Least Competitive Clerkships? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I clerked for an Article I court in DC and I didn't really see how clerking for a random district court made much of a difference when I was competing with other clerks for jobs. Unless you are ok with working in the area where the district court is located, I would recommend applying for Article I clerkships in DC instead.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not OP -- but hopping on the question. What circuits/judges on COA would be least competitive? Asking as someone from T10 with LR and 2 year district court clerkship. Grades competitive for district court but less so for COA.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not OP -- but hopping on the question. What circuits/judges on COA would be least competitive? Asking as someone from T10 with LR and 2 year district court clerkship. Grades competitive for district court but less so for COA.

Guessing the judge who receives the fewest apps is a senior judge in a small flyover city who hires for 2-year terms and doesn't use OSCAR.

If you've done a 2-year D.Ct. clerkship, you should blanket the circuit covering where you clerked. There's a good chance someone will really value having a clerk with that depth of experience in their circuit's law.

[Anonymous User]

Probably someone in the 8th Circuit in Arkansas or North Dakota or something

[Anonymous User]

Probably someone in the 8th Circuit in Arkansas or North Dakota or something

Kinda, but those judges may also strongly favor people with local ties who are likely to stay in the area after the clerkship. This may be a stronger screening function than the standard credentials requirements.

[Anonymous User]

Probably someone in the 8th Circuit in Arkansas or North Dakota or something

Kinda, but those judges may also strongly favor people with local ties who are likely to stay in the area after the clerkship. This may be a stronger screening function than the standard credentials requirements.

Absolutely. I looked into applying to ND judges since I have deep family ties there...and none of the state's federal judges would so much as accept my (strong grades at CCN) application. The three judges (one of them senior) all graduated from UND Law and seem to just hire directly from that school. If you look at the "law clerk information" header on the court's webpage, it literally just links to the UND Law website.

So you're not just looking for ~flyover states~ - you're looking for flyover districts that don't have a law school that could create a local pipeline. (Either that or large districts with far-flung secondary courthouses that might not be as appealing to local grads.)

[Anonymous User]

Probably someone in the 8th Circuit in Arkansas or North Dakota or something

Kinda, but those judges may also strongly favor people with local ties who are likely to stay in the area after the clerkship. This may be a stronger screening function than the standard credentials requirements.

Absolutely. I looked into applying to ND judges since I have deep family ties there...and none of the state's federal judges would so much as accept my (strong grades at CCN) application. The three judges (one of them senior) all graduated from UND Law and seem to just hire directly from that school. If you look at the "law clerk information" header on the court's webpage, it literally just links to the UND Law website.

So you're not just looking for ~flyover states~ - you're looking for flyover districts that don't have a law school that could create a local pipeline. (Either that or large districts with far-flung secondary courthouses that might not be as appealing to local grads.)

That's surprising but unfortunate! I know from secondhand that Judge Erickson has sporadically interviewed and hired people not from UND Law or from North Dakota at all, but he definitely strongly values North Dakota ties.

[Anonymous User]

How difficult is it to get a clerkship on the DC Court of Appeals? I'm sure much less so than the DC Circuit, but for someone with local ties, is it on par with a DDC clerkship?

[Anonymous User]

How difficult is it to get a clerkship on the DC Court of Appeals? I'm sure much less so than the DC Circuit, but for someone with local ties, is it on par with a DDC clerkship?

Not even close: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=178588

Speaking of DDC, it's competitiveness is getting increasingly higher as the justices are hiring more from there, and it was already absurdly competitive before.

[Anonymous User]

Probably someone in the 8th Circuit in Arkansas or North Dakota or something

Kinda, but those judges may also strongly favor people with local ties who are likely to stay in the area after the clerkship. This may be a stronger screening function than the standard credentials requirements.

Absolutely. I looked into applying to ND judges since I have deep family ties there...and none of the state's federal judges would so much as accept my (strong grades at CCN) application. The three judges (one of them senior) all graduated from UND Law and seem to just hire directly from that school. If you look at the "law clerk information" header on the court's webpage, it literally just links to the UND Law website.

So you're not just looking for ~flyover states~ - you're looking for flyover districts that don't have a law school that could create a local pipeline. (Either that or large districts with far-flung secondary courthouses that might not be as appealing to local grads.)

That's surprising but unfortunate! I know from secondhand that Judge Erickson has sporadically interviewed and hired people not from UND Law or from North Dakota at all, but he definitely strongly values North Dakota ties.

I suppose that "wouldn't accept my application" is a bit too strong - it was more "we've already hired for the next few years, but if you want to get in on a future cycle, call us back in a few months and we'll update you about when we're going to start looking at new candidates." I could've tried to make it happen...but "I'm happy to spend a year in Fargo" is very different from "I'm willing to put in extra legwork and leave my primary-market job after a couple of years so that I can live closer to my grandma for a bit." Maybe I would've thrown my hat in the ring if I struck out in my cycle, but a different offer came through. So it's no North Dakota for me - which I suppose is the point, if they want to be prioritizing people who intend to become part of the state's legal community.