2023-2024 Clerkship Application Thread Forum

[Anonymous User]

Prost also updated to reflect filled. Anyone heard of interviews for Reyna, Hughes, or Taranto?

[Anonymous User]

How late will senior judges on “flyover” circuits interview? A lot of their posts on OSCAR are for 2022, but I’m trying to get a sense for timing my applications for 2023. If it matters, I’m clerking in a flyover district court for 2 years and I’ve received advice that most of the judges in this circuit that I would be competitive for don’t start looking for candidates this early.

[Anonymous User]

How late will senior judges on “flyover” circuits interview? A lot of their posts on OSCAR are for 2022, but I’m trying to get a sense for timing my applications for 2023. If it matters, I’m clerking in a flyover district court for 2 years and I’ve received advice that most of the judges in this circuit that I would be competitive for don’t start looking for candidates this early.

Are you me?? Just kidding. But in the case of the 2022 circuit judges, I've also sent in applications for the 2023 term even if they haven't asked yet. It paid off with two interviews and a whole lotta silence. I would not do this if the judge or the posting explicitly says they're only considering 2022, though.

[Anonymous User]

How late will senior judges on “flyover” circuits interview? A lot of their posts on OSCAR are for 2022, but I’m trying to get a sense for timing my applications for 2023. If it matters, I’m clerking in a flyover district court for 2 years and I’ve received advice that most of the judges in this circuit that I would be competitive for don’t start looking for candidates this early.

Are you me?? Just kidding. But in the case of the 2022 circuit judges, I've also sent in applications for the 2023 term even if they haven't asked yet. It paid off with two interviews and a whole lotta silence. I would not do this if the judge or the posting explicitly says they're only considering 2022, though.

Thanks for the info. I may send a few outside the circuit other than the ones that I’m supposed to target (not that I expect many/any bites) and see what I get.

[Anonymous User]

How late will senior judges on “flyover” circuits interview? A lot of their posts on OSCAR are for 2022, but I’m trying to get a sense for timing my applications for 2023. If it matters, I’m clerking in a flyover district court for 2 years and I’ve received advice that most of the judges in this circuit that I would be competitive for don’t start looking for candidates this early.

Are you me?? Just kidding. But in the case of the 2022 circuit judges, I've also sent in applications for the 2023 term even if they haven't asked yet. It paid off with two interviews and a whole lotta silence. I would not do this if the judge or the posting explicitly says they're only considering 2022, though.

Did you do this for judges that didn’t indicate if they’re hiring or have nothing posted on OSCAR?

[Anonymous User]

How late will senior judges on “flyover” circuits interview? A lot of their posts on OSCAR are for 2022, but I’m trying to get a sense for timing my applications for 2023. If it matters, I’m clerking in a flyover district court for 2 years and I’ve received advice that most of the judges in this circuit that I would be competitive for don’t start looking for candidates this early.

Are you me?? Just kidding. But in the case of the 2022 circuit judges, I've also sent in applications for the 2023 term even if they haven't asked yet. It paid off with two interviews and a whole lotta silence. I would not do this if the judge or the posting explicitly says they're only considering 2022, though.

Did you do this for judges that didn’t indicate if they’re hiring or have nothing posted on OSCAR?

Yes but I got no interviews out of those. Edit: But it could just be my credentials not being sufficient either.

[Anonymous User]

How late will senior judges on “flyover” circuits interview? A lot of their posts on OSCAR are for 2022, but I’m trying to get a sense for timing my applications for 2023. If it matters, I’m clerking in a flyover district court for 2 years and I’ve received advice that most of the judges in this circuit that I would be competitive for don’t start looking for candidates this early.

Are you me?? Just kidding. But in the case of the 2022 circuit judges, I've also sent in applications for the 2023 term even if they haven't asked yet. It paid off with two interviews and a whole lotta silence. I would not do this if the judge or the posting explicitly says they're only considering 2022, though.

Did you do this for judges that didn’t indicate if they’re hiring or have nothing posted on OSCAR?

Yes but I got no interviews out of those. Edit: But it could just be my credentials not being sufficient either.

Good to hear. Mine are nothing special either, but I suppose it's worth mailing something in.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have any experiences interviewing for SDNY White Plains judges? What has it been like?

[Anonymous User]

Just received an email that Holmes (10th Circuit) has finished hiring for 2023-2024.

[Anonymous User]

any movement? also any idea when it is appropriate to start applying to new Biden appointees for 23-24

[Anonymous User]

How the hell do you deal with the interminable waiting? I’m clerking now and applying for another one after my term ends, so I know that judges have quite a lot to do outside of consider my application after my interview. But how do you cope with the endless waiting after an interview followed by a ding (or maybe some good news for once)?

[Anonymous User]

Any movement on Rossman?

[Anonymous User]

How the hell do you deal with the interminable waiting? I’m clerking now and applying for another one after my term ends, so I know that judges have quite a lot to do outside of consider my application after my interview. But how do you cope with the endless waiting after an interview followed by a ding (or maybe some good news for once)?

Currently clerking on a D. Ct., still applying for other COAs. I cope by assuming every interview's a ding, focusing on enjoying and getting the most I can out of my current clerkship, and setting up my post-clerkship life with the assumption of no COA. So if I end up getting one, I'll be super pleasantly surprised!

[Anonymous User]

How the hell do you deal with the interminable waiting? I’m clerking now and applying for another one after my term ends, so I know that judges have quite a lot to do outside of consider my application after my interview. But how do you cope with the endless waiting after an interview followed by a ding (or maybe some good news for once)?

Currently clerking on a D. Ct., still applying for other COAs. I cope by assuming every interview's a ding, focusing on enjoying and getting the most I can out of my current clerkship, and setting up my post-clerkship life with the assumption of no COA. So if I end up getting one, I'll be super pleasantly surprised!

That’s a good outlook. I’ll try to copy it!

[Anonymous User]

Any movement?

[Anonymous User]

Any movement?

Judge Cole has made an offer for 23-24 as of late Dec.

[Anonymous User]

Any movement on Friedland, Graber, Berzon, Morgan, Bea, M. Smith, or Bybee? Their postings are still available/expired, but not filled.

[Anonymous User]

Any movement on Friedland, Graber, Berzon, Morgan, Bea, M. Smith, or Bybee? Their postings are still available/expired, but not filled.

If Judge M. Smith and Bybee hire for 2023-24 on their regular schedules, they likely won't start extending interview invitations for at least another couple of months.

[Anonymous User]

Any movement on Friedland, Graber, Berzon, Morgan, Bea, M. Smith, or Bybee? Their postings are still available/expired, but not filled.

I'd be surprised if Friedland were hiring right now, since she tends to hire in the spring to coincide with the plan.

[Anonymous User]

For 3Ls applying: are folks starting to apply now?

[Anonymous User]

CLS Rising 3L with ~3.8 but no real connections checking in - shooting my shot at 2nd C and SDNY/EDNY for 2023/2024 - will see how this goes but not that optimistic given what I've read on this forum lol.

I know several CLS students with lower grade than this that have gotten SDNY/EDNY clerkships. Even if you don’t get something this summer, you’ll have a good shot next year when you’re not stuck with the plan timeline and can get your app in front of judges when they’re not looking at 300 others at the same time.

CLS alum chat: my sense is that you can get SDNY/EDNY by either the 1L Kent + Law Review route or the 2L/3L Kent + fantastic recommenders route.

NYU student here. Does it really take Kent + LR to get EDNY? That seems quite at bit harder than at NYU, but also I'm not entirely clear what Kent really means in terms of cumulative GPA/class rank. Certainly a 3.8 seems high.

Kent means very little after 1L. About 3% of 1Ls are Kent Scholars, but it's so easy to game 2L/3L that I would estimate 10-20% of CLS graduates with Kent Honors at some point.

Recent clerking CLS Alum - eh that's a bit harsh. I'd say high stone 1L + 2 years of Kent would put in top 10%, maybe top 30 people in the class. For clerking purposes, if you do that while taking real classes I think you're pretty competitive for SDNY/EDNY/2nd C non-feeders but you need someone to go to bat for you.

There are about 15-20 RBG scholars per year so at least half of the top 10% had to have Stone 1L

I barely made Stone in 1L year, so I'm trying to get my grades up and probably won't apply until after 3L. Does anyone know [roughly] where you land in the class with a 3.7-3.8 (cumulative) at graduation? Top 20%? What about a 3.6ish after 2L? On track to get Kent this year, but it sounds like having low Stone in 1L will make it hard to apply as a 2L. Thanks in advance, y'all!

[Anonymous User]

CLS Rising 3L with ~3.8 but no real connections checking in - shooting my shot at 2nd C and SDNY/EDNY for 2023/2024 - will see how this goes but not that optimistic given what I've read on this forum lol.

I know several CLS students with lower grade than this that have gotten SDNY/EDNY clerkships. Even if you don’t get something this summer, you’ll have a good shot next year when you’re not stuck with the plan timeline and can get your app in front of judges when they’re not looking at 300 others at the same time.

CLS alum chat: my sense is that you can get SDNY/EDNY by either the 1L Kent + Law Review route or the 2L/3L Kent + fantastic recommenders route.

NYU student here. Does it really take Kent + LR to get EDNY? That seems quite at bit harder than at NYU, but also I'm not entirely clear what Kent really means in terms of cumulative GPA/class rank. Certainly a 3.8 seems high.

Kent means very little after 1L. About 3% of 1Ls are Kent Scholars, but it's so easy to game 2L/3L that I would estimate 10-20% of CLS graduates with Kent Honors at some point.

Recent clerking CLS Alum - eh that's a bit harsh. I'd say high stone 1L + 2 years of Kent would put in top 10%, maybe top 30 people in the class. For clerking purposes, if you do that while taking real classes I think you're pretty competitive for SDNY/EDNY/2nd C non-feeders but you need someone to go to bat for you.

There are about 15-20 RBG scholars per year so at least half of the top 10% had to have Stone 1L

I barely made Stone in 1L year, so I'm trying to get my grades up and probably won't apply until after 3L. Does anyone know [roughly] where you land in the class with a 3.7-3.8 (cumulative) at graduation? Top 20%? What about a 3.6ish after 2L? On track to get Kent this year, but it sounds like having low Stone in 1L will make it hard to apply as a 2L. Thanks in advance, y'all!

Entirely depends on the classes you're taking to get Kent. If it's like fed courts/leg reg/corp./black letters and you get all A-range grades that's extremely valuable but if it's seminars/externships or non-black letter lectures, won't be very helpful.

From CLS, finding a prof connect is also important since the connected profs are few and far between tbh

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know whether the 9th Circuit judges are finished hiring for 2023-2024? I know a few have (it looks like Nguyen is hiring for 2024 now).

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have insight on how many judges have been hiring this month? I've seen some movement, but curious how much is happening now

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have insight on how many judges have been hiring this month? I've seen some movement, but curious how much is happening now

My T-14's clerkship office says a few COA judges move in January/February, but most are looking for applicants with experience (often a prior district court clerkship). Just looking at recent updates on OSCAR, looks like Graber (9th Cir.) and Gilman (6th Cir.) have filled, and I would guess they're not the only ones.