COA Chances Forum

[Anonymous User]

Interested in appellate clerkships, but want to know if I have a shot and how I should go about applying.

MVPD
between median and top 1/3 (bad 1L, but combined 3.8 between 2L and first semester 3L)
clerking at the district level (think NDIL/NDCA/EDNY)
moot court, no LR
URM, first gen

Should I send out some applications now or would it be best to get another semester of grades in? Should I just wait until I get to my clerkship and get some work experience first? I'm not really sure how to go about this.

[Anonymous User]

I think you have a quite strong chance of landing one and you should start applying for 2022 appellate clerkships now. Many aren't posted yet (you've been through this once so you know the drill w/ the plan) but it's worth trying. You can also talk to your district court judge about any leads or connections they may have in addition to your profs. I don't think there's any advantage to waiting for your spring 3L grades. Some judges prefer work experience but a district court clerkship provides the most preferred type of work experience for many judges and most students strongly prefer to clerk back-to-back rather than repeatedly deal with switching between a firm and a clerkship.

[Anonymous User]

What’s the likelihood of me going from D. Ct. to COA? I assume that it’ll always be out of reach for me because of my school, but I’ve been pestered about applying lately. I’m interested but not sure it’s worth the effort.

TTT/TTTT
Top of the class
LR EiC
Moot court
2 year D.Ct. (Small market)

[Anonymous User]

What’s the likelihood of me going from D. Ct. to COA? I assume that it’ll always be out of reach for me because of my school, but I’ve been pestered about applying lately. I’m interested but not sure it’s worth the effort.

TTT/TTTT
Top of the class
LR EiC
Moot court
2 year D.Ct. (Small market)

You've got a shot, but not a great one. It would be smart to focus on any appellate judges that your district judge knows particularly well and then more generally focus on judges who require prior experience and ideally prior clerkship experience.

[lavarman84]

What’s the likelihood of me going from D. Ct. to COA? I assume that it’ll always be out of reach for me because of my school, but I’ve been pestered about applying lately. I’m interested but not sure it’s worth the effort.

TTT/TTTT
Top of the class
LR EiC
Moot court
2 year D.Ct. (Small market)

Are there any COA judges who have hired from your LS in the past? If so, they're your best bet. Otherwise, it's applying broadly enough that your resume catches somebody's eye. You have a shot, but you're going to need to be flexible about location. Obviously, your best shot will be places where you have ties (LS, undergrad, growing up, etc.), but I'd say apply anywhere you'd be willing to work.

And don't just apply based on OSCAR. Try to figure out when judges who aren't on OSCAR are hiring. That'll broaden your chances. D. Ct. + EIC + #1 in your class will likely catch somebody's eye. Additionally, does your D. Ct. judge have any connections? It'll also likely help your search if your D. Ct. judge is willing to write you a glowing LOR after the first six or so months in chambers.

[Anonymous User]

What’s the likelihood of me going from D. Ct. to COA? I assume that it’ll always be out of reach for me because of my school, but I’ve been pestered about applying lately. I’m interested but not sure it’s worth the effort.

TTT/TTTT
Top of the class
LR EiC
Moot court
2 year D.Ct. (Small market)

You've got a shot, but not a great one. It would be smart to focus on any appellate judges that your district judge knows particularly well and then more generally focus on judges who require prior experience and ideally prior clerkship experience.

It’s possible, the probability probably depends on your TTT/TTTT and if you have anything else special distinguishing you like URM. If you’re in a decently-regarded TTT/TTTT that’s a major force in a small market (think Creighton, Drake, or Montana) your odds are probably better than if you’re at a bottom of the barrel school in its market, as your school is more likely to have connections to judges in your area and it creates an easier story for why you went there (esp if you also have excellent undergrad grades). Obviously you should apply super broadly and hit senior judges, non-OSCAR judges, etc.

If you just want to do an appellate clerkship you might also consider a SSC.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks to you all for the replies on my chances. My school has a lackluster history with clerking for COA, but I fully intend to discuss it with my judge, who is rather well-regarded in the local area. I also intend to apply broadly, even though I risk not having enough weight to throw around outside of the local area. And it seems like it is worth the shot.

[Anonymous User]

What’s the likelihood of me going from D. Ct. to COA? I assume that it’ll always be out of reach for me because of my school, but I’ve been pestered about applying lately. I’m interested but not sure it’s worth the effort.

TTT/TTTT
Top of the class
LR EiC
Moot court
2 year D.Ct. (Small market)

I’d say you have a legitimate chance. And I think if you are willing to apply to EVERYTHING that’s available, that goes up substantially. I received A Court of Appeals clerkship With literally identical stats. The only difference was my District Court clerkship was one year and I was at a tier 2 school rather than a tier 3/tier 4. But I know several Judges hire tier 3 or tier 4 students, though mostly from regional schools.

What I did was apply literally to every judge in Oscar And also outside of Oscar if you can get any contact information or mailing addresses. It’s a long, grueling task, but I think you’ll have an 80-90% chance to land something if you do it, even if it’s regional or in a less desirable city.

Keep in mind these are Uber Uber competitive. For example, out of about 150-200 apps, I can count the number of interviews I received on one hand. And a couple of the judges told me they received about 700-1000 apps. So know you’re going into a losing battle coming from a non top 30-40 school.

[Anonymous User]

What’s the likelihood of me going from D. Ct. to COA? I assume that it’ll always be out of reach for me because of my school, but I’ve been pestered about applying lately. I’m interested but not sure it’s worth the effort.

TTT/TTTT
Top of the class
LR EiC
Moot court
2 year D.Ct. (Small market)

I’d say you have a legitimate chance. And I think if you are willing to apply to EVERYTHING that’s available, that goes up substantially. I received A Court of Appeals clerkship With literally identical stats. The only difference was my District Court clerkship was one year and I was at a tier 2 school rather than a tier 3/tier 4. But I know several Judges hire tier 3 or tier 4 students, though mostly from regional schools.

What I did was apply literally to every judge in Oscar And also outside of Oscar if you can get any contact information or mailing addresses. It’s a long, grueling task, but I think you’ll have an 80-90% chance to land something if you do it, even if it’s regional or in a less desirable city.

Keep in mind these are Uber Uber competitive. For example, out of about 150-200 apps, I can count the number of interviews I received on one hand. And a couple of the judges told me they received about 700-1000 apps. So know you’re going into a losing battle coming from a non top 30-40 school.

Thank you! I appreciate it. Honestly, it’s been difficult for me to consider clerking again because of my family/relationship ties. 2 years even slightly away from home is hard, but I just wanted to see if it’s all even worth the effort.

[Anonymous User]

TTT/TTTT anon above. What are my chances of landing a litigation boutique that pays market bonuses if I get a COA (most likely flyover, based on the interest I’ve received)? This might be the wrong forum and I can move this to the legal employment page.

[Anonymous User]

TTT/TTTT anon above. What are my chances of landing a litigation boutique that pays market bonuses if I get a COA (most likely flyover, based on the interest I’ve received)? This might be the wrong forum and I can move this to the legal employment page.

COA is COA, whether it’s the 8th Cir in Arkansas or anywhere else. You should see some interest. I went to a better law school but had otherwise similar stats as a double-clerk in non-major markets, and had no problem getting offers with large bonuses attached. Wachtell or Kellogg may not come calling but you will be fine.

[Anonymous User]

TTT/TTTT anon above. An update: got a COA clerkship with a judge that I really admire, and I’m ecstatic about it. It took connections from the judge I’m currently clerking for to make it happen (I would have been toast without them) but it worked out!

[lavarman84]

TTT/TTTT anon above. An update: got a COA clerkship with a judge that I really admire, and I’m ecstatic about it. It took connections from the judge I’m currently clerking for to make it happen (I would have been toast without them) but it worked out!

Congrats! Glad to hear you landed one.

[Anonymous User]

TTT/TTTT anon above. An update: got a COA clerkship with a judge that I really admire, and I’m ecstatic about it. It took connections from the judge I’m currently clerking for to make it happen (I would have been toast without them) but it worked out!

Congrats! Glad to hear you landed one.

Thank you! It’s corny, but I’m pretty proud to represent my school like this. It’s a big deal for them too.