty understanding of spouses/partners in other cities and taking the weekend off to go visit. Also, look at separate markets that are still pretty close to each other (ex: DNJ and EDNY)

polareagle wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 21, 2020 11:24 pm

nixy wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:47 pm

I've never heard of anyone doing this, and to be honest, I don't think it would go over well. Maybe that's unfair or old-fashioned of me, but that's my gut reaction. (Well, maybe the most elite of the elite could pull it off, like clearly SCOTUS candidates? but even then I feel like it would be something maneuvered behind the scenes with the assistance of connections.) I agree that your best bet is to apply in markets with lots of judges, and whoever gets an offer first, find out if that judge can help out at all.

Agreed on all counts. One of the judges I clerked for would have thought this was nice (and *maybe* would have tried to help once hiring one of the clerks). The other judge would have rejected your application for mentioning this in a cover letter. Not saying that's fair or right, but it is true. That's not a reason not to do this, but you should go in eyes open and know that you're limiting yourself.

Agreed as well, including that, *if* this ultimately works out, it'll probably be because someone helps you out after one of you gets an offer.

A married couple in my graduating class clerked in successive terms for the same district judge in a small market that they were not planning to stay in long-term. The judge helped them find a public interest position that the non-clerking spouse held while the other one was clerking.

I'd definitely stay away from an application that either states or suggests that any acceptance is conditional on your partner getting a clerkship/job in the surrounding vicinity or same courthouse. It sounds non-committal, somewhat entitled, and would get you an automatic rejection from the vast majority of chambers.

But I can see where you're coming from. So I have two recommendations.

First, apply early and to Judges in Courthouses that have many openings. This way, when one of you gets an offer (and immediately accepts), I don't think it's out of the question for your significant other to mention this in his/her cover letter when they apply to a DIFFERENT judge in the same or neighboring district court: "In addition [to all the great and specific reasons why I want to clerk for you Judge], I am especially interested in applying to your chambers because my significant other just accepted an offer to clerk in [Los Angeles, New York, etc.] for the [blank term]. We would welcome the opportunity to clerk together in the same city."

It is human nature to what to help others. And it is also human nature to celebrate love. That is why we all cheer after we see a complete stranger propose. I wouldn't want to be the person who stands in the way of your love, so as a Judge or Clerk, I think some folks are going to give your significant other's credentials a fair shake and see whether he/she at least deserves an interview. I may not be a significant bump, but I think it helps more than hurts. Personally, I'd give the application a honest look and ask myself, "is there a reason why we don't want to give this person an interview?"

Second, if the first option doesn't work, consider asking the Judge if he/she would be willing to defer you for an year. When they inevitably ask why, mention that your S/O couldn't get a clerkship this time around and she/he wants to submit more applications next year. If he/she gets it the second time following the approach I describe above in option 1, great. If he/she doesn't, then tell your judge you will honor your commitment and bite the bullet. The deferral may also give your S/O time to find something in the city where you'll be clerking if you cannot stand be separated for an year. The deferral is only a request of course; you should obviously tell the judge that, if he/she cannot accommodate your request, you will honor your commitment for that term.

FWIW, one of the judges that I clerked for hired a married couple to clerk for him/her in the same term. It's unquestionably the exception rather than the rule and both were eminently qualified, but it can happen.

My now wife and I were in this position. We talked to the clerkship advisor and he set us up with an interview with two different judges in the same far away / relatively small district with the understanding that we'd go together. We didn't end up getting the positions, but it was very nice of the school to do that. They had a bit of a pipeline with one of the judges and I assume asked him if someone else would be up for it too. It was T25 school, we were pretty close to the top of the class but not tippy top, LR senior board, etc.

We ended up continuing to apply and got overlapping clerkships in the NY/NJ/Conn. area after several years of trying, so we didn't have to go long distance.

In the end, I'm glad it worked out the way it did. Personally I think a district court clerkship after some experience is better. CoA straight out if you can get it, of course.

Anon cuz that's a lot of info and can't be too many similar ppl.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 15, 2020 5:41 pm

My now wife and I were in this position. We talked to the clerkship advisor and he set us up with an interview with two different judges in the same far away / relatively small district with the understanding that we'd go together. We didn't end up getting the positions, but it was very nice of the school to do that. They had a bit of a pipeline with one of the judges and I assume asked him if someone else would be up for it too. It was T25 school, we were pretty close to the top of the class but not tippy top, LR senior board, etc.

We ended up continuing to apply and got overlapping clerkships in the NY/NJ/Conn. area after several years of trying, so we didn't have to go long distance.

In the end, I'm glad it worked out the way it did. Personally I think a district court clerkship after some experience is better. CoA straight out if you can get it, of course.

Anon cuz that's a lot of info and can't be too many similar ppl.

This is probably worth trying and better than your other options (i.e. apply-and-hope), as it doesn't require direct contact on the matter between you and judges. At my school the clerkship office had relationships with lots of judges around the country and played a major role in who got which clerkship. As such it may have been able to swing this for a pair of strong applicants it wanted to clerk, especially near its home market. That's obviously probably easier at the T14s with very competent clerkship offices like Chicago and UVA than at e.g. Columbia.