Prestigious/Non-prestigious EDNY/SDNY/2d Cir? Forum

[flapjacks]

I have seen people on the board refer to some judges on EDNY/SDNY/2d Circuit as prestigious (and so others presumably as not prestigious). Assuming one has a choice, which judges in those courts fit in which categories? Are any judges so notoriously non-prestigious that they should be avoided, given the choice?

[nixy]

There are virtually no district court or COA judges so “unprestigious” that they should be avoided. I’ve seen discussion of one judge (I think it was in California) who is badly regarded enough that some people suggested this. But even then I’m not at all convinced that the clerkship would hurt you. Generally, though, this isn’t a really sensible way to approach clerkships. To the extent prestige is a thing, COA is usually more “prestigious” than district court (because tougher to get), though not necessarily more valuable to any given employer, and then feeder judges are more “prestigious” than other judges. Otherwise fine gradations of prestige are pretty pointless. More important is trying to find out if the judge is a good boss.

[Anonymous User]

The one judge nixy is likely thinking of is Judge Manuel Real in CDCA. I've seen several people on this board suggest that clerking for Real is actually a negative for CA biglaw, but I haven't seen that born out in practice with Real clerks coming through my LA biglaw office known for hiring clerks (let's say one of MTO/SG/HH/Irell). FWIW, we tended to evaluate clerkships as either "great" or "good" - great meaning essentially feeders or judges well known to be great mentors where we knew a clerk would have gotten excellent teaching on their writing (basically: hard-to-get for either reason), good meaning everyone else, with some degrees in-between for non-feeder judges who have sent several clerks to us - generally 2nd or 9th Circuit.

[PeanutsNJam]

While nixy is right that there aren't any, or at least are very few, federal judges to be "avoided" for lack of prestige, many boutique litigation partners are familiar with judges, and clerking for one judge vs another will materially alter your ability to get a job at certain litigation-heavy shops. At these firms, the hiring people know that Judge Weinstein on EDNY is more competitive and selective than some other EDNY judges, and will consider this. Certain judges have an exceptionally strong reputation, which their clerks benefit from, and this will matter if you're applying to litigation boutiques.

If you're just trying to join the general litigation group of a typical biglaw firm, it really won't matter at all who you're clerking for--only the district matters, and even then the fine gradations between DNJ and D. Mass (to the extent there even is any) aren't going to matter unless you're applying to a firm that has a lot of cases in one of those districts.

[Wild Card]

My judicial clerkships advisor let a hint of derision slip when speaking of White Plains and Central Islip, so I guess those are less desirable.

[Anonymous User]

Your clerkship advisor is not doing you or anyone else favors, then. I’m not sure if he’s staying in Central Islip now that he’s been elevated, but Bianco is an excellent mentor and is more well-known and well-regarded than plenty of other EDNY judges. And as for White Plains, essentially all of those judges are thought of as some of the better clerkship experiences on SDNY, especially if you’re interested in criminal work. So your advisor really can’t make those sort of blanket statements credibly.

[BlackAndOrange84]

Your clerkship advisor is not doing you or anyone else favors, then. I’m not sure if he’s staying in Central Islip now that he’s been elevated, but Bianco is an excellent mentor and is more well-known and well-regarded than plenty of other EDNY judges. And as for White Plains, essentially all of those judges are thought of as some of the better clerkship experiences on SDNY, especially if you’re interested in criminal work. So your advisor really can’t make those sort of blanket statements credibly.

Successful troll trolls successfully.

[Wild Card]

Your clerkship advisor is not doing you or anyone else favors, then. I’m not sure if he’s staying in Central Islip now that he’s been elevated, but Bianco is an excellent mentor and is more well-known and well-regarded than plenty of other EDNY judges. And as for White Plains, essentially all of those judges are thought of as some of the better clerkship experiences on SDNY, especially if you’re interested in criminal work. So your advisor really can’t make those sort of blanket statements credibly.

Successful troll trolls successfully.

I tried to contribute to this discussion by sharing my experiences with my school's advisor.

It's all relative, as posters in this thread have suggested. White Plains and Central Islip clerkships may be positive and respectable experiences, but they may still be perceived less favorably than New York and Brooklyn clerkships. That's all.

Your only contribution to this thread is to insult me. Who is the troll?

[nixy]

I’m shocked, shocked that a clerkship advisor in NYC disdains White Plains or Central Islip.

[BlackAndOrange84]

Your clerkship advisor is not doing you or anyone else favors, then. I’m not sure if he’s staying in Central Islip now that he’s been elevated, but Bianco is an excellent mentor and is more well-known and well-regarded than plenty of other EDNY judges. And as for White Plains, essentially all of those judges are thought of as some of the better clerkship experiences on SDNY, especially if you’re interested in criminal work. So your advisor really can’t make those sort of blanket statements credibly.

Successful troll trolls successfully.

I tried to contribute to this discussion by sharing my experiences with my school's advisor.

It's all relative, as posters in this thread have suggested. White Plains and Central Islip clerkships may be positive and respectable experiences, but they may still be perceived less favorably than New York and Brooklyn clerkships. That's all.

Your only contribution to this thread is to insult me. Who is the troll?

I respect the schtick. You're a little too on the nose sometimes, but that wasn't the case here. Keep it up.

Btw, the following was comedy gold:

I tried to contribute to this discussion by sharing my experiences with my school's advisor

I'll try not to break kayfabe in the future. My bad.

[Anonymous User]

I’m shocked, shocked that a clerkship advisor in NYC disdains White Plains or Central Islip.

I'm a NYC lover with an upcoming interview in Central Islip EDNY, and I gotta say I'm actually really liking the prospect of not paying NYC rent on a clerk salary but also being 1 LIRR train ride away from the city. I actually have the luxury of living with my mom (yay moving back in with mom) because she has a house in long island and I can just lease a car.

[Anonymous User]

I’m shocked, shocked that a clerkship advisor in NYC disdains White Plains or Central Islip.

I'm a NYC lover with an upcoming interview in Central Islip EDNY, and I gotta say I'm actually really liking the prospect of not paying NYC rent on a clerk salary but also being 1 LIRR train ride away from the city. I actually have the luxury of living with my mom (yay moving back in with mom) because she has a house in long island and I can just lease a car.

This! I lived in Westchester during my NYC SA and I had less of a commute than people in Brooklyn and Queens .