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No. Start reaching out to firms now.
Agree. Don’t wait. Start looking now. Wait until you get an offer, then ask if you can start a month after end of clerkship when you discuss start date. I’d feel weird asking for two months but that shouldn’t stop you from asking. Worst they do is say no. If they say no, decide how badly you want the job and make a decision. Maybe you can negotiate 2-3 weeks, etc. Worked for me. I took one month off in between and it was heaven. They would not have given me a month if I didn’t ask. Did not work for my co-clerk, though. They had to start right away while in process of moving across states. Depends on the firm and their needs.
Strongly disagree. Check with your judge about when he/she is comfortable with you applying and what (if any) recusals the judge would want you to take in cases of firms you apply to / interview with. But assuming it’s okay with your judge, the best option is to start applying in November. By January and February, you should be starting interviewing. At least that was my experience with the DC market - it might vary if you’re applying elsewhere.
Not true. I did this. I started applying a month before the end. Offered secured and took 8 weeks between clerkship and firm.