should I send unsolicited applications via snail mail or email Forum
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Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are sharing sensitive information about clerkship applications and clerkship hiring. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.
Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned."
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jotarokujo
- Posts: 485
- Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2019 5:23 pm
should I send unsolicited applications via snail mail or email
given that it's covid time, i'm hesitant to use snail mail. should I just send unsolicited clerkship apps via chambers email?
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basileus59
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri May 15, 2020 12:16 am
Re: should I send unsolicited applications via snail mail or email
Given everything going on, I would tend towards using email. I'd imagine many chambers are partially or fully remote (if you look at CA9 on youtube, a lot of judges seem to be in their homes), so snail mail might lie around for a while, if someone has to go into chambers to pick it up.
Also, see if your CDO has non-generic email addresses on file, i.e. a dedicated clerkships email address for that chambers.
Also, see if your CDO has non-generic email addresses on file, i.e. a dedicated clerkships email address for that chambers.
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Iowahawk
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Re: should I send unsolicited applications via snail mail or email
Do whatever it says on OSCAR. For judges not on OSCAR (if that's what "unsolicited" means), do your best to figure it out (you can try an anonymous phone call to chambers) and paper is probably safer.
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jotarokujo
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Re: should I send unsolicited applications via snail mail or email
my hesitance with paper apps stems from many courthouses being closed due to the pandemic. in light of that, would email be more prudent?
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InvisiblePineapple
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- Joined: Sun Dec 24, 2017 10:18 pm
Re: should I send unsolicited applications via snail mail or email
Some of the OSCAR postings (e.g. Gerard Lynch's that just went up) say not to send snail mail because they are not regularly checking it. Email is safer if you have a good email address.
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Anonymous User
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Re: should I send unsolicited applications via snail mail or email
Got it. Would chambers email/email on leadership connect qualify as "good"?InvisiblePineapple wrote: ↑Fri Dec 04, 2020 7:55 pmSome of the OSCAR postings (e.g. Gerard Lynch's that just went up) say not to send snail mail because they are not regularly checking it. Email is safer if you have a good email address.
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Anonymous User
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Re: should I send unsolicited applications via snail mail or email
Yes, although if the email address is for a term clerk, it might not be up to date (if the clerk has left, for example).Anonymous User wrote: ↑Fri Dec 04, 2020 7:58 pmGot it. Would chambers email/email on leadership connect qualify as "good"?InvisiblePineapple wrote: ↑Fri Dec 04, 2020 7:55 pmSome of the OSCAR postings (e.g. Gerard Lynch's that just went up) say not to send snail mail because they are not regularly checking it. Email is safer if you have a good email address.
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The_MJ
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- Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2020 10:22 am
Re: should I send unsolicited applications via snail mail or email
FWIW, even though OSCAR says to apply through the program, there are some judges will call in a fair number of applicants for an interview if they either emailed them directly or managed to get a law professor to email chambers directly praising the student. I recommend the second approach if you are particularly close with a professor or adjunct whom you know well.
It's a high-risk, high-reward situation. It may turn off some folks, but I think others will appreciate the initiative and moxy. Please don't go overboard and begin to shotgun an unlimited number to random judges throughout the country -- that will not turn out well. You should maybe target a 3-5 judges and personalize the email. This will not be enough to compensate for mediocre grades, but it might help get your application pulled from the bottomless pile, get a serious look, and get called in for an interview.
There are of course exceptions to the rule. If the judge's OSCAR written profile says "Do not email chambers" or "ONLY use OSCAR," then you should of course follow this mandate. If it says "MAIL ONLY," but it hasn't been updated post-COVID -- circa March 2020 -- then I think it's fair game to call chambers and ask whether the rule applies.
It's a high-risk, high-reward situation. It may turn off some folks, but I think others will appreciate the initiative and moxy. Please don't go overboard and begin to shotgun an unlimited number to random judges throughout the country -- that will not turn out well. You should maybe target a 3-5 judges and personalize the email. This will not be enough to compensate for mediocre grades, but it might help get your application pulled from the bottomless pile, get a serious look, and get called in for an interview.
There are of course exceptions to the rule. If the judge's OSCAR written profile says "Do not email chambers" or "ONLY use OSCAR," then you should of course follow this mandate. If it says "MAIL ONLY," but it hasn't been updated post-COVID -- circa March 2020 -- then I think it's fair game to call chambers and ask whether the rule applies.
