Related Posts
How long were you an SAE before promoting to AS?
best drama stories
Additional Posts in Law Clerks
Bowl Leader
Bowl Leader
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Slightly different situation here. Obtained a circuit clerkship after obtaining a district clerkship, but before the district clerkship began. I think I applied to about ten circuit judges. District definitely helped by unlocking CJs with a district prerequisite. That req greatly narrows the pool of applicants to those judges—trouble there is that the pool may also be better qualified on the whole because everyone was good enough to get a district. But anyway, given the timing, I didn’t even tell my district judge I was applying. He basically didn’t know me yet at that point, and I just didn’t want to bother him as a not-yet clerk.
Notably, I also think some circuit judges take solace in hiring decisions that have already been made by DJs. A bit of a “sanity check” for them, it seems.
I submitted maybe 10. My district judge did make a couple phone calls to judges they know. I think it made a minor difference. I got interviews even with judges they didn’t call.
I recall applying broadly, and being flexible about location. A letter reference from your district court judge will help. Even better would be a reference from a former clerk of the appellate judge.
I applied to about 30 circuit judges, all of them within the same circuit as the two district judges I clerked for. One judge wrote one of my letters of recommendation, and the other judge made a phone call once I got an interview. I think both helped.
I applied to about 20-30, but that may have been on the fewer side compared to most. I was really targeted in terms of circuits, including the circuit I clerked in at the d.Ct level. My judge served as a reference and sent out emails to judges she personally knew. I ended up getting an interview and accepting an offer with a judge she didn’t email, but my second judge did call her to talk about my candidacy.