Straight P's Clerkship Chances Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hello. I'm a 2L. Title says it all. I attend H/S and have straight P's. What are my clerkship chances? I'm not on law review or SCOTUS clinic. Have public interest/gov experience. Is it worth applying?

[Anonymous User]

First, if you're willing to be geographically flexible, then maybe. I'm sure there are a lot of district courts in "flyover" areas that don't see many H/S applicants. It'll definitely help if you have a plausible story as to why you want to be there (family ties, etc.).

Second, try to distinguish yourselves in other ways. Really impress a professor; be EIC of a secondary journal; do some amazing clinical/practical experience; network your butt off. All will be helpful.

Third, try to get your grades up. If you markedly improve, they might overlook a bad 1L year.

[Anonymous User]

I clerked for a district court that was in flyover country and we got some Harvard apps when I was there. They all had better grades than you and didn't go anywhere. Harvard definitely has cache but I don't think that there's many judges out there who'd hire someone just because they went to Harvard when they can get top students from the rest of the T14. Stanford may be different though.

My advice to you is to work for a few years and then reapply. Getting some experience between you and your grades will only help you. Good luck.

[Anonymous User]

I clerked for a district court that was in flyover country and we got some Harvard apps when I was there. They all had better grades than you and didn't go anywhere. Harvard definitely has cache but I don't think that there's many judges out there who'd hire someone just because they went to Harvard when they can get top students from the rest of the T14. Stanford may be different though.

My advice to you is to work for a few years and then reapply. Getting some experience between you and your grades will only help you. Good luck.

Maybe there aren’t many, but all it takes is one. (I got an offer for a d ct with 1H/9P).

[Anonymous User]

I clerked for a district court that was in flyover country and we got some Harvard apps when I was there. They all had better grades than you and didn't go anywhere. Harvard definitely has cache but I don't think that there's many judges out there who'd hire someone just because they went to Harvard when they can get top students from the rest of the T14. Stanford may be different though.

My advice to you is to work for a few years and then reapply. Getting some experience between you and your grades will only help you. Good luck.

Can't speak to S, but this is too pessimistic as a general matter for H students. It's not typical for H students with median-ish grades to have no luck with flyover district courts, and I'm certain that some grads with straight Ps (including a classmate of mine) have managed to find clerkships in those districts.

To clarify, though, you will probably need some connection to the flyover district to get an interview. If you don't have a connection, it likely won't matter whether you have straight Ps or some Hs. But if you do have a connection, straight Ps at H will give you a fighting chance. Just make sure you heavily emphasize the connection in your cover letter.

[111tesfa111]

Hello. I'm a 2L. Title says it all. I attend H/S and have straight P's. What are my clerkship chances? I'm not on law review or SCOTUS clinic. Have public interest/gov experience. Is it worth applying?

It's probably going to be a long shot, but I don't think it's impossible. Getting some work experience before sending out applications will definitely help. If you don't mind me asking, what do you have lined up for your 2L summer? What do you plan on doing after graduation? If you secure a decent firm or PI job, and do that for 2 or 3 years, you'll have much better odds at getting a clerkship.