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Is there a single resource that has annual clerkship placements organized by school? I've looked around, and I can find some of the general data (Chicago placed x federal clerks in 2012, e.g.). But is there a place where the specific placements (by court and/or by circuit) are compiled, so we can know exactly where students were placed for each school? Just wasn't sure if it's something the schools have to report to the ABA or whatever, or if they keep it to themselves and just post it publicly on their own.

Thanks. Sorry if this is the wrong forum, and/or if this is a dumb question. (I'm a 0L.)

Anonymous User wrote:Is there a single resource that has annual clerkship placements organized by school? I've looked around, and I can find some of the general data (Chicago placed x federal clerks in 2012, e.g.). But is there a place where the specific placements (by court and/or by circuit) are compiled, so we can know exactly where students were placed for each school? Just wasn't sure if it's something the schools have to report to the ABA or whatever, or if they keep it to themselves and just post it publicly on their own.

Thanks. Sorry if this is the wrong forum, and/or if this is a dumb question. (I'm a 0L.)

No there is no official centralized resource with this info. I think schools are required to provide statistical info on the numbers of students that obtained clerkship, but nothing specific as to which courts. There were unofficial blogs that tracked this info in the past, but those sites have been abandoned. However, I'm sure that data has some merit for you, even if it is a little old.

http://lawschoolclerkship.blogspot.com/
http://lawclerkaddict2009.blogspot.com/

Other than that, you can always check each law school's website or even contact the schools directly and ask them for the info.

I moved this thread into the appropriate forum.

Here is a spreadsheet that I made for historical federal clerkship placements over the last 6 years: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... BWVE#gid=0



Here is the thread where the info for C/O 2007-2009 came from: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=150004

Unfortunately if you want to know which specific clerkships a given school places best in, you'll have to ask the individual schools - schools track this info (at least, as far ask I know), but aren't required to publish it anywhere. No idea if they give it out to prospective students, but you can always ask.

I think you can assume some degree of regional preference - NY schools placing well in NY, Chicago schools placing in well in Illinois - though this will decrease significantly as you go up the food chain (the top students at good regional schools can get clerkships, but usually have the best shot in-state/in-circuit; HYS students obviously aren't limited to Boston/New York/Palo Alto, though it wouldn't surprise me if e.g. Harvard dominates D. Mass/1st Cir.). But connections through profs are also a huge thing that doesn't necessarily follow geography, and clerkship hiring is idiosyncratic enough that you can get some complete outliers.

cotiger wrote:Here is a spreadsheet that I made for historical federal clerkship placements over the last 6 years: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... BWVE#gid=0

This is awesome!

A. Nony Mouse wrote:Unfortunately if you want to know which specific clerkships a given school places best in, you'll have to ask the individual schools - schools track this info (at least, as far ask I know), but aren't required to publish it anywhere. No idea if they give it out to prospective students, but you can always ask.

Thank you. I guess I assumed (naively) that since clerks are gov't employees, the specific placements would be publicly available -- even if the names were not. It certainly would be helpful.

cotiger wrote:Here is a spreadsheet that I made for historical federal clerkship placements over the last 6 years: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... BWVE#gid=0

Awesome. Thanks.

I think it's because clerks are (mostly) term employees, and the hiring process is basically "the judge likes you, you're hired", so it's really outside any of the standard government processes. You're officially a government employee, but you absolutely serve at the will of the judge, so it's sort of this marginal status, in terms of government databases.