Clerkship without calls Forum

[Anonymous User]

Top 10% 2L at a non-HYSCCNP with Law Review. I have three recommenders, but they're not big-name Professors that really know any judges. Is this going to really hurt me to the point that I should be much more conservative with my applications? The recommendations themselves will be good, it's just the lack of connections that give me somewhat of a pause.

Edit: by non-HYSCNNP, I mean a non-HYSCNNP T14; realized I left the T14 part out

[Anonymous User]

It might hurt you but that's irrelevant for purposes of which judges to apply to. There's no downside to applying very broadly and applying to very competitive and selective judges. The worst that would happen is that they reject you.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah I was in a very similar position to you (lower T14, law review, no big-name recommenders, probably not quite top 10% actually) and I got quite a few interviews from judges at both the federal district and appellate levels whom nobody called.

I could be totally wrong, but my impression is that having prominent profs matters more with feeders/really competitive judges. I would just apply broadly, and if you have some top picks who aren't feeders/super competitive, just ask your profs if they'll call - having any professor reach out on your behalf can't hurt. I had a professor who wasn't a famous academic (but who I was close to) call three not super competitive district court judges, and I got interviews with all those judges.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah I was in a very similar position to you (lower T14, law review, no big-name recommenders, probably not quite top 10% actually) and I got quite a few interviews from judges at both the federal district and appellate levels whom nobody called.

I could be totally wrong, but my impression is that having prominent profs matters more with feeders/really competitive judges. I would just apply broadly, and if you have some top picks who aren't feeders/super competitive, just ask your profs if they'll call - having any professor reach out on your behalf can't hurt. I had a professor who wasn't a famous academic (but who I was close to) call three not super competitive district court judges, and I got interviews with all those judges.

Thanks for the response. Not looking for any feeders/semi-feeders and no SCOTUS ambitions (not like I had a shot anyways). I'll apply broadly.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah I was in a very similar position to you (lower T14, law review, no big-name recommenders, probably not quite top 10% actually) and I got quite a few interviews from judges at both the federal district and appellate levels whom nobody called.

I could be totally wrong, but my impression is that having prominent profs matters more with feeders/really competitive judges. I would just apply broadly, and if you have some top picks who aren't feeders/super competitive, just ask your profs if they'll call - having any professor reach out on your behalf can't hurt. I had a professor who wasn't a famous academic (but who I was close to) call three not super competitive district court judges, and I got interviews with all those judges.

Thanks for the response. Not looking for any feeders/semi-feeders and no SCOTUS ambitions (not like I had a shot anyways). I'll apply broadly.

I think TLS and maybe even some clerkship offices overestimate professor phone calls. I clerked for a well-regarded but non-feeder judge on one of the major circuits. None of my professors called, and I don't recall a single professor calling chambers during my clerkship to advocate for someone who had submitted an application. Things may have been different if an applicant's recommender had known the judge personally, but I think outside of the top feeders and SCOTUS, it isn't common for a professor to cold-call a judge he or she doesn't know well.

[Anonymous User]

I think calls can create a boost that helps with some judges where you might be on the margins, but out of my 5 district/circuit interviews, for 2 of them the judges called one of my professors about me, not the other way around, before extending me interviews. Those two were feeders. The other 3 (including a feeder) there were no calls of any kind at any stage before the interview.

[GFox345]

Top 10% 2L at a non-HYSCCNP with Law Review. I have three recommenders, but they're not big-name Professors that really know any judges. Is this going to really hurt me to the point that I should be much more conservative with my applications? The recommendations themselves will be good, it's just the lack of connections that give me somewhat of a pause.

Edit: by non-HYSCNNP, I mean a non-HYSCNNP T14; realized I left the T14 part out

"Non-HYSCNNP T14" is such a ridiculous way to say "lower T14." LOL

To address your question, getting a clerkship without people making calls on your behalf is very common, even the norm in my experience, especially at the district court level. Apply broadly and you'll be fine.