Should I try to get an appellate clerkship?
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2024 12:39 pm
At HYS. Will be doing litigation in biglaw and then clerking on a district court (think CDCA/EDNY/EDVA/NDCA/NDIL). My career goals right now are ideally to become a biglaw partner (I'd like to start some generational wealth doing work I find interesting), though obviously that's subject to change as I move through my career. I don't really have much interest in appellate work. Should I be pursuing an appellate clerkship as well, either for the year before or after my district court clerkship?
Pros
- prestigious
- seems like a great/unique experience
- could be helpful in helping me transition into government at some point, which could be a critical pathway to an eventual partnership
Cons
- another year of reduced pay
- another year away from biglaw (less learning, schmoozing, and runway time)
- doesn't seem as useful as a district court clerkship, especially if I'm not interested in appellate work.
Would sincerely appreciate any thoughts on this! Thank you!
Pros
- prestigious
- seems like a great/unique experience
- could be helpful in helping me transition into government at some point, which could be a critical pathway to an eventual partnership
Cons
- another year of reduced pay
- another year away from biglaw (less learning, schmoozing, and runway time)
- doesn't seem as useful as a district court clerkship, especially if I'm not interested in appellate work.
Would sincerely appreciate any thoughts on this! Thank you!