Clerkship Interviews - Make Your Application Stand Out, Calling The Chambers, Timing, Preparing For A Clerkship Interview
Clerkship opportunities are rare, and interviews for them are difficult to get. Most judges receive hundreds of applications per opening. Your chances for success depend first on your application materials, and second on your interviewing skills. Accordingly, this chapter goes beyond addressing how to excel in clerkship interviews and discusses how to help you get them in the first place.
Additional Topics
When hundreds of applications flood the chambers in the fall, opening and reading them can be quite overwhelming for judges and clerks, which is why some applications never receive the attention they deserve. Here is what you can do to make your application stand out. First, if mail your application, organize your materials logically. After a cover letter, the first thing the judge (or his or her …
Many federal judges follow The Law Clerk Hiring Plan, which asserts that student applicants must mail their applications, and interviews must take place after a certain date in the fall. It is important to remember that the plan applies only to law students. So if you have graduated, or if you are applying for state court clerkships or federal clerkships with judges who do not follow the plan, app…
Do not treat all judges the same! Some judges estimate that less than half of interviewees actually prepare for their interviews or know anything about the interviewers. If you want to make an impression, prepare. During your interview, remember to discuss the judge's opinions to show the judge that you are well aware of his or her decisions, writing style, and ideology. Judges love to talk…
Judges can ask you anything they want—they are judges. So prepare as much as you can, but be ready think on your feet. Brush up on current events and read about recent Supreme Court decisions. Although most questions are relatively straightforward, sometimes judges prefer asking complex legal questions. For example, one judge asked a clerkship applicant about his thoughts on judicial activi…
When asked about an ideal candidate at the interview stage, virtually all judges emphasize personality as the most important trait. They look for candidates who are well-rounded, who have life experience, who can display humanity and humility, who have a good sense of humor (without being inappropriate), and who can take a position without being disagreeable. All in all, they want someone who is a…
You can ace the interview by showing that you are a well-rounded candidate with great personality. Watch your demeanor and exhibit confidence and humility. To show your sincere interest, always ask questions. Good questions to ask the judge include the following: Here is a list of possible questions for the judge's former clerks: …
Surprisingly, less than one-third of interviewees send thank-you letters to judges. Yet, according to judges, these letters can make all the difference when there is a tie. Immediately after the interview mail a brief formal thank-you letter to the judge. It should be typed, though a handwritten note at the bottom is a nice touch. If you also met the judge's staff, send them thank-you lette…
Citing this material
Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.
Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.
User Comments