On the bright side, it's somehow comforting (even though by rights it should be terrifying) that so many of my classmates are going to go through the process with me. It feels like we're all in this boat together, although I guess it should also feel like not all of us are going to reach the shore on the other side and it's time to start bashing each other over the head with our paddles. Nevertheless, it doesn't feel that way. Over the next several months, we're going to be sucking up the courage to go ask for letters of recommendation, worrying about our grades, and trying to determine whether we'd be willing to move to a state that we'd never set foot in before for a better clerkship together. Somehow, that seems like a bonding experience.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Clerkships Post One
Today was the kickoff to the "search for the judicial clerkship" season, and everything is not totally well in Harvard Clerkship Land. We were told some fairly dispiriting numbers about how many of us would get clerkships in the new economic climate, and warned to keep our expectations within reason. I think the problem for many of us is that we don't know what would or would not be reasonable. I know I'm not clerking on the Supreme Court, but is it crazy to apply for a district clerkship? Should I be looking at state courts in the area I grew up? However, the clerkship folks told us that we could come in for a "blunt and realistic" assessment. That sounds approximately as much fun as going to the dentist . . . but it's really good that the Career Service does that for you.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
What's the allure of clerkships? I feel like everyone is kind of following the herd on this one. It sounds like a pretty crappy way to spend a year to me...
--Also a HLS 2L
Also a HLS 2L,
It sounds like a great way of spending the year to me, but I'm in a pretty specific situation - because of my SO, it would be really helpful to have a job that's only a year long, I really want to get some immediate experience of being in a court room, and having some insight into how judges think would have benefits for the jobs I want to apply for after I finish clerking. It seems like clerkships are a great option for some people and not such a great option for others - but I definitely understand that we all kind of feel the pressure to do them,
you get to skip a year of biglaw hell but be on the same career "track" (enter as a 2nd yr associate).
if you get a super-prestigious one, there is a nice signing bonus involved (SCOTUS is $250,000 signing bonus).
Hey,
I'm a HLS 1L and wanted to know what courses are typically deemed prerequisites for clerkships. I've heard Evidence, Fed Courts, and 14th Amendment are good to take, but are there any others? Does it matter when one takes these courses? Lastly, does this whole scheme depend on whether one wants to do a state, district, or appellate clerkship?
Post a Comment