first

We need to bomb clerkships back to the stone age

-DOJ Secure

Yale 3L, clerking for Berzon.

I'm clerking in American Samoa. Booyah.

4- Who?

I just got an offer from a district court judge, though another judge in a more appealing district justice called about fifteen minutes ago. I'm tempted to take it, though I'm wondering if anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more?

MVP, 3.85, LR, applied to a broad swath of district and COA clerkships. completely shut-out. facepalm.

7- write coherent sentences much?

OH NO!

We had a kid interview in chambers today at 6am (Mountain).

- very tired clerk

i think 7 had a stroke in the middle of that

7 got an offer with those writing skills!?!

Hofstra 3L, clerking for Balzogna

Number 5-
I clerked in AS a few years back. Congrats and be ready for an adventure. Happy to share perspective/advice if you want it.

Number 5-
I clerked in AS a few years back. Congrats and be ready for an adventure. Happy to share perspective/advice if you want it.

Number 5-
I clerked in AS a few years back. Congrats and be ready for an adventure. Happy to share perspective/advice if you want it.

GW, 3.932, LR Ed Board, Applied to 150 judges both COA and District. Only one call. They asked, "I think I already know the answer, but is GW an ABA accredited law school in good standing with AALS?" and then they hung up.

Number 5-
I clerked in AS a few years back. Congrats and be ready for an adventure. Happy to share perspective/advice if you want it.

15, do they have stuck mouse keys in American Samoa?

7's my favorite poster since Above the Limerick.

Did anyone clerk in AS a few years back? Will it be an adventure?

I applied to Justice Thomas, but he told me to keep fucking that chicken...

SLS, board of 2dary journal, no grades at SLS but 3.8 at T14 school I transferred from. Prestigious work experience. Absolutely shut out of 200+ jduges

15,16,17,19 I would be happy to post your offer one more time if 5 didn't get a chance to see it

25 ftw

#24 here...Should add that by no grades I mean an even mix of H's and P's, all gunner-type classes

T10, 3.7, board of secondary journal, 300 apps, nothing.

Good luck everybody! www.goodsharks.com

ERA 3.8, 215 SO, clerking with N. Ryan

#24 here...Should add that by no grades I mean an even mix of H's and P's, all gunner-type classes

I had an in person interview earlier this week. I brought a bottle a coke to the court with me, since caffeine tends to take the edge off for me. But right before the clerks called me in for an interview, I accidentally the WHOLE BOTTLE.

32=Elie

24 - "Prestigious work experience" WTF? You're a kid who hasn't finished law school. You've never practiced law. YOU HAVE NO PRESTIGIOUS WORK EXPERIENCE no matter what you may think about it.

Just thought I'd give you a clue.

22, topper.

32 - you accidentally what the bottle? spilt or drank perhaps?

36 = trolled.

36, I was just sitting there waiting to get called in and I THE WHOLE BOTTLE

Clerkships are for law students who aren't good enough to jump directly into the practice of law. Get ready for deferrals next year, clerkship folks.

Senior Associate

3.3 MVP, Secondary Journal, have only seen a courtroom on TV, Big Law when it was cool

--class of '06

GULC, 4,0, LR, Rhodes Scholar. One cb -- magistrate judge -- dinged.

Did anyone else apply to Judge Nene Leakes? I sent my application in on September 8, but got a curt email back saying I was tardy for the party.

Yo 32! I'm happy for you, Imma let you finish, but you are the dumbest poster of all time.

MOST BORING DAY ON ATL EVER! What happened to the small law practice series?

TTT grad. Got an offer from Judge Judy, but I'm holding out for Judge Reinhold.

Maybe the judges don't want current students and are looking for deferred or laid off associates? Can you all specify if you're a current student applying or a graduate?

This is totally racist, but I read 43's post in the voice of Kanye West

Guys in my high school used to clerk on the 2nd Circuit all the time. It was no big deal.

Double Hofstra.

Magna.

Law Review.

Clerkship at a specialized court in NJ.

district court clerk here -- surprisingly unimpressed with the applicant pool this year. it's looking like we might have round 2 next week with the way interviews are going today

49 - how specialized? traffic court specialized?

42 & 43= LOL!!

Is my firm dropping from v7 to v17 going to hurt my clerkship chances? I can't say which firm because I don't want to violate any agreement I may have made to not disparage them in order to get the humonguous 44k after tax severance.

TYIA

#18: is your whole post flame, or just the accreditation part?

39 = PE's real identity

this is totally racist, but I read 53's comment in the voice of someone who wasnt going to make partner anyway so quit your bitching

3.2 GPA, five applications, five interviews, all district judges. Three offers. Suck it!

I second 50--for as tough as the legal market is, the applicants this year aren't so good. we'll do a second round of interviews for sure.

Dearest Internets:

Kindly validate my intellect. I have no family or real friends to wish me well on achievements, and the only satisfaction I derive is from anonymous repartee. This is what inspires me to run faster and faster on the achievement treadmill.

Regards,

GTFO

damn all of you. the only offer i got was from a district court judge who wanted a good looking young male legal secretary. since i don't have any other prospects for legal work, i took the position. i guess i should get ready for a hellish few years....sigh.

-discouraged...again.

50 - what part of the country?

60

I look forward to working with you. Be sure to take ORAL advocacy before you start.

-gross old man

60: Buck up. That goes on your resume as "judicial clerk."

57 -- Are your knees and throat sore from all that action in chambers?

Just got an offer from Judge Judy. Might hold out for Judge Alex though.

Top 60 School, ranked first in class, law review, 35 apps in the NW, 2 magistrate interviews scheduled for next week.

34 - um, newsflash, some people work before going to law school and aren't "kids" when they graduate.

Top 5 in my class. Didn't apply for clerkships. Clerkships are for people who can't hack it in the real world.

18, 24 and ESPECIALLY 41: you are pretentious asses and deserve to be utterly shut out: BOOYAH! Good luck looking for a real job. WalMart is hiring. Or maybe you can 'talk to the Judge..."

18, 24 and ESPECIALLY 41: you are pretentious asses and deserve to be utterly shut out: BOOYAH! Good luck looking for a real job. WalMart is hiring. Or maybe you can 'talk to the Judge..."

54,
True story.

Sincerely,
18

i'm still hoping some of the district judges I applied to have been busy with important things and haven't gotten around to looking at applications, because my phone hasn't rung once (except for my mother, at least she still loves me). At what point does this become a vain hope?

Any second years reading this that actually want to clerk need to note that some of the disappointing outcomes stated above stem from a lack of networking. Many schools hold receptions for judges. Go to them. Go to federal bar events. Go to alumni events.

Most importantly, let people know you want to clerk. I scored some interviews through a contact I made from mentioning that I want to clerk in my bio for an awards dinner. I've got 6 interviews, federal and state supreme, so far and I have a 3.4 GPA, no LR.

72, not a vain hope (depending on where you've applied). Not all judges--esp. not all district court judges--do all of their calling/interviewing/hiring today. (Mine didn't.) Good luck.

74, thanks. I applied mainly in the South. Any Southern clerks out there have any thoughts on if judges are waiting?

-72

Re: 41. Any Rhodes Scholar who doesn't go to HYS must be retarded. No surprise no clerkship for you.

I had an interview with a district court judge in a flyover state today. When I got into his chambers, he was watching America's Funniest Home Videos on a small television in his bookshelf. The video was a baseball coach who got hit in the balls with a bat. He was laughing so hard he was crying. Then he said, "I fucking love this shit. Do you?" I said I wasn't too familiar with the program.

Fail. On my only interview. And I'm 3.8 at a top-20 school with law review board position.

I lost my clerkship because of Bob Saget.

should I try clerking for state trial courts in places I want to practice? I'm in the top 30% at a T25 school

Whatever University School of Law 3L, Articles Editor of The Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck It Law Journal, 2.whatevs, dad is a partner who knows a judge.

Guess what! I got my offer! Surprised?

3.3, top-30 school, LR, MC, clerkship with a district judge.

They have a court that takes clerks in Samoa? How did you find out about that? Where can I look for other cool and unknown places?

78: absolutely. you learn a ton about the actual practice of litigation, and smaller non-prestige whore shops know this. it's an asset.

77, you have no one to blame but yourself. If your judge loves Teletubbies, you tell him Po is your favorite. This is not rocket science, ppl.

81 -- I found the following helpful: http://unknownclerkships.blogspot.com

Anyone heard anything from state court judges? I'm not even bothering with the federal clerkship bloodbath absurdity. All I've gotten so far is a handful of "thanks for the application, we'll let you know" letters.

-CCN alum

In my interview two years ago, I told the judge I was bored with the litigation boutique I clerked for because I worked on one project at a time, no real deadlines, no multitasking, no stress, etc. He told me that's exactly what clerking is like. Somehow I still got the job.

24 - you will be lucky to find employment; pursuing a clerkship was a complete waste of your time.

77 - that's the way the game is played. it's probably worse for the female attorneys who have to put up with football, civil war history, and sports car talk at certain offices. but yeah district court judges in flyover states don't get out much.

@87, I have an offer from probably the best big(ish) firm in the country to be at now...No layoffs, no cuts, off the charts profits last year and record pace this year. I'm fine in the employment department.
-24

28 ==> "secondary journal" - why did you waste your time seeking a clerkship?

I'm still a total loser for not getting a clerkship, though. I mean, I knew my chances were slim this year, but NOTHING. Jeez.

-24, 89

78, yes. My friends that clerked in state (and for fed magistrate judges) learned way more than I did as a district court clerk.

Worked three years as a very wise firefighter and like crickets, clerking for Sotomayor.

Top 2% and LR board at UCLA/UT/Vandy/USC. Clerking on 9th Cir.

Yes, 24, of course you are "fine in the employment department" as there is nothing quite as secure these days as an offer from a law firm. You, like so many others, surely have nothing at all to worry about. After all, it's not like law firms are experiencing any difficulties these days. All of you folks are going to be just fine...I mean, what could possibly go wrong...

67 - Sure, there are people who work before lawschool. But they would never refer to their "Prestigious work experience." What a bunch of crap. 24 is definitely a kid, if only in maturity.

-- 34

Top 3 law school, no law review, clerkship with a 9th Circuit judge.

@96: I'm not saying that I have "Prestigious Work Experience" in some universally validated way that makes me better than a nurse or a doctor or anyone doing much more important things. I'm saying that when someone picks up my resume and sees a high-level presidentially appointed position, they would likely value that resume more than someone who worked at Vault #86 or something.

@95: All signs point to it being fine. I'm not saying it's solid gold, I'm just saying that "you'll be lucky to find employment" is not applicable to me. Also, whether or not I applied for a clerkship really doesn't affect that particular remark.

- 98, I too was a high-level political appointee at the White House. T14, top 10%. Did make a difference at all.

sorry, correction did NOT make a difference at all.

- 99

Phd., J.D., veteran, 4.31, LR EIC, nothing.

For wannabe clerks, I recommend the article "Rat Race: Insider Advice on Landing Judicial Clerkships" written by Judge Ruggero Aldisert of the 3rd Cir.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1394489

Has GTO hired his successor for the D.V.I. clerkship?

Judge Aldisert also has law review articles on "Opinion Writing and Opinion Readers", "Advice to Law Review Writers", and "Duties of Law Clerks" on his SSRN page. One stop shop, yo.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1361161

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=762568

Does anybody know whether FTC Administrative Law Judges hire law clerks?

T50, Top 3%, LR, published, so far only 1/50 - DC interview

T50, Top 3%, LR, published, so far only 1/50 - DC interview

Penn --> EDPA here.

TT, top 10, LR, MC, 3/130 interviews, will hear from 1 tomorrow.

98 -- Being one of Bush's political hacks is not "Prestigious Work Experience", assuming you actually had a "high-level presidentially appointed position."

Anyone else get an offer revoked after the circuit judge realized T14 schools are better than T35?

I think 7 is 17 from the Alston and Bird thread.

Phd., J.D., veteran, 4.31, LR EIC, nothing.

Tier three law school, barely top 20%, MC, didn't apply because I actually have a realistic view of myself and the market.

MVP, 3.8, LR. Applied to 75 district judges and nothing but the crickets outside my window so far.

Texas JD, 3500 sq ft wife, Lexis, no interviews.

36-24-36. What a winning hand.

Former SDNY magistrate clerk here.

Many of the MJ's in that court do not start interviewing this early. (maybe because they realize many applicants prefer the DJ's and don't want things to get too complicated). I imagine there is even less of a rush this year considering the applicant pool.

I was surprised when I started getting more calls in late September/October of my 3 L year. You may be too!

Good luck!

MVP, top 5 percent, secondary journal, accepted a COA spot on 2/7/9/DC yesterday.

Flew to 2 district court interviews in the Midwest yesterday 9/17. Still waiting to hear (this afternoon is the promise). Top 20 school, LR, top 5%.

When I got home I had two more interview offers in the same region for next week. more flight $$ unless I get good calls today....

105, I don't think the ALJs get law clerks.

Spent last two years in Bankruptcy Court clerkship. No Magna, 2nd Journal. Serendipity is fantastic, and so is a crashing economy... my job security is improving, day by day. Now working in a corporate/high income individuals bankruptcy practice.

3.72/LR editor/T25/publications - 0//350

3.72/LR editor/top 10% of c/ass/publications at a T25 - 0//350

Interviews are still ongoing and results are still pending, but the clerkship application process appears to be significantly more competitive this year than in prior years, probably due to the falloff in law firm hiring resulting from the recession. There are far fewer federal circuit and district clerkship positions in existence than there are associate positions with corporate law firms, so nobody should be surprised that pursuing clerkships is not proving to be a panacea for the dearth of law firm hiring. Preliminary word is that even HYS 3Ls with LR executive board credentials, top grades and strong recommendations are getting fewer interviews and offers than expected. Things are even more challenging for those from other schools. Best of luck to all, but don't take it personally if you don't get an offer, because this is probably going to turn out to be an unusually tough year even for highly qualified applicants.

A little late to the party, I was traveling all day yesterday, but just want to respond to a few "clerkships are for people who can't hack the real world" bs.

I think its hilarious that future (or current) junior associates at big law firms talk about clerkships as not good experience.

As a former clerk, former big law associate, I can assure you that the experience you will gain a clerkship for two years is far supperior to the experience of your first two years at a big law firm. Big law associates do nothing but doc review in their first two years, along with some bullshit mock trial. Yeah, that experience sounds great, especially when compared to writing actual dispositions of cases.

And poeple wonder why big law is failing. Maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with the idiots who work at those firms -- from the most senior partners to the most junior associates.

121 - most ALJ's at fed agencies in DC do hire clerks.

127- Do you know where I can find information about ALJ clerk hiring, specifically FTC?

T50, alum with firm and clerkship experience (current clerk for 2 years), top 20%, 3.5, LR editor, other journals, tons of publications, no calls. Very disappointed.

128 - i don't, sorry! i do know that DC-area law schools have been known to post ALJ clerkships with varying agencies. a friend's husband works as a clerk for a federal ALJ. don't have specific info.

clerkships are definitely a wild goose duck hunt.

T20; 3.7 gpa; editor of secondary journal; top 15%; publication; firm experience = 1 interview; 0 offers out of 300 apps.