Help finding a career clerkship Forum

(Seek and share information about clerkship applications, clerkship hiring timelines, and post-clerkship employment opportunities)
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Help finding a career clerkship

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Feb 21, 2019 5:02 pm

I’m a former federal district clerk. I’m no longer interested in the private practice of law, and in fact recently gave notice to my firm. I’m not here to debate the merits of that decision. I’m currently working towards and MLS degree. I’m considering law librarianship. Not here to debate the merits of that decision either.

Despite my interest in law librarianship, what I’ve always really wanted is to acquire a career clerkship position. I’m wondering whether anyone knows how to find these positions at the state court level. I find federal openings on Oscar. Also, how competitive are these positions generally, at both the state and federal level. I had good, not out of this world, grades from UT Austin. Secondary journal, and, as mentioned, I’ve clerked at the federal district level.

nixy

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Re: Help finding a career clerkship

Post by nixy » Thu Feb 21, 2019 6:02 pm

All the state court career clerks I’ve known had already clerked on the court in a term clerkship and either got along well enough with their judge that the judge made it a permanent position, or got recommended by the first judge to a second - often a new judge - who wanted a permanent clerk. (In the state I’m familiar with, judges could convert at least one clerkship to a permanent position - I think it was up to the judge.) I’ve never actually seen an advertisement, it was always done on an ad hoc/individual basis. Sometimes the person floated around the court from one judge to the next for a few years before getting something officially permanent.

(That’s also pretty much how I’ve known it to happen in federal courts, too.)

Really I think getting clerkship experience and then finding a new judge who wants help transitioning into the position is the way to go.

objctnyrhnr

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Re: Help finding a career clerkship

Post by objctnyrhnr » Thu Feb 21, 2019 10:59 pm

How geographically flexible are you? I feel like I hear about these popping up as listed positions regularly.

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Re: Help finding a career clerkship

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Feb 22, 2019 10:53 am

I know that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin, Texas is hiring a staff attorney for one of its judges. I don't think it's listed on the website, but it might be worth calling the court to find out. They make like six figures and it's a great job if you can get it.

If you are open to San Antonio, the Fourth Court is hiring a staff attorney as well.

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Re: Help finding a career clerkship

Post by Auxilio » Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:06 pm

I just wanted to point that "career clerk" is more like how Nixy described the process from my understanding. For listed positions you want "staff attorney." It's usually a decent gig with good hours and decent pay, but be aware the work probably won't be very interesting.

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nixy

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Re: Help finding a career clerkship

Post by nixy » Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:54 pm

Yeah, I was just going to say what Auxilio said. Staff attorney positions are solid wrt hours and pay (if federal), but they don’t have the same personal relationship with one judge, and they tend to address very routine/repetitive work. From my experience, in federal court that’s going to be pro se/prisoner litigation; in the state courts, staff attorneys did all the routine social security, workers comp, and domestic relations stuff, or disposed of very routine petitions for cert.

NaBrO

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Re: Help finding a career clerkship

Post by NaBrO » Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:54 pm

I’m a career clerk to a judge on a Pennsylvania appellate court. From what I have seen, most of the PA appellate judges have career clerks, with few term clerks depending on the judge. For instance, almost all of my judge’s clerks have been there for over five years. Sometimes available clerkships are posted on the AOPC’s (Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts) website or the hiring website for local law schools, but more often they are filled via word of mouth. Obviously the duties of a career clerk are going to be different depending on the jurisdiction, but in my experience the work has been interesting and I work closely with my judge.

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Re: Help finding a career clerkship

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 26, 2019 11:21 am

OP here. Thanks for the comments. I saw a post recently for an administrative attorney position in a federal court somewhat within my desired region. Does anyone have experience with this kind of position? It sounds like a staff attorney position but at the district level.

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mjb447

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Re: Help finding a career clerkship

Post by mjb447 » Tue Feb 26, 2019 6:07 pm

Anonymous User wrote:OP here. Thanks for the comments. I saw a post recently for an administrative attorney position in a federal court somewhat within my desired region. Does anyone have experience with this kind of position? It sounds like a staff attorney position but at the district level.
It may vary by court, but administrative attorney positions that I've seen in the federal courts are fairly different from staff attorney positions. Staff attorneys tend to be tasked with doing recommendations or rulings in more "routine" matters (1983, habeas, soc security), but they still do rulings and work individual cases in depth. Administrative attorneys, as the name implies, tend to do much more administrative work - review filings as they come in to see if they can be approved by the Clerk's Office or CRD versus needing judicial approval, maybe doing jurisdictional reviews, etc. (I think they're sometimes referred to as "motions attorneys.") The recent posting in NOLA reads more like the latter to me.

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