What circuits should I apply to for a clerkship? Forum

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What circuits should I apply to for a clerkship?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 15, 2022 11:51 am

Starting the clerkship process (applying on plan mostly). I'm top 5 at MVP, with a lot of work experience prior to law school. I geographically flexible, but would like to be on the east coast. I'm a first gen law student so this whole process seems crazy and black boxy to me, so I don't really even know where to start. I'd like to do both district and appellate. Where do you all think I have a shot?

Thanks for the advice!

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Re: What circuits should I apply to for a clerkship?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Apr 16, 2022 9:46 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 15, 2022 11:51 am
Starting the clerkship process (applying on plan mostly). I'm top 5 at MVP, with a lot of work experience prior to law school. I geographically flexible, but would like to be on the east coast. I'm a first gen law student so this whole process seems crazy and black boxy to me, so I don't really even know where to start. I'd like to do both district and appellate. Where do you all think I have a shot?

Thanks for the advice!
Are you liberal or conservative? If the latter, talk to your FedSoc people. They will know how to handle this. If the former, I would think you are a good candidate for an SDNY/EDNY/DDC clerkship and probably a circuit judge on the east coast as well. I would suggest setting up a meeting with your clerkship office and being as direct about your goals as possible. At this point, your #1 goal should be building a judge list.

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Re: What circuits should I apply to for a clerkship?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Apr 16, 2022 12:24 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 15, 2022 11:51 am
Starting the clerkship process (applying on plan mostly). I'm top 5 at MVP, with a lot of work experience prior to law school. I geographically flexible, but would like to be on the east coast. I'm a first gen law student so this whole process seems crazy and black boxy to me, so I don't really even know where to start. I'd like to do both district and appellate. Where do you all think I have a shot?

Thanks for the advice!
If you’re the #5 student or better at MVP, you’ll have a good shot at any circuit you’d like. Apply where you’d like to be (and apply more broadly if you’re certain you want to clerk).

Are you a 2L? If so, you’ll be fine applying on-plan. If you’re a 1L, I would start the process ASAP simply because your grades could drop and it’s better to get a clerkship in the bag.

Like the poster above said, if you’re in fed soc make sure to talk to your chapter and they’ll guide you. If you’re not, you should reach out to the clerkship office and professors.

You’re right that the process is somewhat of a black box. So it’s helpful to have someone guiding you through the process.

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Re: What circuits should I apply to for a clerkship?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Apr 16, 2022 11:15 pm

For pure prestige, at that level, judge matters more than circuit generally. In general, you should apply nationally unless you have a strong reason (like a family) not to. But in your position you can probably afford to be somewhat picky.

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