Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships Forum

(Seek and share information about clerkship applications, clerkship hiring timelines, and post-clerkship employment opportunities)
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting

Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are sharing sensitive information about clerkship applications and clerkship hiring. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.

Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned."
User avatar
Rachel Alexandra

New
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:29 pm

Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by Rachel Alexandra » Tue Mar 19, 2019 4:25 pm

Hello all!

I didn’t see a place for introductions so I’ll just make one here. I’ve always been someone who likes to just figure out things on my own, and I’ve been sort of winging my way through the legal job search. But, I’d like some advice at this point and a place to find help with my legal career plans. I’ve had a look around here and it seems like a great community for this. So I’m glad I found this place!

The background: I graduated law school in May 2017. Since then, I have not held any employment in the legal field. I spent my first year and a half following graduation preparing for and taking the bar (UBE) twice. Although I could get barred in numerous jurisdictions, I haven’t done so yet (money being the main problem). During this time I picked up a part-time, work-from-home job (but its not in the legal field) which I still have. I needed something flexible and not too demanding so I could work around my bar study. As far as I know, I do want to work in the legal field. But, I am worried that since I haven’t worked in the legal field in almost two years now following graduation, this may hurt my hiring prospects?

I wanted a clerkship, and have been applying since last fall, but I’m not sure I will land one. I haven’t heard anything back except two rejections as of yet. I really need work by this fall. My school’s career center does not appear to be helpful now that I have some employment (even though it is not legal employment). I guess my set of questions for this thread pertaining to clerkships is:

Will not having worked in the legal field since graduation hurt my prospects? Should I try to get some sort of doc review job, etc. and try again next year?

Will not yet having been barred anywhere (despite having a UBE score which is acceptable in numerous jurisdictions) hurt my prospects?

I was told by my clerkship adviser that its all a very unpredictable game since individual judges want different things. But I have an unconventional resume, heavy on writing (both legal and non-legal), and not including journal or moot court. I was not in the top of my class, but my school doesn’t report class rank so, maybe that doesn’t matter? I went to a tier 1 school, which ranks in the #20s. I do have practical legal experience because I worked in my school’s clinic.

Any advice (1) on whether or not you think I am competitive for judicial clerkship positions. (2) Best tips on how to write clerkship cover letters, and highlight my resume given its unconventionalities.

Thanks so much! I look forward to meeting you guys on here.

anonymous117

Bronze
Posts: 166
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2016 5:50 pm

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by anonymous117 » Tue Mar 19, 2019 5:54 pm

What type(s) of clerkships are you applying to? How many applications have you sent out? Do you have strong letters of rec? Are people making calls for you? All of these things will greatly impact your chances/affect any advice you will receive here.

Any judge is going to want to know what you have been doing since 2017. They'll want to know why you haven't had a legal job and why you haven't had any full-time position. Why do you want a clerkship? If you have a good answer about your job history and as to why you're interested in a clerkship now, that'll go a long way. But it may be hard just to get your foot in the door. You should consult your recommenders and ask them what they think and/or if they would be willing to offer some explanation to judges about your employment gap.

Your clerkship office is probably the best resource for writing cover letters.

QContinuum

Moderator
Posts: 3594
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:52 am

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by QContinuum » Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:08 pm

Welcome to TLS!

I'm going to let others speak to your specific question (i.e., your clerkship chances), but I wanted to speak more generally to your current situation and job-search strategy.

I think number one, you need to get barred. You don't need to get barred in multiple states*, but at least get barred in your home state/market (usually the same thing, but, e.g., if you live in Jersey City, you should probably get barred in NY, not NJ; same if you live in Silver Spring, probably makes more sense to be admitted in DC than MD). Many, even most legal jobs at small/midsize firms and public-interest orgs require candidates to be admitted to the bar, so they can legally practice from day one. Getting admitted can easily take several months, and many legal employers simply aren't in a position to hire someone who won't be a licensed attorney until months down the road.

(*If you're specifically looking in two markets - say you currently live in NY, but you really want to land a job in Chicago and move there - then it may make sense to seek admission in both jurisdictions. But even then, if money is really tight, I think it's OK to just seek admission to the jurisdiction you're currently living in. Even to a Chicago employer, you'll be more attractive as an NY-admitted attorney than as a nonlawyer with a passing UBE score.)

Number two, you need to get involved in legal work and networking. Join the local bar association and go to their events. Do legal volunteer work with PI orgs or local government (e.g., New York's Volunteer Assistant Attorney General program). This will give you a better "story" - on your CV, and at interviews - than simply "it's been two years since I graduated law school and I haven't done anything legal since graduating." You need to do something to show your interest in law and get your name out there in the legal community.

In parallel with numbers 1 and 2 above, of course, you should be looking for & applying to paid legal jobs, and also to clerkships. But get started with 1 and 2 asap. Getting some legal experience under your belt over the next few months will help tremendously, and then once you're barred you'll be much more attractive to employers than you currently are.

dudeknows

New
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 1:05 pm

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by dudeknows » Wed Mar 20, 2019 2:53 pm

Rachel Alexandra wrote:Hello all!

I didn’t see a place for introductions so I’ll just make one here. I’ve always been someone who likes to just figure out things on my own, and I’ve been sort of winging my way through the legal job search. But, I’d like some advice at this point and a place to find help with my legal career plans. I’ve had a look around here and it seems like a great community for this. So I’m glad I found this place!

The background: I graduated law school in May 2017. Since then, I have not held any employment in the legal field. I spent my first year and a half following graduation preparing for and taking the bar (UBE) twice. Although I could get barred in numerous jurisdictions, I haven’t done so yet (money being the main problem). During this time I picked up a part-time, work-from-home job (but its not in the legal field) which I still have. I needed something flexible and not too demanding so I could work around my bar study. As far as I know, I do want to work in the legal field. But, I am worried that since I haven’t worked in the legal field in almost two years now following graduation, this may hurt my hiring prospects?

I wanted a clerkship, and have been applying since last fall, but I’m not sure I will land one. I haven’t heard anything back except two rejections as of yet. I really need work by this fall. My school’s career center does not appear to be helpful now that I have some employment (even though it is not legal employment). I guess my set of questions for this thread pertaining to clerkships is:

Will not having worked in the legal field since graduation hurt my prospects? Should I try to get some sort of doc review job, etc. and try again next year?

Will not yet having been barred anywhere (despite having a UBE score which is acceptable in numerous jurisdictions) hurt my prospects?

I was told by my clerkship adviser that its all a very unpredictable game since individual judges want different things. But I have an unconventional resume, heavy on writing (both legal and non-legal), and not including journal or moot court. I was not in the top of my class, but my school doesn’t report class rank so, maybe that doesn’t matter? I went to a tier 1 school, which ranks in the #20s. I do have practical legal experience because I worked in my school’s clinic.

Any advice (1) on whether or not you think I am competitive for judicial clerkship positions. (2) Best tips on how to write clerkship cover letters, and highlight my resume given its unconventionalities.

Thanks so much! I look forward to meeting you guys on here.
Echoing what the previous poster said, you need to get barred and find a job (that requires a JD). If you are looking for a federal clerkship, you are not a strong applicant. Just think about how an interview with a federal judge would potentially go. Fed clerkships are some of the most competitive positions a lawyer can pursue, and you essentially have not been doing anything (which you can show on paper) for the past two years that shows any interest in becoming a practicing attorney, much less a fed clerk. I am not sure about state clerkships, but I would assume that the same holds true there.

Its really not worth going into more detail about this, you need to get barred, find a job, work for probably a year at this point (to show that you're actually serious), and then start applying for clerkships. Right now, applying to clerkships sounds like a waste of your time.

Sorry to be harsh, but I'm surprised that no one has said this yet.

User avatar
Rachel Alexandra

New
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:29 pm

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by Rachel Alexandra » Wed Mar 20, 2019 4:08 pm

anonymous117 wrote:What type(s) of clerkships are you applying to? How many applications have you sent out? Do you have strong letters of rec? Are people making calls for you? All of these things will greatly impact your chances/affect any advice you will receive here.

Any judge is going to want to know what you have been doing since 2017. They'll want to know why you haven't had a legal job and why you haven't had any full-time position. Why do you want a clerkship? If you have a good answer about your job history and as to why you're interested in a clerkship now, that'll go a long way. But it may be hard just to get your foot in the door. You should consult your recommenders and ask them what they think and/or if they would be willing to offer some explanation to judges about your employment gap.

Your clerkship office is probably the best resource for writing cover letters.
Thanks for the reply! I'm not sure the exact number I have sent out, but I had a list of 50 to begin with though I haven't made all of them. I am not super picky about the type and have applied to a broad range. I have letters of rec from two former supervisors in my school's legal clinic, a prof who taught me, and a supervisor for my law related job in the law library. I'm not sure what you mean by "strong" but the school is a tier 1 and has a good reputation. I have mostly been studying for and taking the bar with those two years, and then applying for clerkships. I'm not sure how "good" of a story this is, but it is the truth. I wasn't able to make the July 2017 exam, so had to wait until the Feb. 2018 one, I then took the July 2018 one as well, and didn't get results in until around sept. 2018 when I started applying. Re: contacting my recommenders. I may do that. Thanks.

Unfortunately, regarding the cover letters, etc. my school career center didn't respond to email and I have since moved out of state so I can't walk in and talk to them. They bugged me until I told them I had employment, and now they don't seem interested in helping out anymore. I may try one more time to contact them about it.
QContinuum wrote:Welcome to TLS!

I'm going to let others speak to your specific question (i.e., your clerkship chances), but I wanted to speak more generally to your current situation and job-search strategy.

I think number one, you need to get barred. You don't need to get barred in multiple states*, but at least get barred in your home state/market (usually the same thing, but, e.g., if you live in Jersey City, you should probably get barred in NY, not NJ; same if you live in Silver Spring, probably makes more sense to be admitted in DC than MD). Many, even most legal jobs at small/midsize firms and public-interest orgs require candidates to be admitted to the bar, so they can legally practice from day one. Getting admitted can easily take several months, and many legal employers simply aren't in a position to hire someone who won't be a licensed attorney until months down the road.

(*If you're specifically looking in two markets - say you currently live in NY, but you really want to land a job in Chicago and move there - then it may make sense to seek admission in both jurisdictions. But even then, if money is really tight, I think it's OK to just seek admission to the jurisdiction you're currently living in. Even to a Chicago employer, you'll be more attractive as an NY-admitted attorney than as a nonlawyer with a passing UBE score.)

Number two, you need to get involved in legal work and networking. Join the local bar association and go to their events. Do legal volunteer work with PI orgs or local government (e.g., New York's Volunteer Assistant Attorney General program). This will give you a better "story" - on your CV, and at interviews - than simply "it's been two years since I graduated law school and I haven't done anything legal since graduating." You need to do something to show your interest in law and get your name out there in the legal community.

In parallel with numbers 1 and 2 above, of course, you should be looking for & applying to paid legal jobs, and also to clerkships. But get started with 1 and 2 asap. Getting some legal experience under your belt over the next few months will help tremendously, and then once you're barred you'll be much more attractive to employers than you currently are.
Thank you for this! I don't live anywhere close to NYC. But I will look for something where I am at. It looks like from this thread so far that getting barred is the most important first step, and then finding some (any) legal work, paid or unpaid. I will start on this pronto. Any good strategies for finding quality and resume boosting volunteer legal positions? Are there any online "job" boards you know of which focus on such positions? etc.
dudeknows wrote: Echoing what the previous poster said, you need to get barred and find a job (that requires a JD). If you are looking for a federal clerkship, you are not a strong applicant. Just think about how an interview with a federal judge would potentially go. Fed clerkships are some of the most competitive positions a lawyer can pursue, and you essentially have not been doing anything (which you can show on paper) for the past two years that shows any interest in becoming a practicing attorney, much less a fed clerk. I am not sure about state clerkships, but I would assume that the same holds true there.

Its really not worth going into more detail about this, you need to get barred, find a job, work for probably a year at this point (to show that you're actually serious), and then start applying for clerkships. Right now, applying to clerkships sounds like a waste of your time.

Sorry to be harsh, but I'm surprised that no one has said this yet.
Hey, thanks for the honest opinion. A dishonest one isn't of much help. I will work on this. Now, lets put aside for a moment those facts. Lets assume that we're a year later and I have done this stuff, does my resume, school background, etc. sound competitive to you? Or will it all depend on what type of legal work I do in the in between time?

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


dudeknows

New
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 1:05 pm

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by dudeknows » Wed Mar 20, 2019 6:02 pm

Rachel Alexandra wrote:
anonymous117 wrote:What type(s) of clerkships are you applying to? How many applications have you sent out? Do you have strong letters of rec? Are people making calls for you? All of these things will greatly impact your chances/affect any advice you will receive here.

Any judge is going to want to know what you have been doing since 2017. They'll want to know why you haven't had a legal job and why you haven't had any full-time position. Why do you want a clerkship? If you have a good answer about your job history and as to why you're interested in a clerkship now, that'll go a long way. But it may be hard just to get your foot in the door. You should consult your recommenders and ask them what they think and/or if they would be willing to offer some explanation to judges about your employment gap.

Your clerkship office is probably the best resource for writing cover letters.
Thanks for the reply! I'm not sure the exact number I have sent out, but I had a list of 50 to begin with though I haven't made all of them. I am not super picky about the type and have applied to a broad range. I have letters of rec from two former supervisors in my school's legal clinic, a prof who taught me, and a supervisor for my law related job in the law library. I'm not sure what you mean by "strong" but the school is a tier 1 and has a good reputation. I have mostly been studying for and taking the bar with those two years, and then applying for clerkships. I'm not sure how "good" of a story this is, but it is the truth. I wasn't able to make the July 2017 exam, so had to wait until the Feb. 2018 one, I then took the July 2018 one as well, and didn't get results in until around sept. 2018 when I started applying. Re: contacting my recommenders. I may do that. Thanks.

Unfortunately, regarding the cover letters, etc. my school career center didn't respond to email and I have since moved out of state so I can't walk in and talk to them. They bugged me until I told them I had employment, and now they don't seem interested in helping out anymore. I may try one more time to contact them about it.
QContinuum wrote:Welcome to TLS!

I'm going to let others speak to your specific question (i.e., your clerkship chances), but I wanted to speak more generally to your current situation and job-search strategy.

I think number one, you need to get barred. You don't need to get barred in multiple states*, but at least get barred in your home state/market (usually the same thing, but, e.g., if you live in Jersey City, you should probably get barred in NY, not NJ; same if you live in Silver Spring, probably makes more sense to be admitted in DC than MD). Many, even most legal jobs at small/midsize firms and public-interest orgs require candidates to be admitted to the bar, so they can legally practice from day one. Getting admitted can easily take several months, and many legal employers simply aren't in a position to hire someone who won't be a licensed attorney until months down the road.

(*If you're specifically looking in two markets - say you currently live in NY, but you really want to land a job in Chicago and move there - then it may make sense to seek admission in both jurisdictions. But even then, if money is really tight, I think it's OK to just seek admission to the jurisdiction you're currently living in. Even to a Chicago employer, you'll be more attractive as an NY-admitted attorney than as a nonlawyer with a passing UBE score.)

Number two, you need to get involved in legal work and networking. Join the local bar association and go to their events. Do legal volunteer work with PI orgs or local government (e.g., New York's Volunteer Assistant Attorney General program). This will give you a better "story" - on your CV, and at interviews - than simply "it's been two years since I graduated law school and I haven't done anything legal since graduating." You need to do something to show your interest in law and get your name out there in the legal community.

In parallel with numbers 1 and 2 above, of course, you should be looking for & applying to paid legal jobs, and also to clerkships. But get started with 1 and 2 asap. Getting some legal experience under your belt over the next few months will help tremendously, and then once you're barred you'll be much more attractive to employers than you currently are.
Thank you for this! I don't live anywhere close to NYC. But I will look for something where I am at. It looks like from this thread so far that getting barred is the most important first step, and then finding some (any) legal work, paid or unpaid. I will start on this pronto. Any good strategies for finding quality and resume boosting volunteer legal positions? Are there any online "job" boards you know of which focus on such positions? etc.
dudeknows wrote: Echoing what the previous poster said, you need to get barred and find a job (that requires a JD). If you are looking for a federal clerkship, you are not a strong applicant. Just think about how an interview with a federal judge would potentially go. Fed clerkships are some of the most competitive positions a lawyer can pursue, and you essentially have not been doing anything (which you can show on paper) for the past two years that shows any interest in becoming a practicing attorney, much less a fed clerk. I am not sure about state clerkships, but I would assume that the same holds true there.

Its really not worth going into more detail about this, you need to get barred, find a job, work for probably a year at this point (to show that you're actually serious), and then start applying for clerkships. Right now, applying to clerkships sounds like a waste of your time.

Sorry to be harsh, but I'm surprised that no one has said this yet.
Hey, thanks for the honest opinion. A dishonest one isn't of much help. I will work on this. Now, lets put aside for a moment those facts. Lets assume that we're a year later and I have done this stuff, does my resume, school background, etc. sound competitive to you? Or will it all depend on what type of legal work I do in the in between time?
At that point, other factors will be in play. I know you said that your school doesn't give class rank, but does it give you a GPA and put out GPA percentile cutoffs? If it does, obviously the better your percentile, the stronger your application. But, regardless of that, you should try your best to reach out to alumni that have clerked and just get involved in the community you practice in. A lot of the process in getting a clerkship comes down to who you know. I know that doesn't seem like the most meritorious process, but its just the way it is.

Also, your letters of rec will likely be a significant factor as well. When the posters say "strong," they mean that the potential letter of rec isn't just some generic letter from the recommender, and that it comes from someone who is either a professor or respected practitioner. I know you probably won't be able to see what they say, but try to gauge how good of an impression you've made on that person and how receptive they are when you ask for the letter.

And yes, the type of work will come into play as well. If you're in ticket courts, it probably wont be a good look. The more sophisticated/reputable work you do, the better. You have to realize that you're competing against T14 grads in most districts/circuits, and if they aren't T14, they're likely top 5% students at lower schools (tier 1, including strong regional schools).

But with all that said, of course you have a chance at getting a clerkship. From what I glean, you graduated from a good school, you have letters from professors (clinics), and if you just take the right steps from now, you can put together a strong application. But just remember, these positions are highly competitive. The vast majority of applicants never get anything.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428118
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 20, 2019 6:55 pm

Clerked twice (COA level), reviewed many many applications, and have advised several other folks through the application process—I agree with what other posters have said already, but will try to contribute some additional value.

Not to be too blunt, but what are your politics? There are a lot of newly confirmed judges looking to fill positions now—if you're in their ideological orbit at all, this is a very fruitful season in which to be applying. Of course, you'd still want to have a good explanation for why you haven't been working in the legal field for awhile, but if you have the right recommenders, you could find yourself with a position much more quickly than you realize.

Another thought: do you have any unique interests or specialties you could bring out on a resume? This goes a lot farther in the clerkship application process than TLS often seems to realize—the boring person with perfect grades is almost always going to lose out to the interesting person with slightly lower grades.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428118
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Mar 21, 2019 2:38 pm

dudeknows wrote:
Echoing what the previous poster said, you need to get barred and find a job (that requires a JD). If you are looking for a federal clerkship, you are not a strong applicant. Just think about how an interview with a federal judge would potentially go. Fed clerkships are some of the most competitive positions a lawyer can pursue, and you essentially have not been doing anything (which you can show on paper) for the past two years that shows any interest in becoming a practicing attorney, much less a fed clerk. I am not sure about state clerkships, but I would assume that the same holds true there.

Its really not worth going into more detail about this, you need to get barred, find a job, work for probably a year at this point (to show that you're actually serious), and then start applying for clerkships. Right now, applying to clerkships sounds like a waste of your time.

Sorry to be harsh, but I'm surprised that no one has said this yet.
Anon because a clerk currently hiring for the next term. Unfortunately, I don't think your application for a federal clerkship is very competitive. That it took you so long to pass the bar and that you have not done any legal work in almost two years would be major red flags. You might have more success at state courts if you have something compelling on your resume that can help you get over the significant hurdle of your resume gap, but state clerkships are also competitive. I would also reach out to alumni/profs/etc beyond career services if they're not being helpful to think of ways to "spin" your two years, because even if you get an interview you are really going to have to nail the answer to that question.

QContinuum

Moderator
Posts: 3594
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:52 am

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by QContinuum » Fri Mar 22, 2019 1:40 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
dudeknows wrote:
Echoing what the previous poster said, you need to get barred and find a job (that requires a JD). If you are looking for a federal clerkship, you are not a strong applicant. Just think about how an interview with a federal judge would potentially go. Fed clerkships are some of the most competitive positions a lawyer can pursue, and you essentially have not been doing anything (which you can show on paper) for the past two years that shows any interest in becoming a practicing attorney, much less a fed clerk. I am not sure about state clerkships, but I would assume that the same holds true there.

Its really not worth going into more detail about this, you need to get barred, find a job, work for probably a year at this point (to show that you're actually serious), and then start applying for clerkships. Right now, applying to clerkships sounds like a waste of your time.

Sorry to be harsh, but I'm surprised that no one has said this yet.
Anon because a clerk currently hiring for the next term. Unfortunately, I don't think your application for a federal clerkship is very competitive. That it took you so long to pass the bar and that you have not done any legal work in almost two years would be major red flags. You might have more success at state courts if you have something compelling on your resume that can help you get over the significant hurdle of your resume gap, but state clerkships are also competitive. I would also reach out to alumni/profs/etc beyond career services if they're not being helpful to think of ways to "spin" your two years, because even if you get an interview you are really going to have to nail the answer to that question.
OP probably wouldn't be competitive for a state supreme court clerkship, but a lower state court clerkship might be possible (if still challenging). The question is whether it'd be worth trying for such a clerkship. I think yes, because right now OP is badly in need of any legal experience. Having even a lower state court clerkship on her resume would be hugely helpful - relative to her current position, i.e., zero legal work in two years - in trying to find that next job.

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


Anonymous User
Posts: 428118
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Mar 22, 2019 2:16 pm

Anonymous out of abundance of caution:

I was a federal district court clerk and managed my judge's hiring process. I am also very familiar with the hiring process in other chambers.

The fact that it (a) took you two tries to pass the bar and (b) you have no legal work experience would disqualify you from every federal district court judge in any circumstance that isn't a complete aberration. My judge would have literally thrown the application away, and she was far from what I would consider selective. You're wasting your time applying to federal clerkships. Full stop.

Your best (and only) option is to get a clerkship on a state district or appeals court. That's going to be a long-shot, but it's theoretically possible. If you get a state court clerkship, there's a chance you could leverage that into a subsequent federal district court clerkship.

User avatar
Rachel Alexandra

New
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:29 pm

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by Rachel Alexandra » Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:46 pm

dudeknows wrote:At that point, other factors will be in play. I know you said that your school doesn't give class rank, but does it give you a GPA and put out GPA percentile cutoffs? If it does, obviously the better your percentile, the stronger your application. But, regardless of that, you should try your best to reach out to alumni that have clerked and just get involved in the community you practice in. A lot of the process in getting a clerkship comes down to who you know. I know that doesn't seem like the most meritorious process, but its just the way it is.

Also, your letters of rec will likely be a significant factor as well. When the posters say "strong," they mean that the potential letter of rec isn't just some generic letter from the recommender, and that it comes from someone who is either a professor or respected practitioner. I know you probably won't be able to see what they say, but try to gauge how good of an impression you've made on that person and how receptive they are when you ask for the letter.

And yes, the type of work will come into play as well. If you're in ticket courts, it probably wont be a good look. The more sophisticated/reputable work you do, the better. You have to realize that you're competing against T14 grads in most districts/circuits, and if they aren't T14, they're likely top 5% students at lower schools (tier 1, including strong regional schools).

But with all that said, of course you have a chance at getting a clerkship. From what I glean, you graduated from a good school, you have letters from professors (clinics), and if you just take the right steps from now, you can put together a strong application. But just remember, these positions are highly competitive. The vast majority of applicants never get anything.
Thanks for the reply. I will keep all this in mind. My two clinic profs/supervisors not only know me very well but they know the type of legal work I do and have a high opinion of it. I got on really well with both of them, and both were very positive about recomending me.
Anonymous User wrote:Clerked twice (COA level), reviewed many many applications, and have advised several other folks through the application process—I agree with what other posters have said already, but will try to contribute some additional value.

Not to be too blunt, but what are your politics? There are a lot of newly confirmed judges looking to fill positions now—if you're in their ideological orbit at all, this is a very fruitful season in which to be applying. Of course, you'd still want to have a good explanation for why you haven't been working in the legal field for awhile, but if you have the right recommenders, you could find yourself with a position much more quickly than you realize.

Another thought: do you have any unique interests or specialties you could bring out on a resume? This goes a lot farther in the clerkship application process than TLS often seems to realize—the boring person with perfect grades is almost always going to lose out to the interesting person with slightly lower grades.
Thanks for the reply! My resume is actually quite unique (so I was told by my clerkship adviser). In addition to my J.D. I have a two undergraduate degrees, and an M.A. in History. I did lots of research and writing, and some presenting of research at academic conferences in college and also got very high marks on my research and writing in law school (though I did not participate on a journal). As I said, my resume is heavy on research/writing skill, but lite on some of the more conventional pluses (e.g. moot court, journal, etc.).
Anonymous User wrote:Anon because a clerk currently hiring for the next term. Unfortunately, I don't think your application for a federal clerkship is very competitive. That it took you so long to pass the bar and that you have not done any legal work in almost two years would be major red flags. You might have more success at state courts if you have something compelling on your resume that can help you get over the significant hurdle of your resume gap, but state clerkships are also competitive. I would also reach out to alumni/profs/etc beyond career services if they're not being helpful to think of ways to "spin" your two years, because even if you get an interview you are really going to have to nail the answer to that question.
Thanks for the opinion. As someone who has hired clerks, it is very valuable. As I replied to an earlier poster, I am not terribly picky about the clerkship. I know I am not competitive for the most competitive positions. So it sounds like I should focus on state clerkship then?

Also, I want to clarify: it did not take me two times to pass the bar. I took the UBE both times, in two different jurisdictions. To the extent that one passes the UBE (i.e. obtaining a score that is acceptable in at least one jurisdiction) I more than passed the first time I took it (I could have, at that point, been barred in multiple jurisdictions). I was however, unsatisfied with the score as I thought it wasn't high enough to give me as many options as I wanted so I took it again and improved my score. But I did in fact pass on the first time. Do you think this is something I should clarify in my cover letter or elsewhere? I never really thought people would take it that way, but apparently they are. If my scores were there, it would be obvious that I passed the first time, but I guess it makes sense to assume, without other info, that I took it twice because I failed out the first time. I hadn't thought of this.
Anonymous User wrote:Anonymous out of abundance of caution:

I was a federal district court clerk and managed my judge's hiring process. I am also very familiar with the hiring process in other chambers.

The fact that it (a) took you two tries to pass the bar and (b) you have no legal work experience would disqualify you from every federal district court judge in any circumstance that isn't a complete aberration. My judge would have literally thrown the application away, and she was far from what I would consider selective. You're wasting your time applying to federal clerkships. Full stop.

Your best (and only) option is to get a clerkship on a state district or appeals court. That's going to be a long-shot, but it's theoretically possible. If you get a state court clerkship, there's a chance you could leverage that into a subsequent federal district court clerkship.
Thanks for the reply and opinion. As I said above, I am not picky, and although I have applied to a few federal clerkship, I am grateful for the info: I will not waste my time on any more of them. Also, see above: I didn't fail the bar on the first time, I just took it again because I wanted a higher score than I got. I realize now that this makes it look like I must have failed the first time.
QContinuum wrote: OP probably wouldn't be competitive for a state supreme court clerkship, but a lower state court clerkship might be possible (if still challenging). The question is whether it'd be worth trying for such a clerkship. I think yes, because right now OP is badly in need of any legal experience. Having even a lower state court clerkship on her resume would be hugely helpful - relative to her current position, i.e., zero legal work in two years - in trying to find that next job.
Thanks. Good to know. I will focus on the state court positions (but right now I am focused on getting barred and finding some legal work in the interim).

objctnyrhnr

Moderator
Posts: 1521
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2013 2:44 am

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by objctnyrhnr » Fri Mar 22, 2019 4:09 pm

Given what we know, I’d say that you are (right now) a reach for the lowest level state court clerkships. I’m talking trial level clerkships. I’m sorry but judges are likely to prefer much higher ranked individuals from much lower ranked schools (though I personally don’t think they should, but that’s another story). Add that to the complete lack of work experience post grad? You have a tough road ahead of you.

You really should put the clerkship thing aside for a sec (maybe a few years, maybe indefinitely). you need to get real substantive full time legal experience. And you need to get it yesterday (ie every passing day without it will hurt your chances of getting it in the future). Literally just get something.

You shouldn’t be just looking for clerkships. You should be looking for any full time paying position. You can always lateral up, you can use a clerkship to lateral up, you can apply to clerkships while you’re working. But you need to be working.

Sorry to be harsh but you really need to get cracking on networking and just general firm/govt/PI applications. If you still want it, clerkship could potentially come later.

nixy

Gold
Posts: 4446
Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2018 8:58 am

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by nixy » Fri Mar 22, 2019 4:33 pm

And definitely clarify that you didn’t fail the bar the first time around. Frankly unless you had a specific jurisdiction you were aiming for and didn’t get *that* score, I think it’s going to come across as weird to retake the bar exam rather than try to get a job at that point. It might even make sense to say you took the bar and passed in x-number of jurisdictions, but then subsequently decided you wanted to be able to work in jurisdiction y that requires a higher score so took the bar again for that reason. Because honestly taking the bar to get a higher score/more options in a vacuum just comes across as odd.(I don’t mean that personally!)

(You may also need to come up with a reason why you didn’t take it the July after you graduated - that’s another thing putting you behind the curve.)

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


QContinuum

Moderator
Posts: 3594
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:52 am

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by QContinuum » Sat Mar 23, 2019 10:07 pm

nixy wrote:And definitely clarify that you didn’t fail the bar the first time around. Frankly unless you had a specific jurisdiction you were aiming for and didn’t get *that* score, I think it’s going to come across as weird to retake the bar exam rather than try to get a job at that point. It might even make sense to say you took the bar and passed in x-number of jurisdictions, but then subsequently decided you wanted to be able to work in jurisdiction y that requires a higher score so took the bar again for that reason. Because honestly taking the bar to get a higher score/more options in a vacuum just comes across as odd.(I don’t mean that personally!)

(You may also need to come up with a reason why you didn’t take it the July after you graduated - that’s another thing putting you behind the curve.)
Agree with all of the above. Absent that clarification, folks are gonna assume OP failed the first time. Folks may even assume OP failed more than twice. I think very helpful to clarify that OP took the bar a total of twice, passed in X number of jurisdictions the first time, and passed in the remaining Y UBE jurisdictions the second time.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428118
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:28 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Clerked twice (COA level), reviewed many many applications, and have advised several other folks through the application process—I agree with what other posters have said already, but will try to contribute some additional value.

Not to be too blunt, but what are your politics? There are a lot of newly confirmed judges looking to fill positions now—if you're in their ideological orbit at all, this is a very fruitful season in which to be applying. Of course, you'd still want to have a good explanation for why you haven't been working in the legal field for awhile, but if you have the right recommenders, you could find yourself with a position much more quickly than you realize.
As someone currently helping a recently confirmed nominee make initial clerkship hires, OP's resume is not likely competitive. Yes, newly-confirmed judges are looking for people to start now, and there is reason to think that it will be less competitive than normal, but in my experience it is not nearly that less competitive than normal.

User avatar
Rachel Alexandra

New
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:29 pm

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by Rachel Alexandra » Sun Mar 31, 2019 1:00 pm

Sorry for the delay in replying here. A big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment and give me advice. It has been very helpful. I'll address the last few replies specifically below, but thanks to all who have helped out!
objctnyrhnr wrote:Given what we know, I’d say that you are (right now) a reach for the lowest level state court clerkships. I’m talking trial level clerkships. I’m sorry but judges are likely to prefer much higher ranked individuals from much lower ranked schools (though I personally don’t think they should, but that’s another story). Add that to the complete lack of work experience post grad? You have a tough road ahead of you.

You really should put the clerkship thing aside for a sec (maybe a few years, maybe indefinitely). you need to get real substantive full time legal experience. And you need to get it yesterday (ie every passing day without it will hurt your chances of getting it in the future). Literally just get something.

You shouldn’t be just looking for clerkships. You should be looking for any full time paying position. You can always lateral up, you can use a clerkship to lateral up, you can apply to clerkships while you’re working. But you need to be working.

Sorry to be harsh but you really need to get cracking on networking and just general firm/govt/PI applications. If you still want it, clerkship could potentially come later.
Thanks for the reply. After getting many of these replies, I was starting to think already that I should give up on the clerkship for the short term at least. The replies here have helped me immensely to clarify my strategy going forward (and reminded me that winging things without getting advice first is not always a great idea: would have been helpful had a I decided to check this place out earlier). In any case, thanks!
nixy wrote:And definitely clarify that you didn’t fail the bar the first time around. Frankly unless you had a specific jurisdiction you were aiming for and didn’t get *that* score, I think it’s going to come across as weird to retake the bar exam rather than try to get a job at that point. It might even make sense to say you took the bar and passed in x-number of jurisdictions, but then subsequently decided you wanted to be able to work in jurisdiction y that requires a higher score so took the bar again for that reason. Because honestly taking the bar to get a higher score/more options in a vacuum just comes across as odd.(I don’t mean that personally!)

(You may also need to come up with a reason why you didn’t take it the July after you graduated - that’s another thing putting you behind the curve.)
QContinuum wrote: Agree with all of the above. Absent that clarification, folks are gonna assume OP failed the first time. Folks may even assume OP failed more than twice. I think very helpful to clarify that OP took the bar a total of twice, passed in X number of jurisdictions the first time, and passed in the remaining Y UBE jurisdictions the second time.
Thanks. Will do.
Anonymous User wrote:As someone currently helping a recently confirmed nominee make initial clerkship hires, OP's resume is not likely competitive. Yes, newly-confirmed judges are looking for people to start now, and there is reason to think that it will be less competitive than normal, but in my experience it is not nearly that less competitive than normal.
Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the people commenting here who have personal experience in the clerk hiring process. I've got work to do!

QContinuum

Moderator
Posts: 3594
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:52 am

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by QContinuum » Sun Mar 31, 2019 1:07 pm

Thanks for circling back in, OP, and best wishes going forward! Don't hesitate to come back here for more advice or even just to vent as your job search progresses.

User avatar
Rachel Alexandra

New
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:29 pm

Re: Hello! New to TLS -- Looking for some advice on landing clerkships

Post by Rachel Alexandra » Sun Apr 07, 2019 10:03 pm

QContinuum wrote:Thanks for circling back in, OP, and best wishes going forward! Don't hesitate to come back here for more advice or even just to vent as your job search progresses.
Thanks! I'm sure I will be back with more questions as I move through the job hunt. You guys have been very helpful.

Get unlimited access to all forums and topics

Register now!

I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...


Post Reply Post Anonymous Reply  

Return to “Judicial Clerkships”