Current 2L at one of HYS. Was very set on doing M&A prior to this spring, so ended up only trying for marginally-above-median 1L and 2LOLing the first part(s) of this year after I got a V10 SA. Realized I actually want to do lit. I assume the path would be to max out on lit classes in 3L like admin, Fed Courts, etc, actually try unlike this year, but is there anything else I can do to best set myself up for a strong clerkship at this point?
For the record, I'm from a desirable flyover district that doesn't interest students at my school that much (think WDTX, D-CO, NDGA, etc) so I can target there/other districts in the region, and I weirdly enough got Hs in classes taught by several profs on our clerkships committee so I would think I have a decent shot at getting semi-influential recs.
How much can I max chances for clerking? Forum
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Re: How much can I max chances for clerking?
I would say that just an H in a professor's class generally isn't good enough to get a strong letter of rec. Meet with each professor you have in mind to be a recommender, talk with them about clerking and see if you could help them with any research before you start at your firm. You should also try to see if they would be willing to call judges in your district of choice; that can make a big difference. Also: make sure to have a pristine writing sample. Those can matter a lot for some judges.
And for what it's worth, the districts you mention would not really be considered "flyover" districts; desirable flyover district is a bit of an oxymoron. Those are competitive districts that will often attract folks with sterling credentials and ties--including plenty of HYS folks. I clerked in a district that I would put in a similar category of cool cities where people want to live but one that's not a major legal market. An above-median HYS student with ties would have gotten a close look from us clerks, but without strong LORs and a good writing sample, we probably would not have passed the application on to our judge.
And for what it's worth, the districts you mention would not really be considered "flyover" districts; desirable flyover district is a bit of an oxymoron. Those are competitive districts that will often attract folks with sterling credentials and ties--including plenty of HYS folks. I clerked in a district that I would put in a similar category of cool cities where people want to live but one that's not a major legal market. An above-median HYS student with ties would have gotten a close look from us clerks, but without strong LORs and a good writing sample, we probably would not have passed the application on to our judge.
