Judicial clerkship application season is open!

Judicial Clerkship application season is here and the Career Services Office has resources to help you.  Students apply to these positions in the spring and summer before their final year and in the early fall of their final year.

What clerks do.

Judicial Clerks work hand-in-hand with judges making sure the courtroom functions smoothly, and depending on the level of the Court help review court filings, summarize pleadings to the judge, and draft opinions.  Clerks learn about the fine details of the trial and appellate processes from behind the bench; they lend influence to the judge’s decision; and they have fun while they are doing it (sometimes a little more than others.)  Perhaps most importantly, they build the skills that will propel their career forward, and they gain the respect and mentorship of a judge.  Clerks serve in state and federal trial and appellate courts, administrative law hearings, in specialized courts like the bankruptcy courts and tax courts, and in some states in specialized courts hearing commercial disputes or water law issues.  For a full discussion, see the Judicial Clerkships Manual (L&C login required) and the Judicial Clerkship web page.

Important dates.

• Throughout Summer an into Fall 2010:  Application periods close for State Appellate clerkships.
• September 7, 2010:  3L Application date for Federal Courts – online applications must be complete before this date, paper applications must get to judges on this date.
• Spring 2011:  2L students begin applying to post graduate state appellate clerkships – Oregon is in late Spring Semester.
• End of final semester and after graduation:  Local Oregon trial court judges hire clerks for immediate and fall start dates.

3Ls, do this NOW!

1. Read the Judicial Clerkships Manual (L&C login required).
2. Ask Professors and work supervisors to write letters of recommendation; for most clerkships you will need two or three.  Make requests as early as possible, but once you know which judge you are applying to, you MUST follow the procedure outlined on the Judicial Clerkship web page.
3. Start polishing your writing sample.
4. Interested in State Court Clerkships?  Check application dates in the Guide to State Judicial Clerkship Procedures (get the online password or paper version in Career Services.)
5. Interested in Federal Clerkships?  Check out OSCAR (free registration beginning the summer before a student’s final year)
6. Talk to Career Services, request a faculty clerkship advisor, and contact alumni who have clerked.
7. Begin putting together applications—for most you need cover letter, resume, writing sample, transcript (Law and undergraduate), and 2 to 3 recommendation letters.

Not a 3L, get ready for the future.

1. Get on Law Review, it improves your chances.
2. Compete in a Moot Court competition, it improves your chances.
3. Arrange for a Judicial Externship, optimally in the 2nd semester of your 2L year.
4. Volunteer for a Judicial Internship—ask a judge, they are remarkably open to taking on students.
5. Pay attention to your grades—top grades get the attention of Federal Judges and State Appellate Judges.
6. Plan where and when to apply early—Oregon’s Court of Appeals and Supreme Court take applications late spring of your 2L year, some states are even earlier.