If you do not get anything on plan.... Forum

[Anonymous User]

Figure I would post this as a 3L to provide some reassurances for 2Ls. I'm in the top 5% of a CCN and on plan I didn't get one interview and was very upset. However, I kept applying throughout 3L and I received about 6 or 7 interview invites before finally settling on two judges I liked.

Lots of very good candidates strike out on plan, just keep applying and I am sure the stellar candidates will get good offers.

[Anonymous User]

Figure I would post this as a 3L to provide some reassurances for 2Ls. I'm in the top 5% of a CCN and on plan I didn't get one interview and was very upset. However, I kept applying throughout 3L and I received about 6 or 7 interview invites before finally settling on two judges I liked.

Lots of very good candidates strike out on plan, just keep applying and I am sure the stellar candidates will get good offers.

I completely struck out on plan and then proceeded to strike out throughout 3L as well. Just outside high honors at Chicago. Sometimes this stuff is inscrutable and just doesn't work out!

[Anonymous User]

Another chime in, top 10% ish at CCN, also did not get a clerkship on plan. Or even an interview for months after. Kept at it and eventually got a clerkship 14 months later in on an competitive district court, and then shortly after landed a circuit clerkship.

But in total I spent nearly 2 years of my life, logging into OSCAR every week and filling out apps. With persistence, assuming a clerkship is realistic for you, it will happen. Also judges like work experience, not a bad idea to go to a firm and use a clerkship as an out in 4-5 years if you are still interested.

[Anonymous User]

Another chime in, top 10% ish at CCN, also did not get a clerkship on plan. Or even an interview for months after. Kept at it and eventually got a clerkship 14 months later in on an competitive district court, and then shortly after landed a circuit clerkship.

But in total I spent nearly 2 years of my life, logging into OSCAR every week and filling out apps. With persistence, assuming a clerkship is realistic for you, it will happen. Also judges like work experience, not a bad idea to go to a firm and use a clerkship as an out in 4-5 years if you are still interested.

When did you get your interviews? Were they during the normal hiring windows for law students (e.g., mid-Spring, plan week), or was it just totally scattered?

[Anonymous User]

Another chime in, top 10% ish at CCN, also did not get a clerkship on plan. Or even an interview for months after. Kept at it and eventually got a clerkship 14 months later in on an competitive district court, and then shortly after landed a circuit clerkship.

But in total I spent nearly 2 years of my life, logging into OSCAR every week and filling out apps. With persistence, assuming a clerkship is realistic for you, it will happen. Also judges like work experience, not a bad idea to go to a firm and use a clerkship as an out in 4-5 years if you are still interested.

When did you get your interviews? Were they during the normal hiring windows for law students (e.g., mid-Spring, plan week), or was it just totally scattered?

I got most of my interviews during the Spring semester after Fall grades and then a few during that time period where Spring grades are released but plan apps not out yet.

[Anonymous User]

Another chime in, top 10% ish at CCN, also did not get a clerkship on plan. Or even an interview for months after. Kept at it and eventually got a clerkship 14 months later in on an competitive district court, and then shortly after landed a circuit clerkship.

But in total I spent nearly 2 years of my life, logging into OSCAR every week and filling out apps. With persistence, assuming a clerkship is realistic for you, it will happen. Also judges like work experience, not a bad idea to go to a firm and use a clerkship as an out in 4-5 years if you are still interested.

Almost identical experience and I got my district and circuit during my first year in big law. This process absolutely sucks but if you have the #s, persistence will get you far.

[Anonymous User]

Another chime in, top 10% ish at CCN, also did not get a clerkship on plan. Or even an interview for months after. Kept at it and eventually got a clerkship 14 months later in on an competitive district court, and then shortly after landed a circuit clerkship.

But in total I spent nearly 2 years of my life, logging into OSCAR every week and filling out apps. With persistence, assuming a clerkship is realistic for you, it will happen. Also judges like work experience, not a bad idea to go to a firm and use a clerkship as an out in 4-5 years if you are still interested.

When did you get your interviews? Were they during the normal hiring windows for law students (e.g., mid-Spring, plan week), or was it just totally scattered?

Completely scattered, I think in my 2 ish years of applying I had interviews in January, May, July, April, September, and December.

Off-plan there is a somewhat smaller pool of applicants and judges hiring needs off-season vary a little more. Thats why I recommend staying on it, and log into OSCAR once a week to check for new postings. There are some postings throughout the year (you get new noms, people who had clerks drop for whatever reason, people who dont want to hire on plan, people specifically looking for some work experience, people who recently got pushed to a chief role and have an extra spot, etc).

[Anonymous User]

Another chime in, top 10% ish at CCN, also did not get a clerkship on plan. Or even an interview for months after. Kept at it and eventually got a clerkship 14 months later in on an competitive district court, and then shortly after landed a circuit clerkship.

But in total I spent nearly 2 years of my life, logging into OSCAR every week and filling out apps. With persistence, assuming a clerkship is realistic for you, it will happen. Also judges like work experience, not a bad idea to go to a firm and use a clerkship as an out in 4-5 years if you are still interested.

Almost identical experience and I got my district and circuit during my first year in big law. This process absolutely sucks but if you have the #s, persistence will get you far.

Basically the same experience here. It felt extremely demoralizing to not get something on-plan or in law school, but basically as soon as I had some Big Law experience, I started getting a lot of interview requests.