Clerkship Chat

Per commenter request, I'm creating this thread to let students ask questions about the unpleasant clerkship application process and to let alums share words of wisdom. I don't have any unique advice. I'll just echo what CDO emphasizes: be shameless about working every connection you can possibly think of. Getting your resume to the top of the pile is half the battle. Otherwise, cross your fingers, say a prayer, wish upon a star, do a clerkship rain dance, etc. Good luck!

But I Want My Grades NOW! NOW NOW NOW!

It is June, and as such all of you anonymous commentors now may have a place in which to complain about grades (or the lack thereof). As a benchmark, the deadline for exams to be scored is June 7th, and the deadline for final grades to be submitted is June 15th. Of course, it is common for professors not to comply with these deadlines, so take those dates with a grain of salt. I hope everyone is having an excellent summer thus far, and that preoccupation with grades is not preventing anyone from enjoying not needing to be preoccupied with school!

Clerkship Thoughts from Gate 33B

Someone asked in the thread below about a clerkship discussion, which is something I have been meaning to start for weeks. I guess I was a little distracted with a test, or something, but what better opportunity to catch up than now, while I sit here waiting for a connecting flight at LAX?

Where are you in the timeline? Paper judge lists in? Cover letter writing? OSCAR deadline looming? That seems about right.

Let me share some off-hand thoughts, and then open a forum. As a threshold matter, I remember being utterly confused by the lingo, the timelines, the telephone strategies, and all the rest of it. The clerkship process is a little like OCIP in that it seems massively confusing until you have actually gone through it once. Afterward, it seems relatively simple. So, if you have any questions (particularly questions you are too embarrassed to ask the CDO in person), ask anonymously to your heart's content. Someone will answer.

There are four specific pieces of advice I would like to share. I realize perspectives vary and so you should not take this as gospel. Just take it as one person's view.

First, do not hang your soul on this process. Being a clerk is in no way a measure of your legal mind, your academic merit, or career potential, much less your worth as a human being. Not only is the hiring process "highly competitive" (how many times have you heard that one?), but it is also quite arbitrary. Approaching the process with a "well, let's see what happens" mindset, in my opinion, is the only healthy way to go. Really. Stay healthy.

Second, try not to compare us to Yale and instead reach out to the CDO and see what they can do for you. We may not have the crazy clerkship guns of other schools, but I found our guns more than adequate. Our CDO answered my questions, passed on tips based on what they remembered about my applications, and really did seem to know what they were doing. Small example: I know for a fact that ES went the extra mile for at least one of my classmates well after the clerkship hiring process ended, and as a result classmate is now a federal clerk with a prominent bay area judge. I realize opinions vary, and I don't want to open a debate about the CDO (please, I really don't), but my experience was positive, and I have every reason to believe that yours can be positive, too.

Third, if it is your application, it is your responsibility. Even given what I just said about the CDO, you are seeking a clerkship so that you can benefit by being a clerk. It matters more to you than to anyone else, and I think that keeping this perspective is helpful -- this whole affair isn't profoundly important; it is just profoundly important to you. On one hand, if things go wrong with your application, they will affect you more than anyone else. But on the other, the fruits of extra energy on your part will be reaped by you and no one else. No one is going to hand you a clerkship for being yourself -- no matter what your rank, how awesome your personality, or how catchy your resume's interests section, you still have to put yourself out there, and a judge still has to decide to like you. What I am saying is that the more you own this process, the more you will stand out from the thousands and thousands of other applicants who are plodding through the paces. Which means the more likely you are to become a clerk.

Fourth, quality not quantity. I now know that a key to tipping the clerkship hiring arbitrariness in your favor is to focus on judges within your reach and show them that you care about working for them. Try to (professionally) reach out and touch your judges, instead of just spamming every federal judge in OSCAR. The judges with whom I interviewed all said that after routine screening for grades, schools, etc., they pulled my application because it appeared that I had genuine desire to work for that judge in particular. We all know to "personalize our cover letters" and so I can conclude only that despite how common that advice is, few people actually follow it. Strive to be one of the people who does.

Those are my off-the-cuff thoughts on this. Fire away in the comments with your questions. I am sure other folks who have been through this process will chime in, and even if they disagree with what I have said here, you should listen to them.

Good luck!

(Sent from my phone.)

N&B Congratulates Victoria Nourse for her Seventh Circuit Nomination (Unlike Boalt)

Boalt Hall has always been a bit parochial. Like Paris, it tends to divide the country up into two regions: its own (California) and "everywhere else." Still, it's suprising that Boalt's webpage hasn't gotten around to congratulating Victoria Nourse (J.D. '84), President Obama's second nominee to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

A few interesting facts about Prof. Nourse's nomination. First, she has impeccible Democratic credentials. As a congressional staffer, she helped draft the Violence Against Women Act; as an academic, she focuses on women's issues.

Second, Prof. Nourse is nominated for one of two "seats" traditionally allocated to Wisconsin. The other Wisconsin (non-senior) circuit judge is Diane Sykes--a star of the conservative movement and one of David Lat's favorite "judicial divas." It would be interesting if Wisconsin had two young, smart, female circuit judges of diametrically-opposed political and jurisprudential views.

Third, Prof. Nourse's father-in-law, Richard Cudahy, is a senior judge on the Seventh Circuit. In fact, Nourse is nominated for the seat that Cudahy filled from 1979 to 1994. I guess Boaltie judges like to follow in their parents' footsteps!

Congratulations, Professor Nourse!

Attention. All honor students will be rewarded with a trip to an archeological dig!

. . . Conversely, all detention students will be punished with a trip to an archeological dig.

If you are a Boalt 2L or 3L you are likely aware that there will be a series of meeting this week to discuss how we can improve Boalt's clerkship placement rate. I just attended one, and I'd like to offer a rundown and open a forum.

This year was less successful than years past — not just for Boalt, but for every law school — representing a disappointment but also a moment of opportunity. There are a number of plans, proposals, and ideas floating around out there, but the most high-profile ones target our class ranking system. Two proposals occupy center-stage and I would like to share them here for feedback, encouragement, or rejection. Before I describe the proposals, let me briefly set forth the current system:

CURRENT RANKING POLICY

Berkeley Law does not generate or disclose class rank for its students with two limited exceptions:

Order of the Coif: This honor is awarded to the top 10% of a graduating class based on students’ 3-year cumulative grade point average (2-year average for transfer students).

Applicants for judicial clerkships and academic positions: Students who apply for these positions may obtain their 4-semester class rank from the Dean of Students. This class rank is calculated for the class of '10, '11 etc. and is reported to students in terms of top 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 33%, 35%, 40%, 45% and 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90%.

In addition, students with the ten highest grade point averages in a class are ranked numerically, 1 through 10. If there is a cluster of students at some of the ranks, more than 10 may actually be ranked in this way. This numeric ranking is also disclosed to students applying for clerkships.

Under the Honor Code, both types of ranking information may be used only in the pursuit of a clerkship or an academic appointment. The information may not be disclosed, in any way, for any other employment opportunity.

The competing (but by no means final) proposals are quite complex and are set forth fully in a detailed memorandum you can obtain from Professor Evidence. The memorandum is intended for internal use only so I will not post it here, but I can distill it to roughly these two proposals:

1. Rank students separately for each year (e.g., top 10% first year, top 20% second year) in 5% increments, down to top 25%, then top third, and top half. Provide a numerical ranking for top 15 students, and maintain the current honor code restrictions on disclosure.
2. Break the classes into top 10% and top 40% and assign a special award to those students. Top 5 students would receive a numerical rank. Maintain the current honor code restrictions on disclosure.

The objectives behind these ranking systems are myriad. But they all revolve around the core goal to place more interested Boalt students into clerkships while maintaining recognition for those students who truly excel, and while also making sure we don't unnecessarily incentivize gunnerish nastiness. To the extent you have remarks, feedback, suggestions and the like, please feel free to share them here. Particularly if you are a current clerk or alum.

867-5309

We talked earlier this week about a thread for today's clerkship calls - here it is. Your tales, trials, and tribulations are particularly welcome.

Update: if you haven't read The Rat Race: Insider Advice on Landing Judicial Clerkships (pdf) by Judge Aldisert and two former clerks, now is not too late. Much of the article is devoted to how to land an interview in the first place, but the Judge also explains how his chambers goes through the selection process, what makes or breaks a telephone call, and how to seal the deal should you be fortunate enough to land an in-person interview. Of course, not all chambers are the same, but at a minimum the article marks a good place to begin.

Best of luck to all!

How to Act on Friday, September 11th

Normally.

No overjoyed, excited countenances.
No walking dejectedly like the world's losiest losers.
No nervous smiles to others you know are applying for clerkships.
No "Hey, Macarena" ring tones during class.
No rushing out of class to answer silently vibrating iPhones.
No calling chambers outside Zeb or in the new courtyard.*
No looking happy. No looking miserable. No looking anything.

The morning that judges make their calls is the biggest test for law school culture. Boalt was quickly knocked out of Above the Law's "Douchiest Law School" tournament. Let's not make a surprise comeback now.

* (Go to the parking lot behind Boalt. Or to the Anthropology Department.)

Paging Kevin Smith: Please Give Boalties an OSCAR Win!

It's a fine Labor Day Weekend, I've got a horrendous mix of MJ and Blondie on the stereo, and I'm working my way thorough that second pot of coffee. Yep. OSCAR applications are due today.

I have five thoughts, after which I will open up the comments for discussion.

1. OSCAR's speed today. Grr. I have to forcibly restrain myself from grabbing and shaking my computer monitor like a stuck vending machine. My experience is that the longer I'm in OSCAR, the slower the thing seems to get. Perhaps the system builds a long cumbersome log of each session history, perhaps it hates me, but at any rate I've found that logging out, closing my browser, opening it back up, and logging back in speeds things up. I hope that helps someone else. (See? Boalties are collegial - don't let the OCIP thread lead you astray.)
2. The Kevin Smith label. It refers to this. Don't say I never give freebies.
3. The online cover letter editor. I'd like a head count of the number of people who have been screwed over by the online letter editor - if you don't "Update Application" before you submit it, it will ignore your edits. All of them. My sincerest apologies to the Seattle judge and clerks who will read the words, "I understand the commitment you a clerkship entails" and wonder: "What on earth does this kid understand at all?" I really am very competent, I promise.
4. Some positive press for the CDO and FSU. I added two new applications yesterday afternoon, and found that today that someone had attached my letters of recommendation. I absolutely did not deserve that - I should have added those judges last week, and all I can say to whomever logged into OSCAR on a holiday to attach my letters is, "THANK you. I am very grateful."
5. The worst part is nearly behind us. The nine month saga of networking sessions, "[Clerkship Update]" emails, proofreading, self-inflicted degradation over grades ("why, why, why do my peers have to b so much smarter than me?"), letter of recommendation requests, and cog-like engagement with the rat race of clerkship hiring machinery are almost over . . .

. . . GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!

Going OSCAR Wilde

Quick clerkship question here. For the last month I have been watching judges in OSCAR hire left and right, presumably from the host of graduates and alumni who are not constrained to the hiring plan. It's frustrating to watch the alumni peck away at my judge list, but then that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. I know my place, and my place is the hiring plan: Boalt "adheres to the hiring plan" which means that all rising 3L's must wait until early September to apply for clerkships, with the caveat that the CDO will support early applications to judges who have been known to hire early from paper applications.

Presumably one must identify these judges by word of mouth. But by definition they all have one feature in common -- they all accept paper applications. I know that some students have already resolved to 'de-couple' their paper applications from the mass mailing melee, by sending them early. I haven't made up my mind on that one, yet, but my question is this: is it wise to forsake OSCAR? Given the tighter competition this year, would it be wise to apply early to any judge who accepts any paper application? Could it hurt me to send early paper applications to judges who accept both? Or is there some sight-unseen benefit to the hiring plan that I have yet to discover?

Scratch the above. I just realized I was beating around the bush. My real question is this: absent an explicit request from a judge, why should I adhere to the hiring plan?

Now before anyone flips out, I'm not announcing an intention to go rogue, or anything. I'm merely confused. Could somebody please explain to me what good the hiring plan is for Boalt 3L's?

Won't Somebody Please Think of the 2Ls?

At the gentle urging of the folks at the Clerkship Notification Blog, I figured I'd remind Boalties about that invaluable resource for those pursuing the clerkship path. I'd also point out the many clerkship threads on this blog can be found in the formerly "Kevin Smith" label. Otherwise consider this an open-thread to try to top the neuroticism of the 3Ls.

Oh and Go Lakers. Do Bay Area sports fans have ANYTHING to look forward to other than Moneyball the Movie?

UPDATE:

Am I Passing the Bar or Not?

I guess rankings are being released. Boalt still uses numerical rank for the top 5 individuals (transfers excluded), then 5% increments thereafter until 50th percentile. The stated purpose is clerkships and academic hiring, but the anecdotal evidence is that at least for the former, this hurts rather than helps. Still no indication that the faculty are even considering adopting the systems of our peer schools (no rankings, but faux awards to indicate some place relative to your classmates, e.g., Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. In short, get rid of rankings and start the Dean's List. Will add links to previous post on this topic over the weekend.

Bonne Chance.

2008 Clerkship Post-game

Comments in a thread below ask for a place to further discuss clerkship opportunities at Boalt. One of those comments, from someone who obviously knows what they are talking about, contains a thoughtful series of observations and suggestions. I am quoting that comment in full, as it provides as good a place to begin as any.

-------------------

As an alum who failed to secure a clerkship until after I graduated, I agree that Boalt's clerkship "support" is quite lacking.

First, Boalt professors rarely volunteer to contact judges on students' behalf. This puts students in the very awkward position of having to broach the subject. Clerkship hiring is based largely on personal connections. It's increasingly rare for students to secure an interview without knowing someone who knows the judge.

Second, many (if not most) Boalt professors seem willing to go to bat only for very highly ranked students. I worked very hard as a GSI for a professor, only to have them reach out to their judicial connections for a higher ranked student who did not serve as their GSI. I have heard similar stories from my classmates. As a result, the very highly ranked students (top 10% and above) tend to do extremely well while the marginal candidates (top 25-15%) tend not to. A student outside the top 10% will rarely get looked at by a judge without someone reaching out to the judge on their behalf.

Professors should get pushier about helping students secure clerkship interviews. A few years ago I attended a conference which had dozens of federal judges in attendance. I watched Yale faculty members introduce students to judges at the cocktail reception. Our esteemed faculty clerkship coordinator, who was also in attendance at this conference, did not even make an effort to say "hello" to the Boalt student attendees.

Third, Boalt does not have a very good alum network. The Career Office should do a better job of fostering alum networking. ES in the CDO has done a very good job of hooking current students up with Boalt alums. I have made a personal commitment to try to help Boalt students in any way I can, and hope others will do the same. An application has a much better chance of getting pulled from the pile if it mentions a former clerk's name in the cover letter.

Fourth, the school should study and re-evaluate its policy of ranking students for clerkship purposes. The new OSCAR system makes it too easy for judges to filter applications by class rank. Schools that do not rank their students are non-filterable.

-------------------

*I have posted into the comments a compendium of the commentary thus far from the other thread. Efficiency, and all. One place, you know?

Kevin? Kevin Smith?

[Moving up, hopefully to the sound of telephones ringing.]

Anonymous said . . .
New clerkship thread please!
9/04/2008 3:25 PM

Ta-da! I really have no clue what you clerk applicants are up to, but here is a thread for you.

Pick Me, Pick Me! (Then Give Me 30 Days to Hydrate)

We haven't had much Kevin Smith chatter this fall. There are two reasons why we probably should. First, he's in the air;  it seems that every time I bump into a 3L, Smith rears his ugly head:

Cell Phone Me: "Hey, you worked at Mega Firm USA's San Francisco office, didn't you? What did you think?"
Boalt 3L #1: "Can't talk now. Love to, but I'm learning to mail-merge."

Print-Station Me: "Please tell me those are handouts for other people, or something. You are pretty much holding your entire print quota in your hands. And it's only the third day of school."
Boalt 3L #2: "Oh don't worry, I don't have to read all this. It's just my clerkship application."

Computer Lab Me: "I'm sorry, you look really busy and I don't want to interru--"
Boalt 3L #3: "PLEASE DO! I'm proofing the spacing around the periods in my clerkship writing sample. MEEAHHHRRG! This kind of thing is what I least look forward to about being a lawyer!"

If the fact that this stuff is going down isn't enough of a prompt, there is also the comment quoted below, which was tacked onto some thread from two years ago:

Anonymous said...
Can we get a confirmation whether or not clerks for federal judges are required to pass a drug test prior to employment?
8/18/2008 1:33 PM

Nice research skills, Anon, but, er, yeah. Two years. These threads may whine, but they hardly age that way. My uneducated belief, for whatever it is worth, is that the last thing a clan of mail-mergers and period-proofers should have to worry about is a little plastic cup.  I mean, even if you fail the test you still have unparalleled abilities to mail-merge and period-proof! What really counts here??

But that's just me. It's still a fair question.

Friendly Clerkship Advice

I'm the last person to offer clerkship advice, so I won't. However, a friend of N&B e-mailed me this post that s/he does not wish to take credit for. So, I pass it on to you gentle readers.

***

I have a good feeling for Boalties receiving telephone calls tomorrow AM. But let's remember that - just like with the Miss America pageant --deportment and poise counts even in the scheduling phone call. Thankfully, our home office has collected the typical "rookie mistakes" first-time phone interview-schedulers make with prestigious federal judges. Watch out for these tempting -- but dangerous -- lines:

10. Can we schedule this a little later, because I am NOT a morning person.

9. What do you mean you're in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania? I thought the courthouse was at the end of the Bay Pt. train.

8. I'm available to meet any time! Unless it conflicts with The Pick-Up Artist.

7. I know we pay for our own airfare and hotel. But who picks up the in-room porn?

6. I'm going to tell you right now: I can't stand those little shit Yalies.

5. How does the judge feel about being named A3G's "#2 Super-Diva" of the federal bench"?

4. Is there a lot of writing involved in this clerkship?

3. I can't commit to anything right now. I'm waiting for a call from the Ron Paul campaign.

2. Would the judge also be interested in trading LT for Anquan Boldin and Plaxico Buress?

And straight from the home office in Wahoo, Nebraska, comes the worst possible thing you could say tomorrow morning.

1. Fucking awesome! Who says 9/11 can't be a terrific day?

Clerks II

This 1L (who is interested in clerking later) does not know what to make of DE's closing remark in this morning's email:

"There is a popular misconception that we don't do as well as our peers in obtaining clerkships. In fact, we are competitive with our peers on this front. According to the 2006 numbers (the most recent year for which we have hard data), 14% of our 2006 graduating class went directly into clerkships. That was better than Columbia (13.5%), NYU (13%), Michigan (13%), U Penn (12.7%), Northwestern (10.6%), Georgetown (10%), and Cornell (10%) (although not as good as Yale (42%), Harvard (22.6%), Stanford (25.8%), Chicago (20.7%), Duke (19%), or Virginia (16%))."

Who collects and reports the numbers? Is there a distinction between the KIND of clerkship these applicants are getting? Between which applicants are being reported? All other factors being equal, if DE is correct, why the conception that Boalt is behind the curve at placing clerks? What is it based upon?

Kevin Smith's Commentary

Alright you know what this means. It's Kevin Smith and Kevin Smithship time. Basically, this is a thread to satisfy the neurotic eccentricism of a certain 3L.

Riddle Wrapped Inside a Puzzle in an Enigma

I'm off to see the Churchill War Rooms and some other kickass W. European sites. Since Most of the action right now is with the rising 2Ls (ex 1L? Who the fu*k says that?), this is an open thread for all that's going on. CLR rejections, OCIP bids, etc.

Other classes, incoming 1Ls and 3Ls applying for clerkships or looking to explore the bay area now that you have nothing to do, are welcome to post here also to make the rising 2Ls even more miserable. Lot's of luck. I'd especially recommend reading this post by Disco Stu re OCIP.

Kevin Smith

This post is dedicated to all those people interested in Kevin Smith. If you don't know why I'm calling this post Kevin Smith, you don't deserve to partake in the discussion. Previous Kevin Smith posts are here, here, here, here, and here.

BTW, as someone who is totally freaking out about passing the bar, let me say something about the 2Ls fascinated by Kevin Smith...chill out. There's 300 crazed zombies plus I don't know how many militant 3Ls banging down her door for rankings. You'll get them. Don't worry. I'd start learning about mortgages if I were you.

Secrecy for Secrecy's Sake

Ah, it's finally that time of year again. Dean O has written to at least the 3Ls asking if you'd like to know your class rank. And with this comes Boalt's own Cheney-like admonition:

Please remember that you may not disclose this information for any other purpose (except applying for a law teaching job) -- to do so would be a violation of the Honor Code.

Of course, here's the rule:

3.06 Disclosure of Class Rank Information for Limited Purposes
Information about students' class standing shall be made available solely for the purpose of aiding students applying for judicial clerkships and academic positions.
. . .
(D) Other Uses Impermissible. The Dean, Dean of Students, faculty, and students shall not disclose information about class standing provided by the Registrar under this section for any professional purpose other than obtaining a judicial clerkship or academic position. A student who reveals this information for any other professional purpose is in violation of the Honor Code.

What's never explained is why this secrecy is necessary. What good does it confer? Does it prevent law firm empoyers from screening on rank? I suppose that's the theory, but does anyone believe that works? One need only sit through the first two minutes of an interview with Irell (tip to 1Ls: they care about your grades) to know that the interviewer is determining your class rank. While no employer can know someone's rank for sure, seeing ten to twenty transcripts should let them figure things out pretty quick. By now, if they actually cared, the years and years of applications from Boalt students should allow them to have a comprehensive understanding of Boalt student grades. And if they don't care... well, what's the point?

The loser in all of this? The law firms that are not familiar with Boalt students, either because they are small or in a different part of the country. Why deny them access to information we must concede the larger law firms have? Why deny them information that every law faculty and judge can get?

I'd love to hear a coherent defense in the comments for this policy. I can't think of one that makes any sense. Instead, it seems like ornery secrecy for secrecy's sake alone. And for the same reason I don't like it in presidential administrations, I don't like it in academic administrations either.