How long are clerkship interviews

When you get to the city in which you are interviewing, grab a newspaper and see what is happening in that location. Keep an eye on legal issues.

Go through your resume line by line and make sure that you have a story or example for every listed experience. Be able to discuss in depth several large legal projects you have completed which may include projects for clinics, externships and research assistant positions.

With respect to these projects, be prepared to discuss the legal issues, how you approached the problem, any challenges you faced, how you overcame those challenges and what happened with the final drafted product.

Know your skills and interests and expect to discuss them. If you have a thesis or note or any articles that have been published, make sure you can have a brief discussion about the topics.

Know your writing sample backwards and forwards. You should be able to comment about the best arguments in support of your position, but be ready to argue it both ways and for the judge to ask about your arguments and conclusions.

Why do you want to clerk for me? What are you looking for in a clerkship? Why did you choose them? Why did you go to law school? What are your career plans after law school?

How does a clerkship fit into your long-term career plans? Where would you like to work ultimately? How would you describe yourself? How would you describe your work style? How would you describe your writing style? What is your favorite course in law school and why?

What is your least favorite course in law school and why? What do you consider your greatest strengths? Your greatest weaknesses? Who is your favorite Supreme Court justice and why?

What are your views on states' rights or other substantive legal areas? What do you think about precedent? Tell me about your experience this past summer at employer. What kind of substantive research and writing experience did you obtain? Instead, the cover letter should focus on why the candidate is interested in the specific court, specific judge, specific geographic area or specific area of law if the court has limited jurisdiction , and the attributes that the candidate possesses that would make him or her a successful judicial clerk.

If it is possible to simply change the name of the judge and send a cover letter to multiple judges, the letter is not specific enough and should be rewritten to specifically express interest in the particular clerkship opportunity. Remember, the judge will receive many applications and can only choose a small number of clerks. An applicant's cover letter should stand out as expressing genuine interest. Applicants are also tempted to describe themselves as possessing "excellent research and writing skills.

Instead of simply stating ability, demonstrate it through examples of experiences that have developed those skills. Describe achievements instead of just stating attributes. Letter 1: I am uniquely qualified for the position of judicial clerk.

I have excellent writing and research skills and hope to further develop them through the clerkship experience. This letter would not stand out from other letters and does not give the judge any useful information with which to evaluate this candidate.

Letter 2: My experience as a research assistant to Professor Smith helped me to hone my research skills. I reviewed the recent changes to Title VII and the impact those changes had on the ability of employees to sue their employers for hostile environment sexual harassment. My research revealed that the changes in the law significantly affect the time that employees have to file claims, and I expressed this result in a written memorandum of law.

This letter is much more specific and uses examples to illustrate the point. This type of letter is much more effective. Take special care in addressing cover letters. Use the form of address appropriate for the particular judge. Letters of application are formal and should show proper deference to the judge by stating the judge's title correctly. The following are guidelines for correctly addressing cover letters:. Resumes should be conservative in style and should list education and experience in reverse chronological order.

They should not be longer than two pages and should be error free. A resume should include experiences that illustrate research and writing skills such as a law review note being selected for publication; any other publications; and jobs, pro bono experience, and internships at which the applicant conducted research, wrote legal memoranda, or prepared legal documents.

Resumes should include community service or interests and activities that would help the judge get a sense of the applicant as a person. Remember, the judge is not just hiring an employee.

Judicial clerks work closely with the judge and personality fit is as important as credentials. A resume should give a sense of who the applicant is and what interests him or her. Applicants should have their resumes reviewed by Professional Development before sending them. It's important to have a fresh pair of eyes check errors and to make sure that educational and professional experience is described in a way that best illustrates its value. While the cover letter is really the first writing sample, judges also want to see an official writing sample, which illustrates legal analysis ability.

When choosing a writing sample, keep in mind the functions of a judicial clerk. Clerks are called upon to evaluate a factual and legal situation, research applicable law, analyze the factual and legal situation in light of the law, and reach a conclusion.

A writing sample should reflect these abilities. Appropriate writing samples include a law review article, a moot court brief, a paper written for a law school course, or a memorandum from a summer clerkship. Applicants who submit material created for an employer must get the employer's permission first. A writing sample should be pages long. The judge's time is valuable, and it is not appropriate to ask him or her to read a lengthy writing sample. An excerpt of a longer work is fine, but be sure to identify it as such.

It's also a good idea to attach a cover page to an excerpt listing a few key facts and giving some context to the piece.

All writing samples should include a cover page with the applicant's name, address, and the purpose for which the writing sample was created. When submitting a paper from a class, always send a clean copy, removing the professor's name, the date of the assignment, and any other such information from the top of the paper, and when submitting an assignment from work, remove the name of the assigning attorney, etc. Be sure to read it carefully for grammatical and spelling mistakes and for citation errors.

It is a good idea to have a friend read over it to be sure to catch all mistakes. Most judges will accept an unofficial transcript, but some may request an official transcript. Unofficial transcripts include photocopies of official transcripts and printouts from Insite.

When using an Insite printout, be sure to type contact information at the top because no name appears on Insite transcripts. Judges generally require three to four letters of recommendation. Letters should be from law school faculty and legal employers who can thoughtfully comment on the applicant's research and writing ability, intellectual abilities, and potential as a lawyer. Applicants should select individuals who can speak specifically to their abilities.

A letter from a well-known figure may carry a great deal of weight, but not if that person does not know the applicant and cannot truly comment on his or her ability. Avoid letters of recommendation written "To Whom it May Concern. When requesting letters of recommendation, be sure to allow sufficient time for references to prepare a letter. It's a good idea to provide each reference with a current resume and a brief note explaining clerkship preferences and plans.

Be clear about expectations of when the letter should be ready. It is the applicant's responsibility to pay for postage and to ensure that letters are sent. There are two ways to handle this. Either provide addressed, stamped envelopes to references and simply check back to be sure the letters were mailed, or include all letters of recommendation in the application packet. If including all letters in the application packet, provide an envelope to each reference and ask that he or she seal the letter of recommendation inside the envelope and sign the seal.

Once an applicant has made the resume cut and is selected for an interview, the focus shifts from the applicant's credentials to issues of "fit. Interviews are typically conducted in the judge's chambers, allowing the judge and all support staff to form impressions about the candidate.

It is critical that candidates treat all members of the judge's staff with respect. Clerks come and go, but permanent staff members that have a long-standing relationship with the judge are often viewed as indispensable and can have a great deal of influence on the judge's decision. Interviews will last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or longer. Some judges will ask candidates to speak about two or three legal issues about which they feel strongly. Become familiar with recent or noteworthy cases that have either gained national attention or have come from the judge's court.

Get familiar with the judge's opinions, dissents, and personal history to try to anticipate areas that the judge may be interested in discussing. If possible, talk to people who have interviewed with the judge before to get a sense of what the judge might ask. Candidates should expect questions on how a clerkship fits into their long-range career goals.

Before interviewing, candidates should give some thought to why they are interested in a clerkship, why they are interested in the particular court, and why they are interested in the particular judge, and be prepared to answer questions about these choices. Answers should express a genuine interest in the specific clerkship for which the candidate is interviewing and should show that the candidate has done some research on the court and on the judge.

Approach the judicial clerkship interview with a game plan. Prepare ahead of time and identify the key personal characteristics to highlight in the interview. Focus on things such as writing ability, ability to meet deadlines, research ability, time management skills, ability to work independently and as part of a team, judgment, and ability to take constructive criticism.

Candidates should be prepared to ask questions of the judge. Remember that this, like all interviews, is a conversation.