JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP HANDBOOK - Cornell University Law School

Applying to everyone in October sounds simple
enough, but there is a catch — the Justices are
hiring for different Terms during the same season.
For example, Justice Kennedy has been
known to interview in the fall in some years, like
Justice Ginsburg. Justice Kennedy, however, has
been interviewing for the next Term, not two
Terms ahead. Candidates who apply before the
start of their lower court clerkships could face a
dilemma, since they would be unable to accept a
Supreme Court clerkship for the next Term.
Those who apply during or after their lower
court clerkship would face no obstacle from
these vagaries of the hiring schedule. Though I
acknowledge the difficulty, I generally suggest
candidates ignore it because it is too difficult to
predict what a given Justice’s hiring status will
be at any particular point in the year. All candidates
should note their availability in their cover
letters and let the Justices determine whether the
schedules match well.
The application package
After creating an application package for their
first clerkship, candidates find the Supreme
Court package remarkably similar. I usually suggest
sending the application in a manner that
confirms receipt rather than counting on a confirmation
from chambers.
Cover letter. The cover letter offers the Justice
some information about the candidate and the
candidate’s availability. The letter also serves
to identify the other materials in the package,
and to let the Justice know the names of the
people who will be sending recommendation
letters. In most cases, there is no reason for the
cover letter to exceed one page.
Résumé. The résumé should offer a
comprehensive summary of significant
academic accomplishments, a publication
record, and work experience. At this point,
candidates can be less concerned about
limiting the résumé to a single page than about
including all the relevant information. Keep in
mind, however, that “comprehensive” does not
necessarily mean “all-inclusive” — include
significant data, not every event.
Recommenders. Although the names of
recommenders are included in the cover letter,
applicants should also provide complete
contact information. The package can include
a separate sheet listing the full name, full title,
address, and telephone number for each
recommender. As an alternative, they can be
listed at the end of the résumé if there is
sufficient space on the page. Recommendation
letters should be sent directly to the chambers
by the authors. How many recommenders? At
least three. Because many lower court judges
require three recommendations, this can be an
easy requirement to fulfill. Those who apply
during or after a lower court clerkship should
include a recommendation from the judge, if
at all possible, because that judge is in the best
position to evaluate the candidate in the most
directly relevant job setting. The judge’s letter
can substitute for one of the recommendations
used previously, or it can be a fourth
recommendation. If a candidate chooses to
apply at a later point in the career path —
someone finishing a stint in one of the federal
attorney honors programs, for example — it
might make sense to include a letter from that
employer. Bear in mind, however, that more is
not necessarily better. Applicants want enough
letters to highlight their intellectual strengths,
their legal skills, and their additional
talents — but not so many that they appear to
be trying to impress the readers with sheer
volume.
Transcript(s). The package must include the
most current law school transcript. Applicants
with other graduate degrees might consider
including those transcripts as well.
Writing sample. Candidates should send a
sample that best demonstrates their skill with
prose and talent for legal analysis. Those who
have published a note or other law-related
article could consider including a reprint.
Reprinted from NALP Bulletin, October 2002.
© NALP 2002. All rights reserved. This article may be printed for personal use only. Any reproduction, retransmission or
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