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I'm in v5 lit with 2 years of experience. I like biglaw and I would be happy staying here for a few years.

I want to apply for a clerkship for the experience and resume boost. My grades would not have been good enough for SDNY/2/9/DC out of law school, and I don't think I'm far enough out of law school for my firm experience to really carry weight.

Is it worth it to apply to A3 clerkships in secondary markets, or can I be SDNY or bust? I would be disappointed if I didn't get any clerkship at all, and the thought of clerking as a 5th or 6th year is unappealing.

Bump. No thoughts on this?

Some DJs will still weigh grades, so if you're grades weren't that good to be competitive out of law school, that's still a negative factor even with two years experience. That said, v5 experience is a plus for some judges, esp if the judge has a connection to that firm or has seen its work. Most applications now are for 2020 at least, so you would be clerking as a 5/6th year. If you really want to clerk in the near-term, I'd suggest being open to markets other than SDNY for openings that are sooner. Some judges certainly hire less than a year out, so those are what I'd look for. And that could be in a variety of markets.

This only really makes sense as a pivot to government work IMO...not sure if that's what you have in mind.

You're also pretty late/missed the cycle for 2019, especially if you're "SDNY or bust" lol.