March 30, 2007
Moot Court Judge Panel Inspires Future Clerkship Applicants
The Honorable Deanell R. Tacha, Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, a ’71 University of Michigan Law School alum and Hon. Gerald Tjoflat of the US Court of Appeals 11th Circuit spoke about the clerkship experience and application process on March 29. Both justices were in town to judge the Campbell Moot Court Competition. Below is a summary of some of the points made during their presentation.
Why Clerk:
*Law clerking is like a fourth year of law school—it adds a great deal to your legal skill set
*You will be much sought after by employers
What Judges Look For in applicants:
*Top grades and editorial positions in law school journals (law review and others) are objective top cut items
*Students with broad based interests beyond the law. She does not like people to have tunnel vision and only focus on the law
*Team Players—have to function well in a team to have a successful clerkship. Arrogant and self-centered students will not thrive in a clerkship
*Students without any political or other agendas. Students must simply have a passion and commitment to confronting legal problems and helping solve them. No room for political and other ideological agendas
*Judges look for growth patterns in law school grades. For Judge Tacha, second year first semester grades matter the most. Don’t be discouraged by your first year grades
How to select Judges to apply to:
*Absolute best method is to talk to past clerks about their experiences
*Find out about professional background of judges, e.g. whether they were litigators, transactional lawyers, etc.
*Do not apply to a Judge whom you never intend to really work for. Nothing makes a Judge more angry then to make an offer of clerkship and have it turned down by a student who never intended to clerk there
*Don’t feel like you must clerk in the geographic area where you expect to practice. Clerkships are invaluable wherever you practice
Application Materials
*Plain vanilla cover letters. Let the attachments speak for themselves—Judges are used to looking through the records
*Letters of recommendation should come from faculty members who actually know/remember you
*Letters of recommendation from previous employers and the like are helpful
*Un-edited writing samples such as redacted memoranda from firm jobs, law review notes, etc.
Posted by hafeezt at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2007
Top Ten Reasons To Become A Judicial Law Clerk
TOP TEN REASONS TO BECOME A JUDICIAL LAW CLERK
(taken from the University of Miami Law School)
1.) Sharpen your legal analysis
and reasoning skills as well as
research and writing skills
2.) No better way to get a
glimpse of the inner workings of
the judicial system
3.) Clerkship accustoms the
clerk to managing legal work,
meeting deadlines and evaluating
the merits of a legal situation
quickly and accurately
4.) Clerking affords you an extra
year or two after graduation to
determine what you really want
to do with your law degree
5.) Exposure to a wide variety of
practice areas can help you
better ascertain exactly what
type of law you want to practice
6.) Many firms will offer a Clerkship
Bonus ranging from approximately
$10,000-$30,000
(geographically determined) to
former clerks hired immediately
after the end of the clerkship
term
7.) Judges can assist you in finding
a job after your Clerkship
ends and can remain mentors
throughout your career
8.) Enables you to become more
comfortable and confident in the
courtroom
9.) Provides you with an opportunity
to observe and learn from
current practicing attorneys
(potential employers)
10.) The legal community views
judicial clerkships as highly prestigious
post-graduate opportunities
which aid new attorneys in
marketing themselves to firms,
government agencies and/or
public interest organizations
From the University of Miami School of Law
Posted by hafeezt at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)
Judicial Clerkships for the 2008 term
Dear 2Ls (and 3Ls). Welcome back to law school! And Happy New Year. I hope you had a restful break.
Believe it or not, it's time to seriously start thinking about applying for clerkships in the 2008 term. To that end I have attached a memo for you to read which outlines basic information about timing and the application process. Please read it, and more importantly, please review our Clerkship Handbook (the 2007-08 version will be online tomorrow) and the other resources on the Judicial Clerkship website: http://www.law.umich.edu/currentstudents/careerservices/judicialclerkship.htm
You are also now officially invited to join the lawclerks listserv. This is the primary method we use to keep you up to date on clerkship issues, announcements and current (and future) openings. To sign up for the listserv, please email either lawcareers@umich.edu or Tammy Sindlinger at sindling@umich.edu
Of course, I strongly encourage you to make an appointment for individual counseling to develop your clerkship strategy and to discuss your particular questions. Just call OCS at 734/764-0546 or stop by 210 HH.
We look forward to working with you. -Robin
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Save these dates:
Perspectives on Judicial ClerkshipsThursday, January 25, 2007, 12:20 p.m., 250 Hutchins Hall
Why clerk? What is the difference between clerking for an appellate
judge and a trial judge? How do federal and state court clerkships differ? Is it worth clerking if I don't want to litigate? Can I obtain a clerkship if I'm not on Law Review? Listen to several distinguished Michigan Law alums discuss their varied clerkship experiences and learn why you should apply for one of the best jobs in law. Open to all students.
***************************************
Perspectives on State Court Clerkships
Thursday, February 1, 2007, 12:20 p.m., 250 HH
State court clerkships are found at both trial and appellate levels and deal with a wide range of subjects-everything from contract and tort disputes, to divorce, custody and probate issues. Although most legal disputes in the U.S. are handled in state courts, they are often overlooked by students in the clerkship hunt-- yet these clerkships can provide excellent educational experiences. A panel of UMLS alums will describe their experiences clerking for judges in the state trial, appellate, and specialty courts. Open to all students.
Posted by hafeezt at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)