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Where would someone from NU/Duke with top 10% + LR be competitive for clerkships??

NDIL/EDVA? 7th/6th?
Presumably not 2d/9th CA/DCC, nor SD/EDNY/DDC, but pretty much every other district & circuit right?

You're competitive for all those except D.C. Circuit (by that I mean wouldn't be highly surprised if a top 10% lower T14 with LR got a clerkship in those listed areas for non-feeders). Some are more attainable than others but wouldn't exactly be "insane" for someone who is top 10% at Duke with Law Review to clerk at like DDC for someone who isn't in the Boasberg/Freidrich/etc... camp.

northernlion9 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 29, 2022 8:09 pm

Where would someone from NU/Duke with top 10% + LR be competitive for clerkships??

NDIL/EDVA? 7th/6th?
Presumably not 2d/9th CA/DCC, nor SD/EDNY/DDC, but pretty much every other district & circuit right?

This isn't really how competitiveness works. I wouldn't assume, for instance, that all of EDNY is more competitive than CA7. CA6 has some of the most competitive judges in the country full-stop. Apply wherever you'd be willing to clerk and see what happens. People with your credentials get CADC from time to time. Many more strike out. Apply (broadly).

Yeah competitiveness for clerkships is more judge-based than overall court based--especially once you get into the realm of credentials (like yours) that nominally qualify you for almost everything under feeders.

Even with feeders, it's worth applying if you set your core targets elsewhere and understand the app is a bit of a lottery ticket. I got an interview with one of the liberal district court feeders with similar-ish stats (top 20-30% at MVP, LR but no board). Didn't get an offer, but point is you're at a level of qualifications where you have real choices in application strategy.

On the other hand, these are stats that could get your name off the pile with a ton of judges, but also are not per se remarkable, so if you don't immediately have your phone ringing off the hook on plan day (if you're now a 2L), don't sweat it.

Yeah the hierarchy you propose doesn’t make sense, just apply everywhere you’re willing to clerk.

You're competitive everywhere, honestly. But other folks will be too. Apply broadly and anywhere you'd be willing to go.

You're a plausible candidate almost anywhere. Professor recommendations will make a huge difference, especially if a connected professor is willing to send a personal email or call a judge on your behalf. Without that, the process can be random and unforgiving, and you should apply broadly and try to leverage geographic ties (if any).

Went to Duke with worse grades but LR+MC and got a competitive district and a competitive circuit judge in my first round of applications. Politics will matter to an extent. If you're conservative, leverage it, if not, definitely don't try to fake it. If neutral, I'd just avoid hacks on either side.

Echo what everyone else said about individual judges being a better measure of competitiveness than circuits. Districts in major cities are likely more competitive because of the number of the applicants but that doesn't necessarily mean the judges are more grade/school selective. A person who is number at University of Miami may be more appealing to a judge in SDFL for example than a top 10% Duke student.