When to give up…? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Been hunting for a COA clerkship since plan 2L summer and still nothing… had 4 interviews over the last 2.5 years but nothing panned out

Lower t-14. Coif. Clerking for district court judge atm. Have a big law job offer lined up but wanted to get the appellate clerkship out of the way before the firm

what am I doing wrong here? when is it time to give up? getting emotionally exhausting to keep hunting when nothing is working out

[Anonymous User]

No advice for you but I can empathize with just how grueling this process is. I haven't had any luck yet as a 3L (also Coif at a lower T-14) and it is just so tough to keep pushing through rejection. Be proud of your accomplishments as they are!

[Anonymous User]

Have you approached your district judge about calling an appellate judge for you or writing a rec?

[Anonymous User]

Apply broadly.

[Anonymous User]

OP here
I have been applying broadly. Basically anyone who pops up on oscar I apply to asap.

Re: talking to my current judge, she’s really really quite old (85+) and herself has admitted that many of her connections have passed away or retired….And I just started in September…so I don’t even know if such a conversation would be appropriate…idk

[Anonymous User]

Sorry to hear, but you definitely can get one with your numbers and experience. I am barely top third at a lower t14, am currently clerking on a CoA and have a Dct next year. These are 'desirable' judges/locations and I'm not FedSoc. Basically I just decided that I wanted to try for these, swallowed my pride, and networked really hard. And then got lucky. Realize that the older attorneys you admire also did something like this. Certainly the judges you want to clerk for did it to get nominated. You can't just rely on your credentials or wait for someone to notice your achievements. And most judges are looking for a certain personality type that is just hard to pick up from the paper application. Maybe you already know all this but I think the school clerkship offices are terrible at communicating how important it is.

Can you work your recommenders and their connections? Have conversations with them so they know your situation and ambitions. When you do that, be personable and kind. It's their job to help you and they are probably happy to do it, and will be more happy if they know you're a good person.

Also, it's not too early to have this conversation with your judge. She almost certainly is at least friendly with the local CoA judges. Some of her connections may be dead but she isn't yet!

Plus random CoA spots open up sometimes. If you have people in your network looking out for you, they'll let you know when they hear about something. Good luck!

[Anonymous User]

Basically I just decided that I wanted to try for these, swallowed my pride, and networked really hard. And then got lucky.

Do you have any advice on networking for the purpose of getting a clerkship? I've talked to a couple past clerks for judges I want to clerk for but what should I be thinking about asking/who should I be talking to to get the most out of those interactions?

[Anonymous User]

Basically I just decided that I wanted to try for these, swallowed my pride, and networked really hard. And then got lucky.

Do you have any advice on networking for the purpose of getting a clerkship? I've talked to a couple past clerks for judges I want to clerk for but what should I be thinking about asking/who should I be talking to to get the most out of those interactions?

Past clerks will very rarely be willing to put in a word for you based on a 30 minute networking call.

A better way to network is to ask associates/partners, professors, or judges you know reasonably well (multiple work assignments over a full summer or 1+ years in practice / took 1+ courses with them and did well, including class participation and out-of-class interaction). A single phone call or email could be what leads to your resume getting pulled off the pile and you being invited to chambers to interview.

[Anonymous User]

Basically I just decided that I wanted to try for these, swallowed my pride, and networked really hard. And then got lucky.

Do you have any advice on networking for the purpose of getting a clerkship? I've talked to a couple past clerks for judges I want to clerk for but what should I be thinking about asking/who should I be talking to to get the most out of those interactions?

Past clerks will very rarely be willing to put in a word for you based on a 30 minute networking call.

A better way to network is to ask associates/partners, professors, or judges you know reasonably well (multiple work assignments over a full summer or 1+ years in practice / took 1+ courses with them and did well, including class participation and out-of-class interaction). A single phone call or email could be what leads to your resume getting pulled off the pile and you being invited to chambers to interview.

Agreed. As an introvert and first-gen professional, asking professors/connections etc. for support was by far the application process for me. The type of people like us who are more comfortable on an anonymous online forum than talking to a professor IRL are not generally the traditional Art. III law clerks. But if you look at this as an opportunity to get to know and connect with someone it's a bit easier. Past or current clerks are a good resource for insight into the hiring process and what it's like to clerk. You could also try to suss out who in your potential network is likely to have the biggest pull with your target judges, whether that's general clout or a prior friendship.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Been a while but I wanted to update that I finally landed. Have gotten close with my judge over the last 4 months and she was more than happy to call up her good judge friends and ask around for me. Once she started calling I landed 4 interviews in 2 months and officially accepted a COA clerkship yesterday. So happy to be done applying…this process sucks lol

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Been a while but I wanted to update that I finally landed. Have gotten close with my judge over the last 4 months and she was more than happy to call up her good judge friends and ask around for me. Once she started calling I landed 4 interviews in 2 months and officially accepted a COA clerkship yesterday. So happy to be done applying…this process sucks lol

Congratulations!!! Awesome that you never gave up. And thank you for coming back and sharing the good news - gives other people some hope too