difficulty of landing a clerkship? Forum

[deant286]

Based on what i've read on TLS, i was under the impression that federal clerkships were reserved for the top students in a graduating t14 class. The sentiment around here is that judges won't take people below certain class rank cut offs, which vary between schools, right?

But at UVAs ASW this year, I attended a clerkship information session where the woman who was leading it (i believe she was the head of the clerkship office at UVA? or some such position) said something along the lines of "anybody who wants a clerkship from UVA can get it." I assumed that meant anyone who wants it enough will work hard enough for the grades and land the position.

But then she went further and said that even grades won't necessarily hold you back (as there are plenty of judges who don't put an emphasis on grades) and that everyone who has come to her and was serious about it has landed a clerkship--not always within the first year, but eventually they all got one. She emphasized that anyone who was serious about it and dedicated to it would eventually get a clerkship.

First of all, I wanted to apologize if I'm misrepresenting anything this woman may have said (others at the ASW or who are in the know can feel free to correct me) but this is how I remember it.

Anyway, can someone shed light on this? Is it really true that anyone coming out of UVA with enough interest and dedication and hustle will land a clerkship eventually? Even 3-4 years out? This sounds like generic admissions marketing nonsense, but given the fact that UVA does so well in placing clerks compared to the rest of the non-HYS t14, I wanted to be sure.

Thanks.

[TatteredDignity]

Your recitation of her comments doesn't make clear whether she was referring to clerkships generally or A3 clerkships. It's probably close to true that anyone at UVA who is willing to do *any* clerkship (magistrate, state trial court, administrative) can get one. Whether those clerkships are worthwhile is a separate issue.

[A. Nony Mouse]

It does also get easier to get a clerkship after you've graduated and worked a couple of years. And given UVA's strong placement historically they probably have strong networks in place to make connections with judges, which can be more important in some ways than raw grades.

But also, I would imagine that people who try for a clerkship right after school and don't get one and decide they don't want to keep trying after working a couple of years just don't enter into her calculations, because they don't "really" want one.

So it's probably at least a little puffery.

[jbagelboy]

Virginia does very well for its top students with clerkships relative to other schools. Last year only Stanford, Chicago and Yale had better numbers for 9-months out (an increasingly outdated statistic). However, to say this applies to the entire class is simply disengenuous. UVA professors and administration pour resources into securing clerkships for the schools' strong candidates, but no one's calling Wilkinson's chambers for medianbro.

The clerkship advisors comment probably reflects the reality that median or worse performing 1Ls don't approach the clerkship office, and if they do, they are rather gently sent on their way (which is why she can say only those "committed" to clerking always find one eventually--"committed" implies earned strong marks and the respect of the faculty and kept applying as a first and second year associate). As Nony mentioned, many students are securing their clerkships several years after graduation. Others give up because it can take a substantial toll on your personal life and finances, so then they are not 'committed'.

[Bearlyalive]

My impression from sitting in on that same talk was that she was not limiting that statement to Art. III clerkships. You're still going to need to do very well to secure on of those, but if you're OK with clerking for a State Supreme Court and lower, UVA's office will make sure that you get an offer.

[Nagster5]

I was in that talk too. This is anecdotal, but from talking to students at UVa and elsewhere, it seems their CS people are absolutely unmatched in quality/passion. Every single student I talked to mentioned them quickly fielding midnight emails, calling them before interviews, networking for them like crazy, trying to get them the job they wanted instead of just A job. Students at other schools have universally had middling to negative views on their CS offices.

She did unequivocally state that some judges don't even look at grades, paraphrasing: they were C students that turned out to be great lawyers and want to give C students a chance. You can bet these are not prestigious/federal clerkships though. I think she was being honest in that she will find you a clerkship if you are dedicated to it, as in contact the office early and often, throughout school and afterward, then she will find you a judge to clerk for. I don't think she meant strolling in halfway through 3L and inquiring would guarantee a spot, but I also don't think she was hiding a GPA floor in her "if you're dedicated" comment. There is a reason UVa punches up in terms of SC clerkships and other prestigious jobs, their office is just genuinely awesome.