2018-2019 Clerkship Application Thread Forum

[Anonymous User]

Any DDC left?

[BullShitWithBravado]

Tag.

[Anonymous User]

.

[lavarman84]

Yes. Get your application materials together ASAP (3 LORs, 2 error-free writing samples, a resume, and your grades from undergrad and law school in OSCAR). You have plenty of time. But you're best off applying before there's a risk of your grades dropping.

[Anonymous User]

Just another data point, someone at my non-T14 with sub-top 20% grades got an 8th circuit CoA clerkship. Had super strong professor connection/recommendation though.

[Anonymous User]

what is the general understanding on bankruptcy clerkship and state appeals court clerkship? Talking about same location. If one does not have a specific preference in the practice area- which one has better prestige?

[A. Nony Mouse]

Not really sure about prestige, but doing a bankruptcy clerkship will tend to slot you into bankruptcy practice, which may be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the market and how much you like bankruptcy.

[Anonymous User]

thanks nony. one follow-up, if the end goal is good biglaw business litigation (appellate review or trial court) , and I don't mind stacking up different clerkships, which one should I take here?

[wwwcol]

thanks nony. one follow-up, if the end goal is good biglaw business litigation (appellate review or trial court) , and I don't mind stacking up different clerkships, which one should I take here?

Is the state appeals court the highest court? If not, BigLaw is probably unlikely, as is BigLaw from a bankruptcy clerkship (unless you want to practice bankruptcy at a firm). Clerkship signing bonus roughly approximates a clerk's desirability, and most firms give no bonus for Article I clerkships or intermediate state appellate clerkships.

If you really want BigLaw, a better route is magistrate -> D. Ct.

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone talk to the value of a DE SSC clerkship for going into both a corporate department or a litigation department? I know chancery firmly leads the door open for most corporate departments but does SSC as well?

Seitz and Strine are the main discussions if that matters (I'm pretty confident Strine will get you into the door at most corporate departments at least).

[Anonymous User]

Any word on the status of Kelly (10th) or Wilson (11th)?

Also, what's the protocol with COA judges that have been nominated but not approved by the Senate? Can we apply at this point? Or are they goners now that Emperor Trump is taking over

[rhododactylos]

Any word on the status of Kelly (10th) or Wilson (11th)?

Also, what's the protocol with COA judges that have been nominated but not approved by the Senate? Can we apply at this point? Or are they goners now that Emperor Trump is taking over

Obama's nominees are probably out of luck at this point. There may be one or two who are re-appointed by GodEmperor Trump as part of a deal (this is how current 4th Circuit Chief Roger Gregory was confirmed in 2001), but nearly all will see their nomination expire.

[Anonymous User]

Any word on the status of Kelly (10th) or Wilson (11th)?

Also, what's the protocol with COA judges that have been nominated but not approved by the Senate? Can we apply at this point? Or are they goners now that Emperor Trump is taking over

I heard through someone that interviewed with Kelly that Kelly was beginning to make his decisions around 3-4 weeks ago. I cannot confirm whether that actually occurred, and if so, whether he chose all clerks when it did occur. I do know that he would not be extending offers until he interviewed a sufficient amount of people. So I think there's a higher chance that he would extend offers in one fell swoop, rather than on a piecemeal basis. Thus, if you know of at least one Kelly offer, I'd put my money that the other three or so have also gone out.

[Anonymous User]

I am applying to a judge who only takes physical mail application. How does the LOR work in this situation? After I create a draft of my app, how do I get the LORs to mail the judge via usps? Thanks in advance.

[Auxilio]

I am applying to a judge who only takes physical mail application. How does the LOR work in this situation? After I create a draft of my app, how do I get the LORs to mail the judge via usps? Thanks in advance.

My school (mandatory for professor LoR and recommended for other LoR) OCS just holds onto LoR for you and ships when you ask them to (or you can just send them pdf of application and they will mail all together).

[Anonymous User]

This is a noob question but I am a little confused with the instructions on OSCAR. I have the ability to select the professor from the dropdown menu but how do I send out the link to fill in the LOR? Is this process done like LSAC during law school admissions where you add a recommender and an email link is sent out to the professor to fill in the letter electronically? On OSCAR, I do not see any send button to launch the LOR request.

[Anonymous User]

How long does it take for recommenders to receive the email with a link allowing them to electronically write the letter to be kept on file on OSCAR?

I drafted an application to a random judge and clicked "Create a Draft Application" button so that my recommenders can get the email linking them to write the letter online. I want to use their letters for future positions that open up so I wont have to ask them to write one each time I submit a new app to a different judge. (I explained this to my recommenders) As of this afternoon, none of my profs received the emails yet.

[Quichelorraine]

Heads up: Fuentes (CA3) just put up his 2018-2019 application on OSCAR, but it looks like he is planning on interviewing very soon, and he asks people who applied in previous cycles to reapply for 2018 if they are still interested.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from Judge Chen in EDNY? I would appreciate it if anyone could provide insight into whether she is still conducting interviews and has extended offers. Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

C/o 2018, top 5% T14 here. I did some half hearted apps over the semester but basically really dropped the ball but am now finally getting apps together, updating my docs/LORs, etc.

How SOL am I for 2018? I'm thinking that I only want to do one clerkship at this point and am more interested in a trial court than appellate. Ideal clerkship would thus be D.DC, SDNY/EDNY, or D.MA, which I think are realistic possibilities for me at this point. I don't really have high hopes for prestigious COA or SCOTUS. The pickings for these courts look pretty slim on OSCAR, but it seems like there are a few judges that won't start interviewing until spring 2017 or later so I will be firing off at least a few apps fairly soon. Since I only want to clerk for one year, I'm not really interested in clerking at a less 'prestigious' district court for 2018

I would be fine with clerking in 2019 (firm job lined up), but I'm worried about my grades going down over the next 1-2 semesters as there is not much room for error and I already had a bit of a drop this semester. My resume is very unexceptional besides my grades. Is it too early to begin applying in earnest to these courts for 2019?

[Anonymous User]

C/o 2018, top 5% T14 here. I did some half hearted apps over the semester but basically really dropped the ball but am now finally getting apps together, updating my docs/LORs, etc.

How SOL am I for 2018? I'm thinking that I only want to do one clerkship at this point and am more interested in a trial court than appellate. Ideal clerkship would thus be D.DC, SDNY/EDNY, or D.MA, which I think are realistic possibilities for me at this point. I don't really have high hopes for prestigious COA or SCOTUS. The pickings for these courts look pretty slim on OSCAR, but it seems like there are a few judges that won't start interviewing until spring 2017 or later so I will be firing off at least a few apps fairly soon. Since I only want to clerk for one year, I'm not really interested in clerking at a less 'prestigious' district court for 2018

I would be fine with clerking in 2019 (firm job lined up), but I'm worried about my grades going down over the next 1-2 semesters as there is not much room for error and I already had a bit of a drop this semester. My resume is very unexceptional besides my grades. Is it too early to begin applying in earnest to these courts for 2019?

You sound pretty similar to my position a year ago (c/o 2017, ranked around #10 at MPVB, LR board and HYPS undergrad but nothing else overly exciting on the resume), as I ignored the advice to apply before 2L and didn't send out any applications until February 2016. I ended up applying only to CoA (hired for 2018 on 2/9/DC) but received a good amount of D.Ct. advice from my clerkship office.

Most DDC/SDNY/EDNY judges are full for 2018 by this point. D. Ma (which is one step down in national "prestige" from the other three but still has a great reputation) moves much later as the majority are currently hiring for 2018 and a few are still hiring for 2017. According to OSCAR a couple D. Ma judges close their 2018 hiring windows soon so it might be a good idea to get materials in ASAP. It also looks like you'd be able to apply in time to some similarly reputable East Coast courts, like EDPa, DNJ, and D. Md. Those courts (including D. Ma.) also seem like better targets for someone with your (my) resume than SDNY/DDC, which are almost as competitive as feeder CoA judges (I'm assuming by T14 you don't mean HYS, in which case I'd say shoot for SDNY/DDC in 2019).

If you're concerned with prestige you might want to look at CoA for 2019 instead of district for 2018. Lots of circuit judges are or soon will be hiring for 2019 and a solid number are still hiring for 2018.

[Anonymous User]

(Not OP). On that note re: 2019 wave coming soon, I have yet to see too many COA postings on Oscar and was wondering if anyone had inside knowledge of judges who are actively looking and also when to generally expect more judges to hire for that term. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

C/o 2018, top 5% T14 here. I did some half hearted apps over the semester but basically really dropped the ball but am now finally getting apps together, updating my docs/LORs, etc.

How SOL am I for 2018? I'm thinking that I only want to do one clerkship at this point and am more interested in a trial court than appellate. Ideal clerkship would thus be D.DC, SDNY/EDNY, or D.MA, which I think are realistic possibilities for me at this point. I don't really have high hopes for prestigious COA or SCOTUS. The pickings for these courts look pretty slim on OSCAR, but it seems like there are a few judges that won't start interviewing until spring 2017 or later so I will be firing off at least a few apps fairly soon. Since I only want to clerk for one year, I'm not really interested in clerking at a less 'prestigious' district court for 2018

I would be fine with clerking in 2019 (firm job lined up), but I'm worried about my grades going down over the next 1-2 semesters as there is not much room for error and I already had a bit of a drop this semester. My resume is very unexceptional besides my grades. Is it too early to begin applying in earnest to these courts for 2019?

You sound pretty similar to my position a year ago (c/o 2017, ranked around #10 at MPVB, LR board and HYPS undergrad but nothing else overly exciting on the resume), as I ignored the advice to apply before 2L and didn't send out any applications until February 2016. I ended up applying only to CoA (hired for 2018 on 2/9/DC) but received a good amount of D.Ct. advice from my clerkship office.

Most DDC/SDNY/EDNY judges are full for 2018 by this point. D. Ma (which is one step down in national "prestige" from the other three but still has a great reputation) moves much later as the majority are currently hiring for 2018 and a few are still hiring for 2017. According to OSCAR a couple D. Ma judges close their 2018 hiring windows soon so it might be a good idea to get materials in ASAP. It also looks like you'd be able to apply in time to some similarly reputable East Coast courts, like EDPa, DNJ, and D. Md. Those courts (including D. Ma.) also seem like better targets for someone with your (my) resume than SDNY/DDC, which are almost as competitive as feeder CoA judges (I'm assuming by T14 you don't mean HYS, in which case I'd say shoot for SDNY/DDC in 2019).

If you're concerned with prestige you might want to look at CoA for 2019 instead of district for 2018. Lots of circuit judges are or soon will be hiring for 2019 and a solid number are still hiring for 2018.

Thanks! Any insight on the relative competitiveness of EDNY/SDNY in White Plains? Would these be more accessible to someone from outside HYS?

[Anonymous User]

C/o 2018, top 5% T14 here. I did some half hearted apps over the semester but basically really dropped the ball but am now finally getting apps together, updating my docs/LORs, etc.

How SOL am I for 2018? I'm thinking that I only want to do one clerkship at this point and am more interested in a trial court than appellate. Ideal clerkship would thus be D.DC, SDNY/EDNY, or D.MA, which I think are realistic possibilities for me at this point. I don't really have high hopes for prestigious COA or SCOTUS. The pickings for these courts look pretty slim on OSCAR, but it seems like there are a few judges that won't start interviewing until spring 2017 or later so I will be firing off at least a few apps fairly soon. Since I only want to clerk for one year, I'm not really interested in clerking at a less 'prestigious' district court for 2018

I would be fine with clerking in 2019 (firm job lined up), but I'm worried about my grades going down over the next 1-2 semesters as there is not much room for error and I already had a bit of a drop this semester. My resume is very unexceptional besides my grades. Is it too early to begin applying in earnest to these courts for 2019?

You sound pretty similar to my position a year ago (c/o 2017, ranked around #10 at MPVB, LR board and HYPS undergrad but nothing else overly exciting on the resume), as I ignored the advice to apply before 2L and didn't send out any applications until February 2016. I ended up applying only to CoA (hired for 2018 on 2/9/DC) but received a good amount of D.Ct. advice from my clerkship office.

Most DDC/SDNY/EDNY judges are full for 2018 by this point. D. Ma (which is one step down in national "prestige" from the other three but still has a great reputation) moves much later as the majority are currently hiring for 2018 and a few are still hiring for 2017. According to OSCAR a couple D. Ma judges close their 2018 hiring windows soon so it might be a good idea to get materials in ASAP. It also looks like you'd be able to apply in time to some similarly reputable East Coast courts, like EDPa, DNJ, and D. Md. Those courts (including D. Ma.) also seem like better targets for someone with your (my) resume than SDNY/DDC, which are almost as competitive as feeder CoA judges (I'm assuming by T14 you don't mean HYS, in which case I'd say shoot for SDNY/DDC in 2019).

If you're concerned with prestige you might want to look at CoA for 2019 instead of district for 2018. Lots of circuit judges are or soon will be hiring for 2019 and a solid number are still hiring for 2018.

Thanks! Any insight on the relative competitiveness of EDNY/SDNY in White Plains? Would these be more accessible to someone from outside HYS?

SDNY is SDNY. Doesn't matter which courthouse you are in. White Plains is no different. Same principle goes for 2nd Cir outside of New York, and 9th Cir outside of California. Anywhere in the district or circuit will carry the same prestige. Now, that being said, there might be some judges that are easier than others, but that would be irrespective of locality.

[Anonymous User]

I am waiting to hear back about an SDNY clerkship. I had an interview last week. It is agonizing! Is there a common length of time that people hear after interviews? A week and a half seems long/not good but maybe I am just paranoid. I want this so badly!