Should i do a clerkship

In an appellate clerkship, you are less likely to get to know the lawyers involved in the underlying litigation. State Court Clerkships There are also different distinctions in the state court system; ordinarily, you will also have a Supreme Court, appellate courts, and trial courts. The same prestige distinctions are also present at the state level, with a state Supreme Court clerkship being the most prestigious. Just as certain federal district courts in various geographical locations are considered prestigious places to clerk in, so too are the state courts in different states.

In general, if you are clerking for an appellate court in a highly populated state, this will be more prestigious than if you are doing the same thing in a smaller state. The problem with a state court clerkship is typically something that is also an advantage. While a state court clerkship will not necessarily increase your chances of being marketable anywhere throughout the United States, it can do you a tremendous amount of good in the area where you are clerking.

Clerking for a state court will make you a candidate with important local contacts. The fact of the matter is that most litigation even at the most prestigious law firms is conducted in state, not federal courts.

Accordingly, a state court clerkship will provide you with a better understanding of state law than you would ever get as a federal clerk.

If you are planning on working in the area where you are clerking, the state court clerkship should be enormously valuable. Final Thoughts about Clerking You need to remember that considering accepting a clerkship is much like mulling where to go to law school.

There are major national law schools that vary in prestige, and there are smaller local law schools that vary in prestige. For example, attending a law school like Yale is going to give you a serious advantage when you are applying to law firm positions throughout the United States. A law school like Yale might be compared to clerking on the Supreme Court. Conversely, a smaller, more local law school like the University of Toledo is not going to give you as much an advantage throughout the United States.

This school will, however, probably give you good options in Toledo, Ohio. Accordingly, before you accept a clerkship, you need to have a good understanding of whether or not you want to work in the area where you will be clerking. The clerkship is most likely going to make you marketable if you are seeking to work in the state where you are clerking. You should also do some research regarding where various judges' former clerks ended up working.

By acquiring this information, you can also get a decent idea of what your marketability might be following the clerkship. The value of your clerkship should not necessarily be viewed as a tool to make you marketable. Clerking is something that gives you tools and memories that most clerks carry with them throughout their careers.

When you sit on the judge's side of the bench, you get the feeling that you are really part of the legal process and have the idea of how decisions are made and the implications these decisions have on peoples' lives. Most clerks describe the year they spent clerking as the most relaxing, intellectually challenging, and interesting year of their lives. And this is really the essence of a clerkship. It allows you to see the inner workings of the legal system, work closely with a judge, and will provide you with a level of illumination about the legal system itself that you will carry with you throughout your legal career.

Our belief is that you should not clerk simply because you think it is something that will get you a better position. A clerkship is something that you should do because it will add depth and meaning to your future legal career. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

This court has 18 judges and approximately 19 law clerks. The judges hear cases dealing with suits against the United States. This court has nine judges, most of whom have two law clerks. The jurisdiction of this court is over civil actions against the United States arising from federal laws governing import transactions. Find more information about the court. Many students from Indiana University Robert H.

Each justice has two clerks with the exception of the chief justice who has three. Clerks are primarily responsible for reviewing the trial record, researching the applicable law, and drafting legal memoranda and court opinions. Clerks also attend oral arguments before the court. Students interested in a clerkship opportunity should apply during the fall semester of their second year. Find more information on the Indiana Supreme Court and on the justices.

There are 15 judges on the Indiana Court of Appeals. The courtroom and all judges' offices are located in Indianapolis. The courtroom and nine offices occupy a portion of the fourth floor of the State House.

Six offices and the administrative offices are housed on the twelfth floor of the National City Center in downtown Indianapolis. Some judges select their clerks during the fall and some wait until the spring semester. Students should apply during the second year of law school. Find more information on the Indiana Court of Appeals and on the judges. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law students can clerk at any state court in the country and are not limited to the Indiana state court system.

The deadlines and procedures for individual state courts vary widely. The National Center for State Courts has more information about state courts across the country. A judicial clerkship application generally includes a cover letter, resume, writing sample, law school transcript, and three to four letters of recommendation. Bring completed clerkship application packets to the Office of Professional Development in addressed, but unsealed envelopes.

Please see the section below regarding letters of recommendation for instructions on including letters in application packets. An applicant's cover letter is extremely important because this is the first opportunity the judge has to evaluate writing ability.

A poorly written cover letter or a cover letter with errors will result in the applicant not receiving an interview. Cover letters should be no more than one page. It is important that a member of the Professional Development staff review judicial clerkship cover letters before they are sent. A cover letter should indicate the applicant's interest in a judicial clerkship during a specific hiring cycle including the month and year the applicant is available to begin work and should include information that the judge will need to evaluate such as academic success including the ability to research and write , interest in or connection to a particular geographic area, and availability for interviews, including any trips planned to the area.

Many applicants are tempted to explain why they want a judicial clerkship and how the clerkship experience could benefit them. Instead, the cover letter should focus on why the candidate is interested in the specific court, specific judge, specific geographic area or specific area of law if the court has limited jurisdiction , and the attributes that the candidate possesses that would make him or her a successful judicial clerk.

If it is possible to simply change the name of the judge and send a cover letter to multiple judges, the letter is not specific enough and should be rewritten to specifically express interest in the particular clerkship opportunity. Remember, the judge will receive many applications and can only choose a small number of clerks. An applicant's cover letter should stand out as expressing genuine interest.

Applicants are also tempted to describe themselves as possessing "excellent research and writing skills. Instead of simply stating ability, demonstrate it through examples of experiences that have developed those skills.

Describe achievements instead of just stating attributes. Letter 1: I am uniquely qualified for the position of judicial clerk. I have excellent writing and research skills and hope to further develop them through the clerkship experience. This letter would not stand out from other letters and does not give the judge any useful information with which to evaluate this candidate. Letter 2: My experience as a research assistant to Professor Smith helped me to hone my research skills.

I reviewed the recent changes to Title VII and the impact those changes had on the ability of employees to sue their employers for hostile environment sexual harassment. My research revealed that the changes in the law significantly affect the time that employees have to file claims, and I expressed this result in a written memorandum of law.

This letter is much more specific and uses examples to illustrate the point. This type of letter is much more effective. Take special care in addressing cover letters. Use the form of address appropriate for the particular judge. Letters of application are formal and should show proper deference to the judge by stating the judge's title correctly. The following are guidelines for correctly addressing cover letters:.

Resumes should be conservative in style and should list education and experience in reverse chronological order. They should not be longer than two pages and should be error free.

A resume should include experiences that illustrate research and writing skills such as a law review note being selected for publication; any other publications; and jobs, pro bono experience, and internships at which the applicant conducted research, wrote legal memoranda, or prepared legal documents.

Resumes should include community service or interests and activities that would help the judge get a sense of the applicant as a person. Remember, the judge is not just hiring an employee. Judicial clerks work closely with the judge and personality fit is as important as credentials. A resume should give a sense of who the applicant is and what interests him or her.

Applicants should have their resumes reviewed by Professional Development before sending them. It's important to have a fresh pair of eyes check errors and to make sure that educational and professional experience is described in a way that best illustrates its value. While the cover letter is really the first writing sample, judges also want to see an official writing sample, which illustrates legal analysis ability. When choosing a writing sample, keep in mind the functions of a judicial clerk.

Clerks are called upon to evaluate a factual and legal situation, research applicable law, analyze the factual and legal situation in light of the law, and reach a conclusion.

A writing sample should reflect these abilities. Appropriate writing samples include a law review article, a moot court brief, a paper written for a law school course, or a memorandum from a summer clerkship.

Applicants who submit material created for an employer must get the employer's permission first. A writing sample should be pages long. The judge's time is valuable, and it is not appropriate to ask him or her to read a lengthy writing sample.

An excerpt of a longer work is fine, but be sure to identify it as such. It's also a good idea to attach a cover page to an excerpt listing a few key facts and giving some context to the piece.

All writing samples should include a cover page with the applicant's name, address, and the purpose for which the writing sample was created. When submitting a paper from a class, always send a clean copy, removing the professor's name, the date of the assignment, and any other such information from the top of the paper, and when submitting an assignment from work, remove the name of the assigning attorney, etc.

Be sure to read it carefully for grammatical and spelling mistakes and for citation errors. It is a good idea to have a friend read over it to be sure to catch all mistakes. Many appellate-level courts post their oral arguments for the public. Read as much as you can before the clerkship. Take the time to read published opinions and orders. Do not limit yourself to just your judge or court, but sample from a variety of courts.

Opinion writing is not like other forms of writing. And as odd as it may seem, think of opinion writing like poetry. Just like poetry flows off the tongue, opinions should too; their words strive to simplify the complex in a succinct way. There is a structure and pattern to judicial writing: Learn it. Broadening your exposure to different writing styles early on will help flatten the learning curve when you take on drafting that first opinion or order.

And reading opinions also increases your familiarity with different legal issues that may come up during your clerkship or when you begin practicing law. Does she prefer one space or two after a period? Does she organize her opinions in a certain way? These little stylistic points will be good to know and will show that you care enough to appreciate the details. Work on your own writing. Try and stay fresh with your writing.

For some of the same reasons that reading opinions is important, writing is too. Opinion writing—especially with a busy docket—can feel like a never-ending marathon. But just like a marathon, it is something you can train for, at least to a certain extent. Reach out to former law clerks. One of the great things about being a law clerk is the associated network. Most judges maintain a list of contact information about their former clerks.

If your judge does not keep such a directory, you might also be able to find contact information on former clerks online. If your judge is new to the bench or if you cannot identify any former clerks, reach out to other clerks from the same court. Not only are former law clerks great sources of advice regarding your clerkship, they can also be helpful as you prepare to embark on your legal career. Think of former law clerks as built-in mentors for the clerkship experience and beyond.

Have lunch or spend a day shadowing the current clerk. A shadowing opportunity is a good opportunity for you to have a trial run of your first day, but shadowing may not be an option.

This interaction will be a good opportunity to touch base and, as your clerkship approaches, the clerk will be able to give you an idea of the nature and volume of pending matters.