2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread Forum

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jun 24, 2022 4:18 pm

[deleted]

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jun 24, 2022 6:50 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:14 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 2:43 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 2:05 pm
demonlord340 wrote:
Wed Jun 22, 2022 11:05 pm
Any news on Judge Collins from the Ninth Circuit?
Hired one so far that I know of for 24-25. Hastings student
[deleted]
Do you know what day he sent out either of these offers?
No idea about days but I heard he moved on the first week

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:19 pm

demonlord340 wrote:
Wed Jun 22, 2022 11:05 pm
Any news on Judge Collins from the Ninth Circuit?
I interviewed the first week of the plan and have had radio silence since.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:31 pm

[delete]
Last edited by Anonymous User on Sat Jun 25, 2022 12:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:05 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:19 pm
demonlord340 wrote:
Wed Jun 22, 2022 11:05 pm
Any news on Judge Collins from the Ninth Circuit?
I interviewed the first week of the plan and have had radio silence since.
Lol same anon. 4 minutes after posting this I got the actual rejection

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jun 25, 2022 12:19 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:05 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:19 pm
demonlord340 wrote:
Wed Jun 22, 2022 11:05 pm
Any news on Judge Collins from the Ninth Circuit?
I interviewed the first week of the plan and have had radio silence since.
Lol same anon. 4 minutes after posting this I got the actual rejection
Oof. Sorry to hear, but thanks for the update.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jul 09, 2022 8:48 pm

Any movement recently?

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jul 09, 2022 8:54 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Jul 09, 2022 8:48 pm
Any movement recently?
I imagine the 2024 judges that posted pre-plan have moved already—for now it will likely just be a small trickle before a massive wave for the remaining 2024 positions in June 2023.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:24 pm

Top 10% at MVP and have a district court lined up for 23-24. wanting a 24-25 circuit. what can I do to improve my chances?

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:50 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:24 pm
Top 10% at MVP and have a district court lined up for 23-24. wanting a 24-25 circuit. what can I do to improve my chances?
Same stats & questions as anon. My district court judge is very hands-off and won’t push clerks for subsequent clerkships, so I am particularly interested in options beyond that.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 1:01 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:50 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:24 pm
Top 10% at MVP and have a district court lined up for 23-24. wanting a 24-25 circuit. what can I do to improve my chances?
Same stats & questions as anon. My district court judge is very hands-off and won’t push clerks for subsequent clerkships, so I am particularly interested in options beyond that.
I was in this position for this OSCAR hiring cycle and landed as good a CoA clerkship as I could've realistically hoped. Are you both graduates? If you're not, my best suggestion is that you absolutely kill it your 3L year—judges will love the upward curve.

If you are, then I think you can try three things:

1) Acquire a great writing sample. Not good, but great. One that stands out for its clarity, concision, and elegance. My understanding is that judges prefer samples that come out of actual practice, not a moot court or academia (though some judges will explicitly ask for academic papers e.g. Hamilton).

2) Find people to really push your candidacies. You should cultivate a relationship with a partner at your firm who will tell the judges in writing how fucking great you are. You should have her saying you're the best associate the firm's ever had. And keep in touch with professors; make sure they've actually written strong recs (you can discern it by talking to your school's clerkship office and reading the signals).

3) Create a shortlist of people you're interested in. It's a bad idea to just throw your app out randomly on OSCAR and hope for the best. (Granted, this worked out for me and a few other people I know, but in general, bad move lol). You should focus on like 20 people you like (and are realistic), and then find out if you have anyone in your network who knows that judge and can make a call for you. Or just try to figure out from your network what those judges want from a candidate. Of course, apply widely, but targeting 20 of the 100 judges you apply to is the best course here.

Ultimately, you've got good grades and a district court clerkship lined up, so you're already a great candidate for a CoA clerkship. Your recommenders, your writing sample, and strategizing will take you over the top.
Last edited by Anonymous User on Tue Jul 12, 2022 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 1:04 pm

[deleted]

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:23 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 1:01 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:50 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:24 pm
Top 10% at MVP and have a district court lined up for 23-24. wanting a 24-25 circuit. what can I do to improve my chances?
Same stats & questions as anon. My district court judge is very hands-off and won’t push clerks for subsequent clerkships, so I am particularly interested in options beyond that.
I was in this position for this OSCAR hiring cycle and landed as good a CoA clerkship as I could've realistically hoped. Are you both graduates? If you're not, my best suggestion is that you absolutely kill it your 3L year—judges will love the upward curve.

If you are, then I think you can try three things:

1) Acquire a great writing sample. Not good, but great. One that stands out for its clarity, concision, and elegance. My understanding is that judges prefer samples that come out of actual practice, not a moot court or academia (though some judges will explicitly ask for academic papers e.g. Hamilton).

2) Find people to really push your candidacies. You should cultivate a relationship with a partner at your firm who will tell the judges in writing how fucking great you are. You should have her saying you're the best associate the firm's ever had. And keep in touch with professors; make sure they've actually written strong recs (you can discern it by talking to your school's clerkship office and reading the signals).

3) Create a shortlist of people you're interested in. It's a bad idea to just throw your app out randomly on OSCAR and hope for the best. (Granted, this worked out for me and a few other people I know, but in general, bad move lol). You should focus on like 20 people you like (and are realistic), and then find out if you have anyone in your network who knows that judge and can make a call for you. Or just try to figure out from your network what those judges want from a candidate. Of course, apply widely, but targeting 20 of the 100 judges you apply to is the best course here.

Ultimately, you've got good grades and a district court clerkship lined up, so you're already a great candidate for a CoA clerkship. Your recommenders, your writing sample, and strategizing will take you over the top.
Lol while this will definitely help, you don't have to do this haha. Just keep applying as postings open.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:42 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:23 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 1:01 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:50 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:24 pm
Top 10% at MVP and have a district court lined up for 23-24. wanting a 24-25 circuit. what can I do to improve my chances?
Same stats & questions as anon. My district court judge is very hands-off and won’t push clerks for subsequent clerkships, so I am particularly interested in options beyond that.
I was in this position for this OSCAR hiring cycle and landed as good a CoA clerkship as I could've realistically hoped. Are you both graduates? If you're not, my best suggestion is that you absolutely kill it your 3L year—judges will love the upward curve.

If you are, then I think you can try three things:

1) Acquire a great writing sample. Not good, but great. One that stands out for its clarity, concision, and elegance. My understanding is that judges prefer samples that come out of actual practice, not a moot court or academia (though some judges will explicitly ask for academic papers e.g. Hamilton).

2) Find people to really push your candidacies. You should cultivate a relationship with a partner at your firm who will tell the judges in writing how fucking great you are. You should have her saying you're the best associate the firm's ever had. And keep in touch with professors; make sure they've actually written strong recs (you can discern it by talking to your school's clerkship office and reading the signals).

3) Create a shortlist of people you're interested in. It's a bad idea to just throw your app out randomly on OSCAR and hope for the best. (Granted, this worked out for me and a few other people I know, but in general, bad move lol). You should focus on like 20 people you like (and are realistic), and then find out if you have anyone in your network who knows that judge and can make a call for you. Or just try to figure out from your network what those judges want from a candidate. Of course, apply widely, but targeting 20 of the 100 judges you apply to is the best course here.

Ultimately, you've got good grades and a district court clerkship lined up, so you're already a great candidate for a CoA clerkship. Your recommenders, your writing sample, and strategizing will take you over the top.
Lol while this will definitely help, you don't have to do this haha. Just keep applying as postings open.
Yeah I was also in this position last year, and I think that the above is overkill. It certainly doesn't hurt, but I wouldn't bend over backwards to get a writing sample that "stands out for its clarity, concision, and elegance." Does your school have an appellate advocacy or judicial writing class? Try taking that as a 3L and you should get a decent writing sample - I agree that most COA judges still prefer something that's not a law review article/academic piece because they suspect those are heavily edited.

My tip is to reach out to former clerks of your district court judge - especially the ones who have gone on to do a COA clerkship. While they probably won't be able to push for you to their COA judge (but you never know), they can shed some light on any tips they might have for getting a second clerkship. I also agree with making a more targeted list of "top picks" (especially if they aren't feeder/super competitive judges) and reaching out to your school/network to see if anyone knows former clerks.

And don't underestimate applying to any judge on OSCAR that appeals to you - I got my second clerkship just from applying on OSCAR, no professor calls/ties to the area/etc. The fact that you have a district court clerkship will usually get your application at least a look by most judges, so it's ultimately a numbers game.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 4:48 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:42 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:23 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 1:01 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:50 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:24 pm
Top 10% at MVP and have a district court lined up for 23-24. wanting a 24-25 circuit. what can I do to improve my chances?
Same stats & questions as anon. My district court judge is very hands-off and won’t push clerks for subsequent clerkships, so I am particularly interested in options beyond that.
I was in this position for this OSCAR hiring cycle and landed as good a CoA clerkship as I could've realistically hoped. Are you both graduates? If you're not, my best suggestion is that you absolutely kill it your 3L year—judges will love the upward curve.

If you are, then I think you can try three things:

1) Acquire a great writing sample. Not good, but great. One that stands out for its clarity, concision, and elegance. My understanding is that judges prefer samples that come out of actual practice, not a moot court or academia (though some judges will explicitly ask for academic papers e.g. Hamilton).

2) Find people to really push your candidacies. You should cultivate a relationship with a partner at your firm who will tell the judges in writing how fucking great you are. You should have her saying you're the best associate the firm's ever had. And keep in touch with professors; make sure they've actually written strong recs (you can discern it by talking to your school's clerkship office and reading the signals).

3) Create a shortlist of people you're interested in. It's a bad idea to just throw your app out randomly on OSCAR and hope for the best. (Granted, this worked out for me and a few other people I know, but in general, bad move lol). You should focus on like 20 people you like (and are realistic), and then find out if you have anyone in your network who knows that judge and can make a call for you. Or just try to figure out from your network what those judges want from a candidate. Of course, apply widely, but targeting 20 of the 100 judges you apply to is the best course here.

Ultimately, you've got good grades and a district court clerkship lined up, so you're already a great candidate for a CoA clerkship. Your recommenders, your writing sample, and strategizing will take you over the top.
Lol while this will definitely help, you don't have to do this haha. Just keep applying as postings open.
Yeah I was also in this position last year, and I think that the above is overkill. It certainly doesn't hurt, but I wouldn't bend over backwards to get a writing sample that "stands out for its clarity, concision, and elegance." Does your school have an appellate advocacy or judicial writing class? Try taking that as a 3L and you should get a decent writing sample - I agree that most COA judges still prefer something that's not a law review article/academic piece because they suspect those are heavily edited.

My tip is to reach out to former clerks of your district court judge - especially the ones who have gone on to do a COA clerkship. While they probably won't be able to push for you to their COA judge (but you never know), they can shed some light on any tips they might have for getting a second clerkship. I also agree with making a more targeted list of "top picks" (especially if they aren't feeder/super competitive judges) and reaching out to your school/network to see if anyone knows former clerks.

And don't underestimate applying to any judge on OSCAR that appeals to you - I got my second clerkship just from applying on OSCAR, no professor calls/ties to the area/etc. The fact that you have a district court clerkship will usually get your application at least a look by most judges, so it's ultimately a numbers game.
Agree it’s overkill, but given how competitive the process is, going overkill isn’t a horrible idea. Just depends on how far the applicant wants to go.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:55 pm

Someone speculate wildly about how many CoA judges will open applications for 2024-2025 before next June. I would like to feel hope

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:04 pm

M
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:55 pm
Someone speculate wildly about how many CoA judges will open applications for 2024-2025 before next June. I would like to feel hope
Most will if you're a 3L+

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:12 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:04 pm
M
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:55 pm
Someone speculate wildly about how many CoA judges will open applications for 2024-2025 before next June. I would like to feel hope
Most will if you're a 3L+
Fair enough, I meant more like which will hire. I know many will open, but I assume most will wait until June to hire. Was sort of wondering if anyone had insight on the judges that typically hire throughout the year as opposed to just in summer

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:40 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:12 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:04 pm
M
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:55 pm
Someone speculate wildly about how many CoA judges will open applications for 2024-2025 before next June. I would like to feel hope
Most will if you're a 3L+
Fair enough, I meant more like which will hire. I know many will open, but I assume most will wait until June to hire. Was sort of wondering if anyone had insight on the judges that typically hire throughout the year as opposed to just in summer
Last year there was a little bit of hiring in the fall, but a good number of judges who interview and hire 3Ls/alums did it early in the New Year (like Jan/Feb/March). I would just keep an eye on OSCAR/your school's internal postings and apply when things you're interested in come up.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:47 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:40 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:12 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:04 pm
M
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:55 pm
Someone speculate wildly about how many CoA judges will open applications for 2024-2025 before next June. I would like to feel hope
Most will if you're a 3L+
Fair enough, I meant more like which will hire. I know many will open, but I assume most will wait until June to hire. Was sort of wondering if anyone had insight on the judges that typically hire throughout the year as opposed to just in summer
Last year there was a little bit of hiring in the fall, but a good number of judges who interview and hire 3Ls/alums did it early in the New Year (like Jan/Feb/March). I would just keep an eye on OSCAR/your school's internal postings and apply when things you're interested in come up.
Yeah tends to be a bump after fall semester cause you got new grades. Some will hire before, though, so apply and then just make sure you update your transcript on OSCAR later.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 9:35 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:47 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:40 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:12 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:04 pm
M
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:55 pm
Someone speculate wildly about how many CoA judges will open applications for 2024-2025 before next June. I would like to feel hope
Most will if you're a 3L+
Fair enough, I meant more like which will hire. I know many will open, but I assume most will wait until June to hire. Was sort of wondering if anyone had insight on the judges that typically hire throughout the year as opposed to just in summer
Last year there was a little bit of hiring in the fall, but a good number of judges who interview and hire 3Ls/alums did it early in the New Year (like Jan/Feb/March). I would just keep an eye on OSCAR/your school's internal postings and apply when things you're interested in come up.
Yeah tends to be a bump after fall semester cause you got new grades. Some will hire before, though, so apply and then just make sure you update your transcript on OSCAR later.
Yeah, I'm an alum with a district court clerkship trying to game plan for the future, so that was why I was asking, but will definitely keep applying as things pop up.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 10:08 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:04 pm
M
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:55 pm
Someone speculate wildly about how many CoA judges will open applications for 2024-2025 before next June. I would like to feel hope
Most will if you're a 3L+
I believe Graber hires in December/January and Forrest hires during the year too

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 12, 2022 11:46 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 10:08 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:04 pm
M
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:55 pm
Someone speculate wildly about how many CoA judges will open applications for 2024-2025 before next June. I would like to feel hope
Most will if you're a 3L+
I believe Graber hires in December/January and Forrest hires during the year too
I remember hearing that Stranch, Gibbons, and Gilman (and maybe Moore?) on the 6th, Kelly on the 8th, and Rosenbaum on the 11th were all interviewing this past spring semester. Apparently, the 6th Circuit judges (and maybe Kelly too?) hired early because they look for folks who have one clerkship already, so you might be a good fit.

Heytens, Rossman, and Sung also hired this spring, but that might just be because they were new appointees. With a district court clerkship, you'd probably be considered by any of the currently pending COA Biden nominees for 2024, so I'd ask your school about how/when to apply to any of them.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 19, 2022 11:55 am

Now that we're probably officially off plan at this point do judges still operate fast. In other words, do they respond to postings quick and extend offers quick after interviews. I know this is likely idiosyncratic, but I am wondering if there is like a salient shift in the speed and judges now take their time or if the speed from application, to interview, to offer stays the same.

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Re: 2024-2025 Clerkship Application Thread

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 19, 2022 2:03 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Jul 19, 2022 11:55 am
Now that we're probably officially off plan at this point do judges still operate fast. In other words, do they respond to postings quick and extend offers quick after interviews. I know this is likely idiosyncratic, but I am wondering if there is like a salient shift in the speed and judges now take their time or if the speed from application, to interview, to offer stays the same.
It's idiosyncratic, but I asked my school's clerkship office this last year and they said things generally slow down/the process takes longer when off plan. I wouldn't expect to hear back right away after you submit an app or have an interview for most judges (though I'm sure there are a few judges who still move pretty quickly). I just kept my eye on OSCAR and kept applying until I eventually got something, which is all you can really do.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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