US CoA Clerkship Hiring Timeline Forum

[somuchwaiting]

0L here. Was wondering, for those who have been through the process-- how early do Circuit Court judges hire their clerks? If someone wanted to work a year of biglaw after graduation before clerking, would they have to apply during that year of work, or do judges ever hire one/two years in advance?

[BVest]

0L here. Was wondering, for those who have been through the process-- how early do Circuit Court judges hire their clerks? If someone wanted to work a year of biglaw after graduation before clerking, would they have to apply during that year of work, or do judges ever hire one/two years in advance?

It varies by judge, but for a clerkship to start after your graduation (usually August or September), COA judges generally hire anywhere from November of your 2L to summer between 2L and 3L. I understand there are a small handful of judges who hire even before that. Of course, newly appointed COA judges hire upon confirmation. The timeline is the same if you're applying from the working world, it's just that using graduation enables me to use class years to explain it.

Another way to explain it is:
Clerkship starts September 2016
Judges take applications/interview/hire somewhere between November 2014 and August 2015.

[somuchwaiting]

0L here. Was wondering, for those who have been through the process-- how early do Circuit Court judges hire their clerks? If someone wanted to work a year of biglaw after graduation before clerking, would they have to apply during that year of work, or do judges ever hire one/two years in advance?

It varies by judge, but for a clerkship to start after your graduation (usually August or September), COA judges generally hire anywhere from November of your 2L to summer between 2L and 3L. I understand there are a small handful of judges who hire even before that. Of course, newly appointed COA judges hire upon confirmation. The timeline is the same if you're applying from the working world, it's just that using graduation enables me to use class years to explain it.

Another way to explain it is:
Clerkship starts September 2016
Judges take applications/interview/hire somewhere between November 2014 and August 2015.

Very helpful-- thank you.