CA2/9 with weak recommendations? Forum

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Anonymous User
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CA2/9 with weak recommendations?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:44 pm

CCN 2L, currently top 10%, e-board of secondary journal, summering at one of WLRK/W&C/MTO. Recommendations will be lukewarm at best; certainly no chance anyone will call for me.

Any shot at CA2/9 nevertheless? Trying to decide whether to go hard at off-plan judges now or if it's reasonable to wait until year-end (have a strong geographic preference for the coasts, but don't want to end up with nothing).

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Re: CA2/9 with weak recommendations?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:22 am

In a similar spot (at non-CCN) and very interested to hear what people have to say about this. (Also, maybe see you this summer??)

GoneSouth

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Re: CA2/9 with weak recommendations?

Post by GoneSouth » Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:11 pm

Anonymous User wrote:CCN 2L, currently top 10%, e-board of secondary journal, summering at one of WLRK/W&C/MTO. Recommendations will be lukewarm at best; certainly no chance anyone will call for me.

Any shot at CA2/9 nevertheless? Trying to decide whether to go hard at off-plan judges now or if it's reasonable to wait until year-end (have a strong geographic preference for the coasts, but don't want to end up with nothing).
You definitely have a chance, but how have you made it through three full semesters of law school and have "no chance anyone will call for me"? Have you asked? If you have professors who are willing to recommend you, then they'll probably call for you too

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Re: CA2/9 with weak recommendations?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Feb 24, 2019 12:14 am

GoneSouth wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:CCN 2L, currently top 10%, e-board of secondary journal, summering at one of WLRK/W&C/MTO. Recommendations will be lukewarm at best; certainly no chance anyone will call for me.

Any shot at CA2/9 nevertheless? Trying to decide whether to go hard at off-plan judges now or if it's reasonable to wait until year-end (have a strong geographic preference for the coasts, but don't want to end up with nothing).
You definitely have a chance, but how have you made it through three full semesters of law school and have "no chance anyone will call for me"? Have you asked? If you have professors who are willing to recommend you, then they'll probably call for you too
Obviously if I could go back I'd change it, but I really just haven't interacted with professors that much. I've taken mostly black letter classes, and done mostly very well in them, but didn't go to office hours or like whatever people do when they go up to the prof after class.

I'm assuming professors who gave me good grades in their class would write a standard form recommendation, as I've been led to believe is common, but if a personal connection is required than this goes from "lukewarm recs" to "no recs at all."

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jbagelboy

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Re: CA2/9 with weak recommendations?

Post by jbagelboy » Mon Feb 25, 2019 1:58 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
GoneSouth wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:CCN 2L, currently top 10%, e-board of secondary journal, summering at one of WLRK/W&C/MTO. Recommendations will be lukewarm at best; certainly no chance anyone will call for me.

Any shot at CA2/9 nevertheless? Trying to decide whether to go hard at off-plan judges now or if it's reasonable to wait until year-end (have a strong geographic preference for the coasts, but don't want to end up with nothing).
You definitely have a chance, but how have you made it through three full semesters of law school and have "no chance anyone will call for me"? Have you asked? If you have professors who are willing to recommend you, then they'll probably call for you too
Obviously if I could go back I'd change it, but I really just haven't interacted with professors that much. I've taken mostly black letter classes, and done mostly very well in them, but didn't go to office hours or like whatever people do when they go up to the prof after class.

I'm assuming professors who gave me good grades in their class would write a standard form recommendation, as I've been led to believe is common, but if a personal connection is required than this goes from "lukewarm recs" to "no recs at all."
I'm guessing you aren't at chicago or you would have graded-on to law review.

if you're at columbia or nyu, you have a decent chance at a second circuit clerkship if you have a district clerkship lined up. There are several judges I can think of who will at least interview a top 10% student w/ a d. ct. clerkship at those schools without a specific faculty connection, although scoring the offer at the end of the day may require something extra--a relationship between your district court judge and the circuit judge, a terrific interview, a professor writing or calling, a particularly advantageous background (common examples might be military service for conservative-leaning judges or substantive pre-law school advocacy work for liberal-leaning judges).

You might just ask your professors which judges they know and see whether any of them will reach out for you. If you land any interviews, go back to your letter writers and any other professors in whose classes you performed well and let them know. Some professors don't give a shit, but others do want to see students succeed in the clerkship game and will do what they can to support a strong academic candidate even if you haven't spent three semesters feigning interest in their research and trying to go to coffee every month like some tryhard.

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Re: CA2/9 with weak recommendations?

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Feb 26, 2019 5:34 pm

jbagelboy wrote: if you're at columbia or nyu, you have a decent chance at a second circuit clerkship if you have a district clerkship lined up. There are several judges I can think of who will at least interview a top 10% student w/ a d. ct. clerkship at those schools without a specific faculty connection, although scoring the offer at the end of the day may require something extra--a relationship between your district court judge and the circuit judge, a terrific interview, a professor writing or calling, a particularly advantageous background (common examples might be military service for conservative-leaning judges or substantive pre-law school advocacy work for liberal-leaning judges).

You might just ask your professors which judges they know and see whether any of them will reach out for you. If you land any interviews, go back to your letter writers and any other professors in whose classes you performed well and let them know. Some professors don't give a shit, but others do want to see students succeed in the clerkship game and will do what they can to support a strong academic candidate even if you haven't spent three semesters feigning interest in their research and trying to go to coffee every month like some tryhard.
Thanks for the input - much appreciated!

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Re: CA2/9 with weak recommendations?

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

Future 2/9 clerk. Apply to literally every single judge on 2/9 to maximize your chances and leverage.

LikelyThrowaway

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Re: CA2/9 with weak recommendations?

Post by LikelyThrowaway » Tue Feb 26, 2019 11:27 pm

jbagelboy wrote: I'm guessing you aren't at chicago or you would have graded-on to law review.
Not true. LR at Chicago currently requires top 60% performance in the writing competition regardless of grades.

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