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Consult the resources at your law school's career services office to determine whether the judges you are interested in have specified a particular form or method of application. For information on deadlines, see the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) Federal and State Judicial Clerkship Directory, available in print and on LEXIS.⁷ If the information you need is not available, contact the chambers of each individual judge to get specific information; otherwise assume that a résumé accompanied by a cover letter and letters of recommendation will be sufficient. Some applicants include a transcript and short writing sample in the initial mailing. All clerkship applicants should be prepared to provide a writing sample upon request. Select your writing sample with care because its quality can determine whether you receive an offer. Ask someone whose judgment you trust to help you select a writing sample C a faculty member, career advisor, or fellow student who has extensive writing experience, perhaps on a law journal or through moot court.

How do I decide for which judges I would like to work?

Consult your career office or law library for publications like the Directory of Minority Judges of the United States, a publication of the Task Force on Minorities in the Judiciary of the Judicial Division of the ABA, the NALP Federal and State Judicial Clerkship Directory, The American Bench, Who's Who in American Law, the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary, and the Judicial Yellow Book, which offer biographical and contact information on judges. Run a computerized search on LEXIS⁷ and WESTLAW⁷ to find contact information for and opinions by judges you are considering. Search the Internet for Web sites that may be useful: a number of law schools (e.g., University of Michigan Law School) have sites listing clerkship information which can be accessed by the public. Most career services offices have lists (indexed by judge) of graduates who are or have been judicial clerks and binders containing descriptions of their clerkships written by alumni of the school. Talk to judges' current and former law clerks about their clerking experiences. Discuss judges with your school's career services staff and faculty clerkship committee. In this way, you can learn about a judge's background, writing style, judicial outlook, and temperament so that you can apply to judges with whom you are compatible.

Is the applicatioin and interview process costly?

The costs of seeking a clerkship are not enormous and should not deter you from applying widely. However, there are specific costs that must be borne by the applicant, including the expense of the application process itself (individualized cover letters, copies of résumés and writing samples, and postage) and interview costs. To obtain a position with most judges, you will have to travel to a personal interview and bear the expense. If you are making plans to travel to an interview at some expense, it is perfectly acceptable to call other judges in the same vicinity to whom you have applied, to inform them that you will be in the area, and to find out if they have an interest in meeting you while you are there. Often, you will be able to add a few more interviews by doing so. In addition, some judges interview over the telephone or dispense with interviews entirely, and some law schools have funds available for this purpose.

How is interviewing for a judicial clerkship different from most legal job interviews?

The judicial clerkship interview is, above all else, an individualized event based upon the judge's personality. It may vary in length from fifteen minutes to two hours, and it may take the form of an extremely informal, personal conversation or of an intense formal examination including hypothetical questions. All or part of the interview may include the judge's current clerks. The judicial clerkship interview places the applicant under close personal scrutiny because the relationship of judge and clerk is not only professional but also extremely personal as well. Because of the close personal working relationships in most chambers, judges are often sensitive to a potential clerk's ability to get along with the support staff, who may have been with the judge for many years, and with the current judicial clerks, whose recommendations can be very significant.

As an applicant, you should also Ainterview@ the judge because this may well be your only opportunity to get to know the judge before you have to decide whether to spend a year or two working closely with him or her. Because judicial interviews can be quite different from the interviews that most applicants are familiar with, it would be wise to discuss the nature of clerkship interviews with former or present clerks who have experienced similar interviews, preferably with the same judge.

As in any interview, if you still wish to be considered for the position following the interview, it is most appropriate to follow up with a note expressing appreciation to the judge [or the person(s) with whom you interviewed] for the time and consideration extended you and advising of your continued interest and availability.

What role can the faculty play in my judicial clerkship search?

Most law schools provide a judicial clerkship committee whose members are available to answer questions and to assist applicants. Individual faculty members are also available to describe those courts and judges with whom they are familiar and to write letters of recommendation.

What are the clerkship offer and acceptance rules?

In some respects, the etiquette and rules concerning clerkship offers and acceptances are unique. Generally, you should be sure before applying to a specific judge that you would be willing to accept a clerkship with that particular judge if one were offered. Be prepared to accept an offer promptly, sometimes immediately. You often cannot keep one judge waiting while you wait to hear about the status of your applications to other judges. Similarly, once you have accepted a clerkship, you cannot withdraw your acceptance in favor of an offer from another judge. Obviously, your judge will expect you to complete the clerkship term to which you committed; this may be an especially important issue when considering multi-year clerkships.

What role can the career services office play in my judicial clerkship search?

Professional staff can provide information and skills training in the areas of résumé and cover letter preparation, interview performance, clerkship search strategies, and current openings for clerks. Published and office-developed reference materials on judicial clerkships are also available, including the NALP Federal and State Judicial Clerkship Directory, updated each October, which outlines hiring procedures for judges throughout the country. Your school will also have information on the school's contacts with particular judges.

How do I apply for a judicial extern/internship?

Many judges will accept judicial interns during the summer or the school year, an opportunity which can provide you with more information on what a post-graduation clerkship will be like. Some law schools offer academic credit for judicial extern/internships; check on the procedures at your law school. Even if credit is not offered, many students volunteer for these opportunities by writing directly to the chambers of judges in the geographic area of interest. A few regional bar and city programs provide funding for judicial extern/internships. You should inquire at your career services office or ask a member of your faculty clerkship committee for information on programs in your locality.

This brochure was published by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) with the assistance of the American Bar Association Judicial Administration Division Task Force on Opportunities for Minorities. NALP and the Task Force wish to thank the following for their assistance: Cornell Law School; Loyola (Los Angeles) Law School; St. John's University School of Law; the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law; the University of San Francisco School of Law; Carlton, Fields, Ward, Emmanual, Smith & Cutler; and, for their roles in an earlier edition upon which this brochure is based, the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) and Tulane. Special thanks to The Commission on Women for producing this feature for our site.

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