JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP HANDBOOK - Cornell University Law School

Grades and Other Credentials
You do not have to be at the top of your class to obtain a clerkship. History has shown
that Cornell Law School graduates in every quartile of the class have obtained federal
and state court clerkships. You do have to be realistic about your chances, however.
You need to assess your credentials, think about your geographic location, and the
likely level of competition for the clerkships you desire. Note that some judges have
very individualistic criteria, such as a preference for clerks who went to their alma
matter or who will remain to practice in the community. The Clerkship Application
Worksheet, Appendix A, will help identify characteristics that distinguish you from
other applicants, and CONNECT might help you focus on (or eliminate) certain judges.
Judicial Internships
Many judges are willing to have law students volunteer in their chambers during
summers or the school year, to gain experience in how a chambers works, and to assist
the judge and her clerks with their work. These positions are usually referred to as
judicial internships (or externships.) At Cornell, students usually take advantage of this
opportunity during the summer following the first year of law school, either as a
volunteer internship or through the summer Externship course. Opportunities for
second summer and term time judicial externships also exist.
Judges seeking law clerks generally view the experience you may have gained as a
judicial intern as very valuable. Students who have been judicial interns have the
benefit of being Aup the curve@ on a judge=s expectations and on the role of a law clerk.
Judicial interns typically are able to develop their legal research and writing skills, and
may wind up with a solid writing sample. In addition, a judicial internship may allow a
student to develop a strong relationship with a judge, who may be willing to act as a
reference or provide recommendations for your judicial clerkship search, in addition to
being a valuable mentor.
Some judges have a policy of not accepting clerkship applications from students who
have been judicial interns in their chambers. However, others have been known to
solicit applications from students who interned for them in the past. If you have had
the experience of being a judicial intern, contact the judge or clerks with whom you
worked to find out how your experience as an intern can best be presented in your
search for a judicial clerkship.
FINANCIAL ISSUES
Certainly financial considerations may limit the number of interviews you are able to accept
in distant locations as judges do not have money available to fly candidates in. On the
financial side, however, consider the fact that, while a federal law clerk=s salary does not
approach the level of a large law firm in a large city, federal law clerk salaries are quite
respectable. Federal law clerks across the country make generally the same salary (which
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