"The reason you wish to clerk in [City X] or on [Court Y] Forum

[Anonymous User]

I saw a judge that required you put this in a cover letter. I am struggling to find an answer besides, 'its a federal clerkship, I really don't care what city or court it is!' What do you say when you don't care about the City or the Court?

[nixy]

Come up with something about the city (ideally that connects to the law and not like weather or recreation). Or about the docket (is it a border district? Securities heavy? IP heavy?). Google the judge and find out if they have any pet causes you can express an interest in. If you really can’t come up with a single thing, just apply anyway and see what happens - no worse outcome than not applying.

[Sls17]

This always comes up in interview and usually I think it’s OK to say, “I’m geographically flexible, but [X detail about city/court] appeals to me.” You should have some answer for why the clerkship is a reasonable fit for you, but judges know it’s a hustle and a lot of people apply broadly, so I don’t think you have to take it too far.

But if a judge is requesting this in a cover letter as a filtering method, that particular judge might have a more stringent ties requirement.

[Anonymous User]

I'd also love an answer to this question, but in the interview context. I'm struggling with how to answer:

Why Judge X?
Why city Y?
Why appellate?
Why circuit Z?


Appreciate any suggestions!

[QContinuum]

This always comes up in interview and usually I think it’s OK to say, “I’m geographically flexible, but [X detail about city/court] appeals to me.” You should have some answer for why the clerkship is a reasonable fit for you, but judges know it’s a hustle and a lot of people apply broadly, so I don’t think you have to take it too far.

But if a judge is requesting this in a cover letter as a filtering method, that particular judge might have a more stringent ties requirement.

This is spot on. Of course, IMO even the "cover-letter judges" are still worth applying to. As the saying goes, you lose 100% of the shots you never take. It's possible the judges just want to ensure they get a tailored CL from an applicant who's done a bit of research about their court/docket.

[Laser Lady]

I'd also love an answer to this question, but in the interview context. I'm struggling with how to answer:

Why Judge X?
Why city Y?
Why appellate?
Why circuit Z?


Appreciate any suggestions!

In my opinion, the best way to answer these questions, assuming they actually come up, is to figure out an answer that is both honest and helpful for you. If you don't know how to answer, you should do some research and/or soul-searching to figure out what might be appealing about the particular clerkship you're applying to. Maybe the judge has been on the bench a long time and has lots of experience and wisdom you think you could benefit from? Maybe the judge has written some opinions or speeches you liked? Or you've talked to one of his former clerks who said great things about him? Maybe you like the climate of City Y, or you want the adventure of living in a new place? Maybe you've heard that an appellate clerkship is a great way to see what kinds of mistakes litigators make at trial that can sink a case on appeal (failing to make a proper record, failing to object on the right grounds, failing to get the right affidavits to defeat summary judgment, etc.)? Or maybe you're interested in appellate work in itself, since you like to focus more on legal principles than docket management? Maybe you've heard that this circuit has a good reputation, or has a heavy docket of a type of case you're interested in? Or maybe you're mostly just interested in clerking for this judge and/or in this city, and you can ask the judge himself what he likes best about this circuit, which might show some good intellectual curiosity.

Figure out a possible answer that resonates with you, then figure out how to spin it into a reason why you'd be a great candidate for the job.

[HillandHollow]

My judge asked for this type of info on cover letters not because she was only interested in hiring locals, but because she was interested in hiring clerks who wanted to move to our city and join the local legal community, even if they did not have ties there. It was not NY/DC/Chi/LA where the question "Why do you want to move here?" is sort of silly (in my opinion), but it was a city that is growing and starting to attract attention among younger people. So if we had a choice between two equal candidates, one who was going to take their talents elsewhere right away, and one who was going to stick around and help add to the city's growth, we would likely choose the one who would stay.

I encourage you not to lie about this, though. We did hire one new clerk who told a story about how they and their significant other were wanting to move to our city and settle there and stuff, but once the new clerk started it became pretty obvious that that was not true. Once our judge realized that was not (and never was) true, it was at least very uncomfortable for that clerk, and I think it hurt that clerk's rapport with the judge.

This isn't a trick question, though. If you don't have any answer, maybe you should do a little research into the judge/city/whatever is being asked about. You may discover that you DON'T want to work for that judge or in that place.