Transfer Clerkship Applications? Forum

(Seek and share information about clerkship applications, clerkship hiring timelines, and post-clerkship employment opportunities)
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting

Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are sharing sensitive information about clerkship applications and clerkship hiring. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.

Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned."
FirstArbiter

New
Posts: 18
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2020 10:37 pm

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by FirstArbiter » Wed Sep 28, 2022 12:05 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 7:56 pm
FirstArbiter wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 6:23 pm
Ditto to the posters highlighting the difficulty of landing a clerkship as a transfer student. I went from top 5% at a T14 to summa range at CCN and got one bite, zero offers on the Plan this past summer.
If this is real and not trolling, then you had deficiencies in your application that your stellar grades and school(s) were unable to overcome.
Don't know why that would be worth trolling. You can see my post about it for details, but yes, I am well aware my applications were far from perfect.

Anonymous User
Posts: 427953
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 28, 2022 12:25 am

I agree with the people saying that you need a track record at your new school and that will make a big difference. That said, there are judges out there that would hire top 5% at a T20 (not every judge, but it's not a doomed application), and such judges might be interested now (unless say they went to your former school and resent you transferring or something weird). So you don't have no shot, but you probably don't yet have a shot with judges you didn't already have a shot with before you transferred.

Anonymous User
Posts: 427953
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 28, 2022 7:39 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:42 pm
Currently clerking for semi-feeder coa then district court. Someone who was at the top of their class at a t-13 then transferred to HYS would strike our chambers as prestige oriented and would strike me as not someone I’d want to clerk with because they would be annoying.
Seconded. There's like some dude on TikTok who ostensibly had above a 4.0 at NYU then transferred to Harvard and literally says Harvard law every other second so I'd assume the person was like that and I would not want to work for them.

WLRKEthan

New
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2021 9:40 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by WLRKEthan » Sat Oct 29, 2022 1:00 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Sep 26, 2022 4:43 pm
I didn't apply to clerkships until late in my first semester, and at that point most judges seemed to want to see my grades at my transfer school. Those came in strong, and I quickly got several interviews and a COA clerkship. I think with those judges my 1L grades made me plausible, and my 2L fall grades sealed the deal. I later interviewed for another clerkship with some judges who I doubt would have hired someone from my 1L school.
Sorry, just wanted some clarification as a 0L. When are clerkship applications "supposed" to be submitted? Is it the norm for apps to target a clerkship that's a couple years in advance?

Anonymous User
Posts: 427953
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Oct 29, 2022 8:11 am

WLRKEthan wrote:
Sat Oct 29, 2022 1:00 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Mon Sep 26, 2022 4:43 pm
I didn't apply to clerkships until late in my first semester, and at that point most judges seemed to want to see my grades at my transfer school. Those came in strong, and I quickly got several interviews and a COA clerkship. I think with those judges my 1L grades made me plausible, and my 2L fall grades sealed the deal. I later interviewed for another clerkship with some judges who I doubt would have hired someone from my 1L school.
Sorry, just wanted some clarification as a 0L. When are clerkship applications "supposed" to be submitted? Is it the norm for apps to target a clerkship that's a couple years in advance?
Yeah norm couples year in advance. Typically you need at least 2 semesters of grades before judges will take your application. Biggest rush is after 4 semesters and then you can just keep applying theoretically forever.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


msk1111

New
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:50 pm

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by msk1111 » Sat Oct 29, 2022 11:57 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:55 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:42 pm
Currently clerking for semi-feeder coa then district court. Someone who was at the top of their class at a t-13 then transferred to HYS would strike our chambers as prestige oriented and would strike me as not someone I’d want to clerk with because they would be annoying.
but would the credentials make it work vetting that through an interview over guessing at it from a resume
I posted the original comment. Such a person might get an interview but is less likely to get one that a person who did not transfer. Consider what information is available for each applicant. A 2L at the top of her class at Duke will have significant institutional support, typically law review experience, etc. All of those things are important to selective judges. A 2l who who was at the top of her class at Duke her first year and transferred to Harvard her second year typically has none of those things. So, there is a difference in credentials to begin with. Even assuming equal credentials, it’s just kind of a weird move and judges and clerks want normal, reliable people to work with. Also bear in mind most judges went to law school in a time when transferring was unheard of. My advice is to choose a law school you are proud to attend (any of t-13 or top regional schools) and excel there. It is a bad idea to transfer from a great law school to a different great law school based only US News and World Report.

Anonymous User
Posts: 427953
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Oct 29, 2022 11:58 am

msk1111 wrote:
Sat Oct 29, 2022 11:57 am
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:55 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:42 pm
Currently clerking for semi-feeder coa then district court. Someone who was at the top of their class at a t-13 then transferred to HYS would strike our chambers as prestige oriented and would strike me as not someone I’d want to clerk with because they would be annoying.
but would the credentials make it work vetting that through an interview over guessing at it from a resume
I posted the original comment. Such a person might get an interview but is less likely to get one that a person who did not transfer. Consider what information is available for each applicant. A 2L at the top of her class at Duke will have significant institutional support, typically law review experience, etc. All of those things are important to selective judges. A 2l who who was at the top of her class at Duke her first year and transferred to Harvard her second year typically has none of those things. So, there is a difference in credentials to begin with. Even assuming equal credentials, it’s just kind of a weird move and judges and clerks want normal, reliable people to work with. Also bear in mind most judges went to law school in a time when transferring was unheard of. My advice is to choose a law school you are proud to attend (any of t-13 or top regional schools) and excel there. It is a bad idea to transfer from a great law school to a different great law school based only US News and World Report.

Anonymous User
Posts: 427953
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Oct 29, 2022 12:36 pm

I don't have any constructive knowledge on this topic but I am so surprised at the fact judges/clerks evaluating applications look down on transfers as "not as qualified." I am sure it comes from the need to cull the piles somehow because you're getting so many applications, but it's fascinating.

This is off topic, but now I am really curious now how judges/clerks evaluate undergraduate transcripts then - if someone has a bad undergraduate transcript (3.4 or something) but goes to a T14 and is in magna/summa range, how do judges/clerks look at that?

Anonymous User
Posts: 427953
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Oct 29, 2022 1:07 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Oct 29, 2022 12:36 pm
I don't have any constructive knowledge on this topic but I am so surprised at the fact judges/clerks evaluating applications look down on transfers as "not as qualified." I am sure it comes from the need to cull the piles somehow because you're getting so many applications, but it's fascinating.

This is off topic, but now I am really curious now how judges/clerks evaluate undergraduate transcripts then - if someone has a bad undergraduate transcript (3.4 or something) but goes to a T14 and is in magna/summa range, how do judges/clerks look at that?
It varies. Plenty of judges don't even ask for/look at undergrad transcripts. Some do, some probably just because they think they're supposed to, some because they genuinely care about how someone did in undergrad. If it's the latter, having a weak undergrad transcript could knock someone out of the running, even if they're magna/summa at a t14, because judges are individuals who hire pretty subjectively. If I were looking at an applicant with a weak undergrad transcript, I'd probably consider a bunch of things (what school? how long ago was it? what did they major in? upward trend? any apparent reason why they did so much better in law school?), but I might weigh those things differently than other clerks/judges.

Similarly, I wouldn't consider transfers unqualified, but I probably would want to see a pattern of grades from the new school. And you can probably assume that someone who transferred into the T14 didn't have the grades/LSAT to get in to start with - that's not 100% true at all, but likely - which is at least one way to compare them against people who started in the T14. I'm not sure it's necessarily fair, but like you said, if you're trying to weed out applications, it's a means to do that.

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


Anonymous User
Posts: 427953
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Oct 29, 2022 1:58 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Oct 29, 2022 12:36 pm
I don't have any constructive knowledge on this topic but I am so surprised at the fact judges/clerks evaluating applications look down on transfers as "not as qualified." I am sure it comes from the need to cull the piles somehow because you're getting so many applications, but it's fascinating.

This is off topic, but now I am really curious now how judges/clerks evaluate undergraduate transcripts then - if someone has a bad undergraduate transcript (3.4 or something) but goes to a T14 and is in magna/summa range, how do judges/clerks look at that?
At many top schools the curve raises a lot after 1L, so 1L grades are a key differentiator. CLS seemed to be the worst offender with this in my experience. Also assuming this is a non-T14 to T14 transfer your 1L year may be assessed as if you were an applicant from that school, i.e. for many judges, you better had been #1 or so.

Anonymous User
Posts: 427953
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Oct 29, 2022 2:01 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:55 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:42 pm
Currently clerking for semi-feeder coa then district court. Someone who was at the top of their class at a t-13 then transferred to HYS would strike our chambers as prestige oriented and would strike me as not someone I’d want to clerk with because they would be annoying.
but would the credentials make it work vetting that through an interview over guessing at it from a resume
Different poster with similar clerkships, if this is your situation, your recommenders should explain it. This would be close to an auto-reject for me unless you were e.g. moving to your hometown or to be with your spouse (which are good explanations I've seen for intra-T14 transfers).

Anonymous User
Posts: 427953
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:37 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Oct 29, 2022 2:01 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:55 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:42 pm
Currently clerking for semi-feeder coa then district court. Someone who was at the top of their class at a t-13 then transferred to HYS would strike our chambers as prestige oriented and would strike me as not someone I’d want to clerk with because they would be annoying.
but would the credentials make it work vetting that through an interview over guessing at it from a resume
Different poster with similar clerkships, if this is your situation, your recommenders should explain it. This would be close to an auto-reject for me unless you were e.g. moving to your hometown or to be with your spouse (which are good explanations I've seen for intra-T14 transfers).
Would the necessity of an explanation hold for top of class at T20 -> HYS transfer?

I was a fringe candidate at T20 during 0L so got a meh scholarship but am poor so got more aid at HYS due to need based aid. That's not the sort of thing that a recommender would know and even if it is, not something that seems appropriate to put into a LOR

msk1111

New
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:50 pm

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by msk1111 » Sat Oct 29, 2022 7:59 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:37 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Oct 29, 2022 2:01 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:55 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:42 pm
Currently clerking for semi-feeder coa then district court. Someone who was at the top of their class at a t-13 then transferred to HYS would strike our chambers as prestige oriented and would strike me as not someone I’d want to clerk with because they would be annoying.
but would the credentials make it work vetting that through an interview over guessing at it from a resume
Different poster with similar clerkships, if this is your situation, your recommenders should explain it. This would be close to an auto-reject for me unless you were e.g. moving to your hometown or to be with your spouse (which are good explanations I've seen for intra-T14 transfers).
Would the necessity of an explanation hold for top of class at T20 -> HYS transfer?

I was a fringe candidate at T20 during 0L so got a meh scholarship but am poor so got more aid at HYS due to need based aid. That's not the sort of thing that a recommender would know and even if it is, not something that seems appropriate to put into a LOR
Ask your recommenders to call the judges you are particularly interested in (just as a general application tip). When you ask them to call, perhaps you explain something along the lines "as you know, I did my first year at X school. Part of the reason I transferred here is that I received substantial need-based aid, and that really helped me afford to go to law school. I am wondering there is some way I can convey this to [Judge X] because I think it is important to my application."

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


Anonymous User
Posts: 427953
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Transfer Clerkship Applications?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Oct 29, 2022 8:05 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:37 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Sat Oct 29, 2022 2:01 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:55 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:42 pm
Currently clerking for semi-feeder coa then district court. Someone who was at the top of their class at a t-13 then transferred to HYS would strike our chambers as prestige oriented and would strike me as not someone I’d want to clerk with because they would be annoying.
but would the credentials make it work vetting that through an interview over guessing at it from a resume
Different poster with similar clerkships, if this is your situation, your recommenders should explain it. This would be close to an auto-reject for me unless you were e.g. moving to your hometown or to be with your spouse (which are good explanations I've seen for intra-T14 transfers).
Would the necessity of an explanation hold for top of class at T20 -> HYS transfer?

I was a fringe candidate at T20 during 0L so got a meh scholarship but am poor so got more aid at HYS due to need based aid. That's not the sort of thing that a recommender would know and even if it is, not something that seems appropriate to put into a LOR
You're probably fine. This is less weird and if I was looking through apps I wouldn't think you were an annoying person (which, like other commenters, I would if it was like 4.0 at Cornell to Harvard). If they ask why you transferred better financial aid is a fine reason in tandem with some other ones. However, you'll still underperform of course contrary to if you were at HYS since 1L, but it seems like you knew that.

Get unlimited access to all forums and topics

Register now!

I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...


Post Reply Post Anonymous Reply  

Return to “Judicial Clerkships”