Empty Inbox = Cooked? Forum

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Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jun 09, 2026 4:28 pm

Is it cooked if my inbox is empty?

Personal stats: top 1% at t14, law review e-board (non-eic/eme), district court clerkship in a major city.
Interviews: Goose Egg

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Re: Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jun 11, 2026 10:56 pm

Maybe OP has gotten a call in the meantime but note that there are plenty of great clerkship applicants (including ones who end up clerking for feeders, at least on the liberal side) who have to wait for the months following Plan opening to get their job!

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Re: Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jun 12, 2026 2:16 pm

Agree you’re highly likely to get something, even if the call comes in a few weeks or months. Not all judges call immediately, even if they are on plan.

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Re: Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jun 12, 2026 2:24 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑
Thu Jun 11, 2026 10:56 pm
Maybe OP has gotten a call in the meantime but note that there are plenty of great clerkship applicants (including ones who end up clerking for feeders, at least on the liberal side) who have to wait for the months following Plan opening to get their job!
Yup, Heytens and Harris for example (both on the 4th) are heavily respected, highly competitive, semi-feeders (Heytens in particular) who I don't think have even started interviewing yet (Heytens at the very least definitely not since he hasn't even opened his application yet).

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Re: Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jun 12, 2026 2:59 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑
Fri Jun 12, 2026 2:24 pm
Anonymous User wrote: ↑
Thu Jun 11, 2026 10:56 pm
Maybe OP has gotten a call in the meantime but note that there are plenty of great clerkship applicants (including ones who end up clerking for feeders, at least on the liberal side) who have to wait for the months following Plan opening to get their job!
Yup, Heytens and Harris for example (both on the 4th) are heavily respected, highly competitive, semi-feeders (Heytens in particular) who I don't think have even started interviewing yet (Heytens at the very least definitely not since he hasn't even opened his application yet).
agree with the sentiment and on heytens, but do want to flag that harris has extended most/all of her offers as of this AM in case anyone was relying on that

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Re: Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jun 12, 2026 4:57 pm

OP I'm in the same boat. My copium, which I will share with you, is that based on my school's historic clerkship data, the people who got early calls (like right when the plan opened) are usually really elite (like EIC of law review, valedictorian, etc.), but many other people do go on to clerk. A guy who went to the Supreme Court a few years ago got his feeder circuit clerkship in July.

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Re: Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jun 13, 2026 10:16 am

Anonymous User wrote: ↑
Fri Jun 12, 2026 2:24 pm
Anonymous User wrote: ↑
Thu Jun 11, 2026 10:56 pm
Maybe OP has gotten a call in the meantime but note that there are plenty of great clerkship applicants (including ones who end up clerking for feeders, at least on the liberal side) who have to wait for the months following Plan opening to get their job!
Yup, Heytens and Harris for example (both on the 4th) are heavily respected, highly competitive, semi-feeders (Heytens in particular) who I don't think have even started interviewing yet (Heytens at the very least definitely not since he hasn't even opened his application yet).
Harris has hired twice from YLS already

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Re: Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jun 13, 2026 1:08 pm

Harris has moved

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Re: Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Jun 14, 2026 10:13 am

OP here updating. Ended up with one interview and rejected (same goes for most everyone else at my school). From what I've heard, top students at a couple other lower t14s have all been in the same boat. Might just be a highly competitive cycle.

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Re: Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Jun 15, 2026 12:06 am

You would definitely get a second look in my chambers if you got your recommender to send an email/call chambers. Especially helpful if one of your recommenders is a former clerk/has ties. Part of the problem is that there are hundreds of applicants to sort through and without an email/phone call it’s hard to rise to the top of the pile.

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Re: Empty Inbox = Cooked?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jun 16, 2026 10:22 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑
Thu Jun 11, 2026 10:56 pm
Maybe OP has gotten a call in the meantime but note that there are plenty of great clerkship applicants (including ones who end up clerking for feeders, at least on the liberal side) who have to wait for the months following Plan opening to get their job!
Do you know what competitive liberal judges / feeders hire post-plan? It seems like most fill up immediately.

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