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Including senior judges? Those two districts would be good for me for family reasons, but I know nothing about the judges there or, in general, what clerking in those districts is like. Any info would be appreciated.

Can’t speak for all chambers, but the chambers I was in a few years back was extremely familial. Very small areas and so tend to be tighter knit. That’s my impression at least.

WD Va is definitely a slower-paced district. You won't be handling much high-powered litigation, but you'll probably also get to work 9-5 (or less) and won't have a ton of stress. Like any clerkship, your experience may vary wildly depending on the judge, but in general the judges and staff are much more polite and friendly than your typical district. It's a big district and you may get to travel around to the different courthouses and get familiar with small-town and rural Virginia if that's something that is at all appealing - it is a beautiful part of the country.

I clerked on the WDVA, and it was definitely NOT a 9-to-5-or-less kind of job. I worked a lot. But I agree with the previous poster about the the court being friendly, tight-knit, etc. Very good judges, too.

All the WDVA judges are good from what I've seen. It is more than a 9-5 job, but it's not biglaw. YMMV by division and the number of vacancies at any given time, though.