International Clerkships Forum

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KijiStewart

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International Clerkships

Post by KijiStewart » Thu Jul 13, 2017 5:45 pm

What are people's thoughts on pursuing one of those (ie. Israel, South Africa ...)

Are they legitimate resume boosts or kinda viewed as fun and games. My prof did South Africa (no ties) said it was the highlight of his life.

Barrred

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Re: International Clerkships

Post by Barrred » Thu Jul 13, 2017 6:11 pm

Sounds like fun and games to me unless you have a really compelling reason. I doubt people would view it on par with any Art.III clerkship. That said, doesn't seem like a bad way to spend a year.

KijiStewart

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Re: International Clerkships

Post by KijiStewart » Thu Jul 13, 2017 8:28 pm

Barrred wrote:Sounds like fun and games to me unless you have a really compelling reason. I doubt people would view it on par with any Art.III clerkship. That said, doesn't seem like a bad way to spend a year.
Not hiding that I'm a total noob.

My understanding is that after you're 2L SA, you are supposed to get a full-time offer. Then, during 3L, IF you get a (respectable) clerkship, you ask your firm permission to defer your offer? I know some firms put this "permission to defer" in their contract with you.

Barrred

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Re: International Clerkships

Post by Barrred » Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:04 pm

KijiStewart wrote:
Barrred wrote:Sounds like fun and games to me unless you have a really compelling reason. I doubt people would view it on par with any Art.III clerkship. That said, doesn't seem like a bad way to spend a year.
Not hiding that I'm a total noob.

My understanding is that after you're 2L SA, you are supposed to get a full-time offer. Then, during 3L, IF you get a (respectable) clerkship, you ask your firm permission to defer your offer? I know some firms put this "permission to defer" in their contract with you.
Its generally the opposite. When you get an offer after your 2L SA, "acceptance" of the offer is just a formal indication you intend to go to that firm after graduation, its not a binding employment contract (associates are at-will employees). If you get a clerkship offer after you have already accepted an offer from a firm, you generally accept the clerkship on the spot (it is expected that if you get a clerkship offer, you will accept), and then go tell (not ask) your SA firm that you will be clerking for a year, and ask the firm if they will defer your start date by a year/hold your offer open for you. Biglaw firms wont have a problem doing this for standard article III clerkships, but I don't know how they would react to you telling them you are going to clerk for the Supreme Court of Fiji or something.

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freekick

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Re: International Clerkships

Post by freekick » Thu Jul 13, 2017 11:39 pm

This might be slightly off OP's post. They mentioned domestic courts of other countries. Could someone speak to clerking at international tribunals such as the ICJ, in fact mainly the ICJ. I understand it is quite competitive but would appreciate a micro insight into how one should go about it. (0L here.) Thanks in advance.

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Vursz

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Re: International Clerkships

Post by Vursz » Fri Jul 14, 2017 12:46 am

I know a guy doing this at the ICJ right now. He won pretty much every international law award my school had to give, multiple years running, and authored several papers on public international law issues. He's on a fellowship that pays for him to clerk there for a year.

My understanding is that you really need to go to a top, top school and have some serious international law "demonstrated interest" to make that happen.

(Edit: I'm not sure it's terribly hard to get a summer position at the ICJ or one of the other major international legal tribunals, but I assume your question refers to postgraduate positions.)

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Re: International Clerkships

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jul 14, 2017 11:42 am

Vursz wrote:I know a guy doing this at the ICJ right now. He won pretty much every international law award my school had to give, multiple years running, and authored several papers on public international law issues. He's on a fellowship that pays for him to clerk there for a year.

My understanding is that you really need to go to a top, top school and have some serious international law "demonstrated interest" to make that happen.

(Edit: I'm not sure it's terribly hard to get a summer position at the ICJ or one of the other major international legal tribunals, but I assume your question refers to postgraduate positions.)
Thanks for replying. Yes, I was referring to postgraduate clerkship. Does 'top, top school' mean HYS or HYSCCN or t13? Any way I could talk to a current or former clerk?

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Re: International Clerkships

Post by Phil Brooks » Fri Jul 14, 2017 11:53 am

Vursz wrote:I know a guy doing this at the ICJ right now. He won pretty much every international law award my school had to give, multiple years running, and authored several papers on public international law issues. He's on a fellowship that pays for him to clerk there for a year.

My understanding is that you really need to go to a top, top school and have some serious international law "demonstrated interest" to make that happen.

(Edit: I'm not sure it's terribly hard to get a summer position at the ICJ or one of the other major international legal tribunals, but I assume your question refers to postgraduate positions.)
You basically outed him because there are such few ICJ clerks and only one or two from American law schools. I know whom you're talking about, and met him recently.

It's such a hard position to get because it's difficult to get public international law experience. Firms in the U.S. don't really practice it, with the limited exception of investor-state treaty arbitration. The other way to get the experience is, as you mentioned, publish. Or you can win the worldwide Jessup International Law Moot Court competition.

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Re: International Clerkships

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jul 14, 2017 4:10 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Vursz wrote:I know a guy doing this at the ICJ right now. He won pretty much every international law award my school had to give, multiple years running, and authored several papers on public international law issues. He's on a fellowship that pays for him to clerk there for a year.

My understanding is that you really need to go to a top, top school and have some serious international law "demonstrated interest" to make that happen.

(Edit: I'm not sure it's terribly hard to get a summer position at the ICJ or one of the other major international legal tribunals, but I assume your question refers to postgraduate positions.)
Thanks for replying. Yes, I was referring to postgraduate clerkship. Does 'top, top school' mean HYS or HYSCCN or t13? Any way I could talk to a current or former clerk?
Anecdotally, Michigan and UVA have permanent clerk spots on the ICJ, so they both send someone nearly every year. Ask your school to hook you up with someone who they've sent. Also, if ICJ is your goal, you should try to attend the Salzburg Cutler Seminar while you're in law school - great opportunity for networking and feedback on an academic piece. It's limited to a subset of the T14 (Berk, NU, and Cornellol aren't invited).

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koval

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Re: International Clerkships

Post by koval » Fri Jul 14, 2017 4:25 pm

OP, firms will generally allow you to defer for a year if you get an Art III clerkship. Other clerkships, it's a toss up -- you might be able to defer but won't get a year credit or a clerkship bonus. The value of a clerkship after Art III varies wildly in terms of biglaw. Although, for other types of firms non-Art III can still have a lot of value.

I remember you asking about bidding in a different thread. You transferred from a TT to CCN if I'm correct. At this point, worry about OCIs and locking something down. Then, when you get a year of grades or so with your new school you can take a look at clerkships broadly. Although, if you want to look at judge's that would theoretically hire from the school your did your 1L at then feel free to apply to those now.

Good luck.

KijiStewart

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Re: International Clerkships

Post by KijiStewart » Sat Jul 15, 2017 5:40 pm

OP here, thanks everyone!

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