Extra Materials Forum

[Anonymous User]

How much of a risk is providing extra materials in clerkship apps as a "didn't follow instructions" auto-ding? I think an extra LOR for a non-alum might be a little much, but I have two questions:

1. Providing undergrad transcripts always. Judges are all over the place on whether they want these, but it's a default and separate field on OSCAR so I figure perhaps not that much harm (or gain, to be frank) by always including?

2. Providing an extra writing sample. My two writing samples are quite different (in terms of degree of persuasion versus analysis, areas of law analyzed, etc.) but both add something. Only a couple judges want two, but would it be a faux pas to always include two just so they have them to look at and compare (or disregard) if they have the option? A ton end up asking during the interview process anyway.

[Anonymous User]

I had four writing samples ready to go when I applied for clerkships. obv one was the best of the bunch, but during interviews I volunteered to "send more writing samples or letters of rec" if the Judge so desired. Not once was I taken up on that offer.

my impression is that judges do not care enough to read multiple writing samples unless they explicitly require them. give judges what they ask for and no more unless you have something truly amazing

[Anonymous User]

Agreed with the above. It's good to have 2 samples for those judges who ask, but otherwise just send one. Sometimes you can figure out which strengths you want to highlight depending on the judge (it's a blunt instrument, but I would send a practice sample [brief, memo] to a district court judge rather than a law review note, whereas COA is probably more note-friendly, but of course if you're dealing with different kinds of samples, ignore this - I just think it's a common choice applicants have to make).

If you're applying not on OSCAR, I'd still only send an undergrad transcript if asked for one. If a judge cares about your undergrad transcript, they'll ask for it (and not all who ask actually really care, some probably just think it's a thing they're supposed to ask for). I don't know that they'll auto-ding you for not following directions, it just means it's not going to make a difference in your application so there's no point (some judges may be scrupulous not to look at/weight it b/c other candidates didn't send one, some judges just will not care what it says).

Re LORs (though you didn't really ask) - if the judge says "at least" a certain number, I think 4 is acceptable. If not, stick to the number requested. I also think the more letters you have, the more likely one is to be a little more perfunctory, and/or not really adding anything. It's not likely that the 4th person is going to offer a radically different and yet useful take on you as an applicant - not impossible, depending on the contexts that the 4 letter writers know you from; a combo like a clinic supervisor, doctrinal prof, firm partner, and judge might all usefully illuminate different strengths to your candidacy. But, say, multiple doctrinal profs are probably largely going to say the same thing in slightly different ways, and even if it's that you’re brilliant and should definitely be hired, if you have 3 people saying that you don't really need 4 (especially if at least some of those three have connections to the judge).

[lavarman84]

I had four writing samples ready to go when I applied for clerkships. obv one was the best of the bunch, but during interviews I volunteered to "send more writing samples or letters of rec" if the Judge so desired. Not once was I taken up on that offer.

my impression is that judges do not care enough to read multiple writing samples unless they explicitly require them. give judges what they ask for and no more unless you have something truly amazing

Reading one writing sample for each candidate was enough of a slog.

[Anonymous User]

My judge doesn't care at all about undergrad performance, but as her law clerk I am the one doing the first cut and I am very impressed by good grades at a good college.

Two writing samples is fine as long as both are short and showcase your legal analysis skills.

Any number of LORs is fine, but if you have more than the minimum required, the letter had better be good. The majority of letters applicants send are not good.

[lavarman84]

My judge doesn't care at all about undergrad performance, but as her law clerk I am the one doing the first cut and I am very impressed by good grades at a good college.

Two writing samples is fine as long as both are short and showcase your legal analysis skills.

Any number of LORs is fine, but if you have more than the minimum required, the letter had better be good. The majority of letters applicants send are not good.

Granted, we each have our own idiosyncrasies, but I've always thought it weird that people care about undergraduate grades when reviewing clerkship applications.

[Anonymous User]

My judge doesn't care at all about undergrad performance, but as her law clerk I am the one doing the first cut and I am very impressed by good grades at a good college.

Two writing samples is fine as long as both are short and showcase your legal analysis skills.

Any number of LORs is fine, but if you have more than the minimum required, the letter had better be good. The majority of letters applicants send are not good.

Granted, we each have our own idiosyncrasies, but I've always thought it weird that people care about undergraduate grades when reviewing clerkship applications.

I also think it’s a little weird for a clerk to be operating on their own parameters rather than the judge’s. Just goes to show how much this process varies by chambers and how you can’t predict much for any given judge. Applicants kind of have to try to find a happy medium and cross their fingers.

Also, relying on a screening clerk’s preferences when they’re not the judge’s own preferences doesn’t make a ton of sense when clerks change every year.

(Re number of writing samples - I guess in some ways total number of pages makes more sense than number of samples, and if you have 2 that together don’t add up to more pages than one typical sample, that makes sense. I just think a lot of people send long samples. Like if you send your complete note, I don’t want to read all of that, let alone a second sample.)

[Anonymous User]

You may even say they’re not doing their job correctly. If Applicant A has everything the judge wants, minus undergrad grades, and applicant B has almost everything the judge wants, but some really great undergrad grades, and the undergrad grades are enough for the clerk to push them over out of the pile, that sounds like the clerk did a sorta lousy job at picking candidates for, and I emphasize, that particular judge.

[Anonymous User]

You may even say they’re not doing their job correctly. If Applicant A has everything the judge wants, minus undergrad grades, and applicant B has almost everything the judge wants, but some really great undergrad grades, and the undergrad grades are enough for the clerk to push them over out of the pile, that sounds like the clerk did a sorta lousy job at picking candidates for, and I emphasize, that particular judge.

Clerks who do this are under the illusion they have some sort of power and are on a massive ego/power trip. Don't be that clerk.