JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP HANDBOOK - Cornell University Law School

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consent of all parties. Therefore, a magistrate clerk=s duties are similar to the duties of a district court judge=s clerk, i.e., writing legal memoranda, assisting with courtroom proceedings, and drafting opinions and recommendations. Note that the appropriate title to address the Magistrate by is AJudge.” U.S. COURTS OF APPEALS The district courts are grouped into circuits (the first through the eleventh circuit and the D.C. circuit) with one court of appeals in each circuit. The courts of appeals consider appeals from their district courts and review rulings of administrative tribunals such as the Board of Immigration Appeal and the National Labor Relations Board. There is also a Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit which is located in Washington, D.C. This court has jurisdiction over appeals from district courts in cases involving patents and certain claims against the United States, the U.S. Claims Court, the Court of International Trade, the Court of Veterans Affairs, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Patent and Trademark Office, the boards that decide government contract issues, and a few other Article I agencies. The principal function of the clerk for an appellate judge is to research the issues of law and fact presented by an appeal and review transcripts of proceedings below for errors by the trial judge or counsel. Law clerks may be required to prepare bench memos, assist the judge in preparing for oral argument, draft an opinion pursuant to a judge=s directions, or to edit and cite check opinions written by the judge. Appellate clerks do attend oral arguments; however, there is significantly less time spent in court than at the trial level. Appellate opinions typically contain an exhaustive and detailed analysis of the law, and these opinions are frequently published. STAFF ATTORNEYS AND PRO SE CLERKS In addition to clerkship positions with individual judges, all of the federal circuit courts and some of the federal district courts also have staff attorney and/or pro se law clerk positions available. Titles and duties vary somewhat from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but in general it can be said that staff attorneys and pro se law clerks perform many of the same tasks performed by law clerks for individual judges, but they work for the court as a whole or for particular panels of judges. These tasks include legal research and preparation of memoranda, dispositions, and orders in various areas of federal law. Typically, at least one‐ half of the cases handled by a staff attorney are cases in which one party is proceding pro se. Some courts, especially the circuit courts, handle a large number of pro se matters and, therefore, have pro se clerks who handle these cases exclusively. The staff attorneys= or pro se law clerks= office may work under the supervision of the chief judge, a committee of judges, a single judge, a senior attorney, the circuit executive, or the clerk of the court. The basic criteria used for selecting staff attorneys do not differ from those used by the judges in selecting their personal Aelbow@ clerks. A demonstrated interest in and commitment to public interest law is a big plus for positions involving a substantial number of pro se cases. Some courts classify staff attorney and pro se law clerk 4 | P age
positions as Atemporary,” meaning that they are for a one‐ or two‐year duration, like Aelbow@ clerks. Other courts classify these positions as permanent. While most of these positions are available to recent law school graduates, a few of the jurisdictions require a few years practice experience. See Appendix D. FEDERAL ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCIES A number of positions are available in which attorneys act as clerks to Administrative Law Judges (ALJs). Unlike federal judges who are appointed for life or specific terms, ALJs are U.S. Government employees. ALJs conduct formal administrative hearings and issue decisions based on trial‐type proceedings. Typically, appeals from these decisions are to the Federal Courts of Appeals. Working as an ALJ=s law clerk can be useful to your career, especially if you plan to practice in the particular area of law in which the agency specializes. Contact each agency for employment information. Hiring for these law clerk positions is not governed by the Federal Judges Law Clerk Hiring Plan. The best resource on this topic is an Excel spreadsheet compiled by NALP. You can find this on the Office of Public Service’s Resources page: http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/publicservice/Public‐ Service‐Career‐Planning‐Resources.cfm (username: cls\career‐web; password: office‐2k) Select “Judicial ‐ Federal Courts” and “Clerkships with Administrative Law Judges.” U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURTS Each federal district court has a bankruptcy court. The U.S. bankruptcy courts have jurisdiction over claims arising under the federal bankruptcy laws. The volume of cases and proceedings in bankruptcy court is generally greater than in other trial courts. Law clerks can expect to be involved in disputes involving the interface between bankruptcy law and most other areas of civil law, such as contract law, labor law and tax law. Most trials are bench trials. U.S. COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS The jurisdiction of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims extends to actions against the United States government. About one‐third of the cases involve tax refund suits, an area in which the Court exercises concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts. Because invoking the federal claims court=s jurisdiction is more difficult than that of the district court or of the tax court, the cases presented tend to involve the most complex and difficult issues in tax law. Another aspect of the court=s jurisdiction involves government contracts, among the fastest growing areas of federal law. Other areas of jurisdiction include inverse condemnation suits under the Fifth Amendment and claims by Indian tribes for unfair dealing by the U.S. government. Anecdotal information from people familiar with the Court of Federal Claims= hiring practices tells us that it is beneficial to have one letter of recommendation from an attorney who appears before this court. In addition, the court is more likely to interview candidates from local (Washington, D.C.‐ area) schools, so it makes sense to indicate in your cover letter that you plan to travel to Washington, D.C., and then follow up with a phone call to emphasize your interest. 5 | P age
Page 1: JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP HANDBOOK CORNELL
Page 4 and 5: Leadership Libraries 15 LexisNexis
Page 7 and 8: INTRODUCTION Clerking for a judge o
Page 9: valuable. (For further discussion,
Page 13 and 14: JUDICIAL FELLOWS PROGRAM Following
Page 15 and 16: above, as one application. SELECTIN
Page 17 and 18: Grades and Other Credentials You do
Page 19 and 20: Cornell University’s Internationa
Page 21 and 22: C Almanac of the Federal Judiciary:
Page 23 and 24: STAFF ATTORNEY AND PRO SE LAW CLERK
Page 25 and 26: COVER LETTER The same concerns abou
Page 27 and 28: WRITING SAMPLES Your writing sample
Page 29 and 30: Although there are no guarantees ab
Page 31: FEDERAL COURT WORKPLACE ISSUES In a
Page 34 and 35: Academic Record What are your grade
Page 36: Jeffrey S. Lehman Chief Judge Frank
Page 40 and 41: torney’s pay rate is comparable t
Page 42 and 43: Circuit and Contact Information 5th
Page 45 and 46: Applying to everyone in October sou
Page 53 and 54: Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito,
Page 55 and 56: APPENDIX K JUDGES WHO HIRED CORNELL
Page 59 and 60: JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP RESOURCES APPEND
Page 61 and 62:
types of clerkships, how to build a
Page 63 and 64:
The Honorable XXX United States Dis
Page 65 and 66:
The Honorable XXX Supreme Court Sta
Page 67:
Judge Frederick Block U.S. District
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JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP HANDBOOK - Cornell University Law School

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