Worth clerking again at this point? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Looking for a gut check and anon because my application is pending.

I saw judge Chin has an opening in 2d cir for September. I’m currently clerking now with a good district court and state supreme under my belt. If I go to a firm in September I’ll be a fourth year.

Is there any value to the 2d clerkship? I like clerking and I know 2d is prestigious. But if I go there I’d leave as a 5th year and might struggle to land a firm job. Cant help but notice my current job search has been going decent but not fantastic and I’ve been ignored by many of the top flight boutiques which I would like to work at. Am I just missing a COA to be competitive for these positions or am I just going to spend another year not making money?

Of course, I’m sure everyone and their mother is applying to judge chin right now anyway so it prob won’t come to anything. But I am curious what people think

[Anonymous User]

I'm deeply pessimistic about the survivability of litigators, their long term-career prospects, and have convinced myself that amassing resources, signalers of distinction, will help me distinguish myself among the masses and keep me gainfully (and ideally, contentedly) employed. I.e., all I want is a good job that is stable and pays well, and I think that clerking as often as possible will help me find that job eventually.

That's my thought, and I hope it somewhat validates yours. In other words, I encourage you to go for it.

[username7283012341]

Alternatively, maybe the best way to survive as a litigator is to get experience actually litigating. If you join a firm as a fifth year without much experience practicing law because you've spent most of your career clerking, you've got a very short runway to get the litigation experience you need to make partner/become an AUSA/make whatever next jump you want to make.

You may have already seen this, but I read it whenever I hear the siren call of a new 2d Circuit posting: https://judicature.duke.edu/articles/cl ... lerkships/

[Jchance]

I wouldnt clerk again if I was in your shoes, unless I want to be a career clerk.

[nixy]

Not asking you to provide any personal details, but how competitive are you for elite boutiques absent the clerkships? I don’t know that another clerkship will transform you as a candidate. I’m not sure I fully agree with the anti-two-clerkships article, but I don’t know that another clerkship is going to add much. And coming in as a fifth year would be tough (and frankly unlikely; I expect a lot of firms would want you to take a class year cut). But it’s always hard to weigh something like the value of connections gained, I suppose.

[Anonymous User]

Not asking you to provide any personal details, but how competitive are you for elite boutiques absent the clerkships? I don’t know that another clerkship will transform you as a candidate. I’m not sure I fully agree with the anti-two-clerkships article, but I don’t know that another clerkship is going to add much. And coming in as a fifth year would be tough (and frankly unlikely; I expect a lot of firms would want you to take a class year cut). But it’s always hard to weigh something like the value of connections gained, I suppose.

Competitive enough that I have some interviews, not competitive enough that every boutique that’s hiring has interviewed me (based on the rumor mill about which are hiring rn anyway). Ok, you’re probably right. I am just thinking that the economy kinda sucks for lit right now and I’d rather be looking next year but that might not be realistic.

[Anonymous User]

Is there a particular reason to think Chin would hire you in particular? If you want to do a COA, apply broadly to COAs obviously, but you're really too late anyway for 2021 unless you can land something unusual like the Chin posting

I also don't get the general skepticism about litigation long-term. I can see skepticism about biglaw litigation--technology changes are giving momentum to smaller, lower-leveraged, and maybe non-major-city shops--but people aren't going to stop suing each other and boutiques are commonly thought to be better environments for litigators than conventional biglaw anyway. And a major-city federal district court clerkship alone is enough to get the foot in the door at boutiques, as your experience has shown.

[Anonymous User]

Is there a particular reason to think Chin would hire you in particular? If you want to do a COA, apply broadly to COAs obviously, but you're really too late anyway for 2021 unless you can land something unusual like the Chin posting

I also don't get the general skepticism about litigation long-term. I can see skepticism about biglaw litigation--technology changes are giving momentum to smaller, lower-leveraged, and maybe non-major-city shops--but people aren't going to stop suing each other and boutiques are commonly thought to be better environments for litigators than conventional biglaw anyway. And a major-city federal district court clerkship alone is enough to get the foot in the door at boutiques, as your experience has shown.

Not OP, but how competitive is Chin?

[Anonymous User]

Is there a particular reason to think Chin would hire you in particular? If you want to do a COA, apply broadly to COAs obviously, but you're really too late anyway for 2021 unless you can land something unusual like the Chin posting

I also don't get the general skepticism about litigation long-term. I can see skepticism about biglaw litigation--technology changes are giving momentum to smaller, lower-leveraged, and maybe non-major-city shops--but people aren't going to stop suing each other and boutiques are commonly thought to be better environments for litigators than conventional biglaw anyway. And a major-city federal district court clerkship alone is enough to get the foot in the door at boutiques, as your experience has shown.

Not OP, but how competitive is Chin?

OP here. Probably quite competitive. I’m not asking because I expect to get the job, but rather because I’m curious whether it would even be good to get. I seriously doubt I’ll get it

[Anonymous User]

I'm deeply pessimistic about the survivability of litigators, their long term-career prospects, and have convinced myself that amassing resources, signalers of distinction, will help me distinguish myself among the masses and keep me gainfully (and ideally, contentedly) employed. I.e., all I want is a good job that is stable and pays well, and I think that clerking as often as possible will help me find that job eventually.

That's my thought, and I hope it somewhat validates yours. In other words, I encourage you to go for it.

I am only here to reinforce this take, at least for recent grads.

Unless you went to HYS, or you're in a huge rush to begin practice, you should seriously consider it. I say this as someone who also did State Supreme-District-COA, so perhaps I am unfairly biased. But I will say I feel significantly more insulated from economic downturn than my peers who came from a single clerkship (or god forbid straight from law school ). Firms see the three-peat as unique and thus marketable to clients, and they are probably right- I can't imagine more than a few SS-D-COA clerks finish their last clerkship every year. It also initially gave me a major leg up getting work from partners as the assumed "best writer," although admittedly that halo wears off quickly if you don't produce good work.