JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP HANDBOOK - Cornell University Law School

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for the clerkship application process. Before the end of the spring 2011 semester: C Review the Judicial Clerkship Handbook C Revise Your Resume C Meet with a member of the Judicial Clerkship Committee to review your resume, discuss your application packet, and strategize the selection of faculty recommenders. C Line up faculty recommenders. Contact them initially by e‐mail, and give them a copy of your expanded resume and your transcript. Some faculty members find helpful a one page personal statement about your aspirations or other relevant aspects of yourself. Ask them if an in‐person meeting would be helpful. Once your recommenders have been confirmed, introduce yourself to each of their administrative assistants. C Notify Assistant Dean Karen Comstock who your recommenders are. One exception regarding timing: wait until after you receive your grades to approach any potential faculty recommenders who are teaching you in the spring semester. C Be sure to sign a “Law School Permission to Examine Student Record” form, available in the Registrar’s Office under “Academic Matters” at https://support.law.cornell.edu/students/students/NewStudents.cfm?CFID=301138 &CFTOKEN=29631076 so that your faculty recommenders can have the information necessary to write a letter for you. Early Summer (as Early as Possible!): C Decide which judges to whom you wish to apply. Use the resources described in this handbook, information relayed in the AClerkship Nuts and Bolts@ program presented on March 9 (and available on the Office of Public Service website), and consult with a member of the Judicial Clerkship Committee. C Create your application packet: resume (which you should have revised in the spring), cover letter, writing sample and transcript. And C Monitor your e‐mail for detailed instructions on procedures for both the on‐line application system (OSCAR) and our Federal Express mailing process. C September 6 ‐‐ Federal Clerkship Applications received in Judges= chambers and uploaded to OSCAR. IDENTIFYING RECENT NOMINATIONS AND CONFIRMATIONS New judges will undoubtedly come along after the application mailing date. Candidates are continuously being nominated and (usually) confirmed by the Senate and these new judges will need law clerks. Consult the nominations and confirmations web sites referenced on page 14. 16 | P age
STAFF ATTORNEY AND PRO SE LAW CLERK POSITIONS The timing of applications for U.S. circuit and district court staff attorney and pro se law clerk positions is generally fall of the third year. Each court sets its own specific deadline date. Notices received by individual courts are posted to Symplicity and can typically be found on the courts’ websites. See Appendix D “Federal Staff Attorney Positions” for more information about staff attorney positions in the federal circuit courts. STATE CLERKSHIP APPLICATION TIME LINE State court clerkship application deadlines are NOT linked to the federal timeline. Rather, as noted earlier, the application deadlines for state court clerkships vary. The Guide to State Judicial Clerkship Procedures, published by Vermont Law School, is the best resource to use for determining state court clerkship application procedures. You can link to the “Vermont Guide” from the Office of Public Service Resources web page. The Guide contains a useful application deadline Quick Reference Chart. 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. State court clerkship applicants will need to follow the steps for federal clerkship applications listed above (e.g., secure letters of recommendation, select judges, perfect and assemble application materials, etc.). Because each state’s timing is slightly different, state court clerkship applicants should work closely with Karen Comstock or Elizabeth Peck to create a personalized timeline. THE CLERKSHIP APPLICATION PACKET RESUME As always, your resume should be carefully reviewed and updated before you send it. Appearance and content are both important. It MUST be free of spelling mistakes and typographical errors. Do not use the same resume you used for your fall job search. This is no time to worry about keeping your resume to one page! Judges interview relatively few candidates for each available position. Therefore, your paper application has to make you stand out among hundreds of applicants. As you revise your resume, keep in mind these general guidelines: C Emphasize your intellectual ability and engagement. Judges want clerks who are bright people with active and inquiring minds, qualities they do not necessarily measure by law school grades alone. Include: all academic honors and awards, merit scholarships, etc., on the undergraduate as well as graduate level; 17 | 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 and 10: valuable. (For further discussion,
Page 11 and 12: positions as Atemporary,” meaning
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: C Almanac of the Federal Judiciary:
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

JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP HANDBOOK - Cornell University Law School

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