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Selection Process

The selection process moves very quickly, so only apply to judges with whom you would accept an offer.

Judicial Clerkships: Application Process

The general clerkship application process is the same for most positions, however, timing varies by court and judge.

  1. Apply for clerkships by submitting specific documents directly to the Judge/Justice (or other individual listed in a job posting). Apply through regular mail unless the judge is participating in the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (only some federal judges) or requests otherwise. Be sure to research each judge's or court's specific requirements. Most judges and courts require:

    • cover letter
    • resume
    • law school transcript
    • writing sample
    • 2 or 3 letters of recommendation

    Some judges and courts also require items such as:

    • undergraduate transcript
    • LSAT score

  2. The judge or court interviews selected candidates. If you are selected for an interview, you will be contacted by the court or judge by letter, phone, or e-mail. There is usually only one interview phase and the judge or court reaches a hiring decision shortly thereafter (or stops the process when an ideal candidate is found).

  3. Once an offer is given, the successful candidate typically has to respond within 24 hours, or even the end of the same business day. Therefore, the golden rule of clerkship applications is to only apply to judges or courts with whom you would immediately accept an offer.

O S C A R
Online System for Clerkship
Application & Review

This summer and fall, almost 500 federal judges are accepting clerkship applications for the 2008 term exclusively through OSCAR, an internet-based application system. Click the links below for more information.

Application Timing

Many judges or courts list date ranges for accepting applications (i.e., September 7, 2006 until October 31, 2006). Apply as early in the date range as possible because some judges stop accepting applications if they find numerous qualified candidates.

Cover Letters

NOTE: Mark the outside of your application packet "Law Clerk Application" to help chamber's staff identify it as quickly as possible.

Your cover letter should be short (no longer than one page) and addressed specifically to the judge or court. It is extremely important to make sure that your cover letter is free of typographical errors and includes the correct spelling and address for the judge or court. Click here for guidelines on how to refer to federal and state judges in the address block and salutation line.

You should tailor your cover letters to the geographic area and type of court (federal vs. state, trial vs. appellate), but your cover letters can otherwise be similar. Obviously, if you have a contact regarding a particular judge or court, you should highlight this information in an individualized way. Although this section includes cover letter guidance, remember that you still have flexibility to be creative and include additional information.

Anatomy of an Effective Cover Letter

Sample cover letters are available in OCPD.

  1. Appropriate (i.e., conservative) Letterhead or

  1. Street Address
    City, State & Zip

  2. Date (spelled-out)

  1. The Honorable [full name]
    Full name of the Court
    Name of the Courthouse [if applicable]
    Address

  2. Dear Judge [last name]:
    *Consult OCPD's detailed guidelines on the correct way to refer to judges in the address block and salutation sections of this letter.

  3. Opening Paragraph/Positioning Statement. Include the following basic information: (1) the position you are applying for by year; (2) your status as a WCL student; (3) the name of any contact (former clerk, alumni, professor, or other individual who knows the judge or court); and (4) why you are interested in clerking for the judge or court (two or three sentences). You could emphasize geographic connections to the jurisdiction, plans to practice in the area, or an interest in trial or appellate litigation.

  4. Heart of the Letter. Highlight a few experiences from your resume by discussing the skills (e.g., research, writing, analysis) you developed and how these experiences prepared you to clerk. Obviously, if you worked as an extern/intern for a judge, this would be the ideal position to mention. Remember that the function of a clerkship cover letter is to highlight certain aspects of your resume, not to summarize your resume.

  5. Closing Paragraph. Include the following information: (1) items you are enclosing in your application packet (resume, transcript, writing sample, recommendations) and (2) any dates that you will be in the area for potential interviews.






Enclosures
  1. Sincerely,



  2. Printed Name

Resumes

This resume can be similar to resumes you have used for other types of employers. However, due to the close working environment in chambers or within a court system, judges tend to more interested in personal details such as your hobbies and outside interests (legal and non-legal). As a result, your resume could include:

As with other types of opportunities, your resume should include your GPA and class rank (if in the top third), journal experience, moot court participation, achievements or awards in the area of legal research and writing, and any notes or articles that you have authored.

Letters of Recommendation

Judges typically require two to three letters of recommendation. When choosing your recommenders, the most important consideration is to pick individuals who will write glowing recommendations that comment on your legal research and writing skills. Generally judges prefer recommendations from professors and other judges. If three recommendations are required, two professors and one legal employer is a good combination.

WCL has a system by which individualized letters of recommendation from faculty and adjuncts are produced and processed.

Letters of Recommendations by WCL Faculty/Adjuncts:

  1. Ask the professor if he/she will write the letter for you. Be sure to give your recommender at least four weeks to write your recommendation.

  2. If you intend to apply to any federal judges participating in OSCAR, inform your professor that he/she will need to send the text of your completed recommendation to oscar@wcl.american.edu so that it can be uploaded onto OSCAR.

  3. For judges not participating in OSCAR, create an excel spreadsheet with the correct contact information for the judge address blocks and salutation lines.
    NOTE: Use the clerkships section of CareerLink to download addresses for all federal judges and some state judges. Then edit this document to conform to WCL's excel spreadsheet format.

  4. For letters of recommendation to be sent or uploaded by the first week of September, submit your excel spreadsheet to your professor's assistant (or to FASS for adjuncts) and/or list your recommenders for the judges you intend to apply to on OSCAR by August 17.

  5. The assistant will take care of the printing and signing of the letters and OCPD will take care of uploading your letters onto OSCAR.

  6. Pick-up your paper recommendation letters from the professor's assistant.

  7. For judges not participating in OSCAR, when possible, submit all of your materials (including sealed letters of recommendation) in one mailing. If a letter is not finished but you are otherwise ready to apply, ask your recommender to send the letter under separate cover and mark the envelope with the notation - LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR [APPLICANT'S NAME].

Other Letters of Recommendations:

  1. If one of your recommenders is not from WCL, ask the recommender how he or she prefers to handle the paper recommendation process.

  2. Some individuals will have support staff that can create individualized letters from a mail merge file or will allow you to see the letter and perform the mail merge for them. Other individuals might only be willing to create a general letter (not addressed to any particular judge) that they can copy and sign multiple times.

  3. If possible, this recommendation should be sealed in a separate envelope that you can include in your application packet.

  4. If you intend to apply to any federal judges participating in OSCAR, inform your recommender that he/she will need to send the text of your completed recommendation to oscar@wcl.american.edu so that it can be uploaded onto OSCAR. OSCAR Website: https://oscar.symplicity.com/

Transcripts

Unless noted otherwise on the Federal Law Clerk Information System, CareerLink, or court websites, unofficial or photocopied transcripts are acceptable. Most judges only require a law school transcript, but a handful of judges require undergraduate and any other graduate transcripts as well. Make sure to request your undergraduate and other graduate school transcripts in advance of your application, especially when the institution is not located in the DC area. For your law school transcript, send the most recent version available, and supplement your submission if/when new grades are released.

Writing Samples

Your writing sample must be well-organized, free of typographical and grammatical errors, and demonstrate your legal research and analytical skills. Although there is not typically an official page limit, your sample should be from 8-15 pages. The most appropriate submission is a legal brief or memorandum written in law school or during your summer employment. For some positions, a more theoretical article or note could be appropriate (possibly with appellate courts).

At times, on a cover sheet, it is helpful to explain the source of the document (class, job, moot court) and any background information that helps the judge understand your submission (assignment from an employer or the facts you were given by a professor). You can submit a section of a larger document as long as you explain the context of the section you are sending. Although OCPD cannot substantively review writing samples, we can look at writing samples generally and offer feedback regarding the appropriateness of the submission for the specific position. For further help, please contact Legal Rhetoric.

 
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