Fun Clerkships in Random Places? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm from the northeast, currently working in NYC big law, and recently I've been increasingly interested in the idea of doing a 1-year clerkship in a random place in the next year or two. I see myself sticking in the northeast long term and would like to experience another part of the country before I settle down for good. Thinking somewhere out west (not west coast), but I'm open to anywhere. A judge who provides a pleasant, unique experience without insanely long hours.

Anybody have recommendations for good judges/clerkships like this that might fly under the radar for a coastal applicant?

[Anonymous User]

I’ve heard positive things about Judge Gelpí in Puerto Rico. The District of Hawaii is also another “fun” location, though some judges will (understandably) ask for an explanation in your cover letter about “why Hawaii” to ensure you’re not just looking to parachute in for a year-long vacation. Other judges like Senior Judge Clifton explicitly state that you need not have a prior connection to the state to apply.

[crazywafflez]

Generally, I'd try and clerk where you want to practice just because it carries further and helps for your career long term. However, any fed. dist. ct. will do fine. Try Hawaii, Miami, Nashville, Seattle, plenty of fun places to go. If you are really looking for a state sup court, try Alaska.
Getting a clerkship is tough though, so I'd apply widely and just hit a lot of judges and hope for the best.

[Chokenhauer]

There are several federal judges in the territories. (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, NMI, etc.) Only the judges in Puerto Rico have Article III status though, as far as prestige is concerned. But I’m pretty sure the hours in PR are crazy for district court clerks. They have one of the busiest criminal dockets in the country.

[Anonymous User]

Assuming "somewhere out west (not west coast)" means you like outdoor activities, hiking, etc. In addition to the west, some that you might overlook but should look into: Western District of Arkansas (3 district judgeships, NW Arkansas is cool), Western District of Virginia (4 district judgeships, Roanoke is a cool town and lots of outdoor activities are accessible to the east toward Charlottesville and to the west in the Appalachians), Southern District of West Virginia (5 district judgeships, one of the judges looks like he is based about 15 minutes from New River Gorge National Park which has some of the best whitewater rafting and climbing in the country). I always assumed that these smaller states split into multiple districts, even while states like Colorado only have one district, are going to be more easygoing when it comes to workload. If you're really focused on living somewhere fun, you could look into the Magistrate Judge for the Yosemite Division of the Eastern District of California—courthouse is in Yosemite National Park!

[lavarman84]

Generally, I'd try and clerk where you want to practice just because it carries further and helps for your career long term. However, any fed. dist. ct. will do fine. Try Hawaii, Miami, Nashville, Seattle, plenty of fun places to go. If you are really looking for a state sup court, try Alaska.
Getting a clerkship is tough though, so I'd apply widely and just hit a lot of judges and hope for the best.

If OP is looking for a chill year, I'd avoid Miami. Heavy caseloads.

[Anonymous User]

Assuming "somewhere out west (not west coast)" means you like outdoor activities, hiking, etc. In addition to the west, some that you might overlook but should look into: Western District of Arkansas (3 district judgeships, NW Arkansas is cool), Western District of Virginia (4 district judgeships, Roanoke is a cool town and lots of outdoor activities are accessible to the east toward Charlottesville and to the west in the Appalachians), Southern District of West Virginia (5 district judgeships, one of the judges looks like he is based about 15 minutes from New River Gorge National Park which has some of the best whitewater rafting and climbing in the country). I always assumed that these smaller states split into multiple districts, even while states like Colorado only have one district, are going to be more easygoing when it comes to workload. If you're really focused on living somewhere fun, you could look into the Magistrate Judge for the Yosemite Division of the Eastern District of California—courthouse is in Yosemite National Park!

OP here. Thank you, this is really helpful!

[Anonymous User]

I had a great time in Memphis for a year.

[Anonymous User]

For district courts, I'd check out this article: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-we ... udges-exit. There's an infographic halfway down that shows the weighted caseloads for all the federal districts, and obviously the ones with higher caseloads (SDFL, EDCA, DNJ) are less likely to be chill. I'd just be careful about not mixing up "fun clerkship" with "fun place to live" - generally districts with big cities are going to be busier even though they have more judges, whereas the lighter caseloads are going to be more rural places (which can still be fun!).

As for circuits, my impression was that CA9 has a heavier caseload than the others and that CA10 has the lightest caseload, with the others falling somewhere in between (this was from a few years back, so don't quote me on this). It definitely seemed like clerkship experiences varied more dramatically depending on the judge, even in the same court - despite CA10's light caseload, for example, multiple friends who clerked for judges on that court had pretty miserable experiences (which seems to be corroborated by other threads on this forum).

If you want a chill circuit clerkship, I'd probably look more at specific judges than circuits overall. Senior judges tend to be more chill, even if they maintain a significant caseload, because they've seen it all and are less likely to freak out on you if something new/unexpected comes up. In comparison, new circuit judges seem to demand more of their clerks in terms of extra memos/additional research (though some of the recent Biden appointees are lovely to work for). And I agree with the poster above on Memphis, though more from a "good boss" perspective - friends have loved clerking for Gilman and Gibbons (and Donald, but she retired).

[Anonymous User]

For district courts, I'd check out this article: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-we ... udges-exit. There's an infographic halfway down that shows the weighted caseloads for all the federal districts, and obviously the ones with higher caseloads (SDFL, EDCA, DNJ) are less likely to be chill. I'd just be careful about not mixing up "fun clerkship" with "fun place to live" - generally districts with big cities are going to be busier even though they have more judges, whereas the lighter caseloads are going to be more rural places (which can still be fun!).

As for circuits, my impression was that CA9 has a heavier caseload than the others and that CA10 has the lightest caseload, with the others falling somewhere in between (this was from a few years back, so don't quote me on this). It definitely seemed like clerkship experiences varied more dramatically depending on the judge, even in the same court - despite CA10's light caseload, for example, multiple friends who clerked for judges on that court had pretty miserable experiences (which seems to be corroborated by other threads on this forum).

If you want a chill circuit clerkship, I'd probably look more at specific judges than circuits overall. Senior judges tend to be more chill, even if they maintain a significant caseload, because they've seen it all and are less likely to freak out on you if something new/unexpected comes up. In comparison, new circuit judges seem to demand more of their clerks in terms of extra memos/additional research (though some of the recent Biden appointees are lovely to work for). And I agree with the poster above on Memphis, though more from a "good boss" perspective - friends have loved clerking for Gilman and Gibbons (and Donald, but she retired).

Plus one to Gilman and Gibbons being great.

[Anonymous User]

In addition to WDTN, look at districts that have (non-PL 280) reservations for a different--and much more state-like--criminal docket. So D-NM, NDOK, etc. Or districts with major ports of entry (EDLA). If you're more about the area, look for cities of roughly 1M+ people near some kind of fun thing (ABQ/Tulsa/New Orleans all fit this description, but there are many others).

If you're okay with smaller cities with good nature I'd also say that D-SD in Rapid City would be a good time, as would D-MT in Missoula, D-ID in Boise, etc.

[Anonymous User]

I’ve heard positive things about Judge Gelpí in Puerto Rico. The District of Hawaii is also another “fun” location, though some judges will (understandably) ask for an explanation in your cover letter about “why Hawaii” to ensure you’re not just looking to parachute in for a year-long vacation. Other judges like Senior Judge Clifton explicitly state that you need not have a prior connection to the state to apply.

Don’t clerk in PR unless you speak fluent Spanish. Also Gelpi’s work product is known to be sub. Not sure what his hiring criteria is, but it’s clear from the work product that’s circulated that it is far below what you’d expect from a circuit judge.

[Anonymous User]

If you are not married to the "being out West" part, you should take a look at more rural clerkships in the northeast. There is fantastic hiking, skiing, and outdoor recreation in D.Vt., N.D.N.Y., W.D.N.Y, D.Me., etc.

Many judges in these districts have the added bonus of being within driving distance of major east coast cities (where presumably your friends and networks are), plus you can work within the law of the Circuit where you hope to end up practicing. Biden just appointed several judges to N.D.N.Y., so I would not be surprised if there were a few term clerk spots there up for grabs.

[Anonymous User]

I’ve heard positive things about Judge Gelpí in Puerto Rico. The District of Hawaii is also another “fun” location, though some judges will (understandably) ask for an explanation in your cover letter about “why Hawaii” to ensure you’re not just looking to parachute in for a year-long vacation. Other judges like Senior Judge Clifton explicitly state that you need not have a prior connection to the state to apply.

Don’t clerk in PR unless you speak fluent Spanish. Also Gelpi’s work product is known to be sub. Not sure what his hiring criteria is, but it’s clear from the work product that’s circulated that it is far below what you’d expect from a circuit judge.

A quick glance at Westlaw confirms that Gelpi issues questionable and poorly written decisions.

If non-CONUS circuit interests OP, however, the CA9 judges in Alaska and Hawaii all have good reputations as judges and as bosses on that circuit.