JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP HANDBOOK - Cornell University Law School

http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/publicservice/Public‐Service‐Career‐Planning‐
Resources.cfm (username: cls\career‐web; password: office‐2k) The Guide contains a
useful application deadline Quick Reference Chart.
Current 2L students: be aware that some state courts clerkship deadlines fall before the
federal target application date of September 6. Some deadlines fall in the spring of your 2L
year. If you are interested in clerkships in any of the following states, check the Vermont
Guide for application information ASAP: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut,
Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,
Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington (state), and Wisconsin.
NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS TO FEDERAL JUDGES
No hard and fast rules dictate the Aright@ number of applications. As explained later in this
handbook, some federal judges accept on‐line applications only and some accept hard copy
applications only. Generally, you should plan to prepare applications to between 100‐200
judges total (on‐line and hard copy combined) for the initial application receipt date. Fewer
than 50 means you are probably being too selective (and increasing the chance of getting
nothing); more than 200 usually means you haven=t been selective enough. Indeed,
because of the burden processing faculty recommendation letters places on staff you may
not apply to more than 200 federal judges for the initial application receipt date without
the approval of a member of the Clerkship Committee. This approval will be given only in
unusual circumstances.
There will be a limited number of federal judges who solicit applications weeks or even
months after September. Once you register on the Online System for Clerkship Application
and Review (OSCAR) you automatically receive email notices when these positions become
available. If you plan to continue submitting clerkship applications via OSCAR, consult
Assistant Dean Comstock or Elizabeth Peck for logistical guidance.
NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS TO STATE JUDGES
The number applications you should send to state court judges is guided by (1) the state(s)
in which you plan to practice after your clerkship and/or to which you have ties, and (2) the
types of courts to which you are applying. For some students who have narrowed their
focus to one state and who seek to clerk only on the court of last resort in that state, the
total number of applications may be in the single digits. However, when a student is open
to clerking in more than one state and is interested in both trial and appellate level courts,
the number of state court applications can be very high. Because state court clerkship
applications always require hard copy letters of recommendation be prepared by law school
staff, students are limited to 100 individual state court clerkship applications without
approval of a member of the Clerkship Committee. Note that in states like New Jersey in
which students send in one application to a central administrative office for dissemination
to judges around the state, that application will be treated, for purposes of the limitation
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