044: How to Get a Judicial Clerkship

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today we are talking with special guest, Fairuz Abdullah, Associate Director of Public Interest Programs and Judicial Clerkships in the office of career and professional development at UC Hastings, about how to get a judicial clerkship! As some of you may know, the clerkship process (at least for federal clerkships) has changed a lot in recent years and Fairuz has just returned from the NALP conference with some very useful information.

If you are contemplating a judicial clerkship, be sure to tune in!

In this episode we discuss:

• What the clerkship process looked like in the past vs. now
• How much have things really changed and what prompted the changes to the clerkship process?
• What do you need to do at various stages (1L, 2L, 3L, alum) to position yourself for a clerkship
• How your school can help you find a clerkship
• What the clerkship application numbers look like lately
• Who should be applying as early as possible
• What judges are looking for in their judicial clerks
• How to build relationships with professors (for letters of recommendation and phone calls on your behalf)
• What do clerkships pay?
• The questions you may be asked in your clerkship interview
• Alternatives to federal clerkships, like state and international courts
• Fairuz and Alison's advice for someone who really wants a clerkship

Resources:

Federal Courts

U.S. Courts (http://www.uscourts.gov/)

Online System for Application and Review (https://oscar.uscourts.gov/)

State Courts

National Center for State Courts (http://www.ncsc.org/)

Vermont Law School State Court Clerkship Guide (http://forms.vermontlaw.edu/career/guides/) (paid subscription by your law school)

California Supreme/Appellate Court info (http://www.courts.ca.gov/careers.htm)

Insight and Information for State Court Clerkships on NALP Connect (http://www.nalp.org/nalpconnect) (law school career office can access)

Federal ALJ Post Graduate Clerkships Guide on NALP Connect (http://www.nalp.org/nalpconnect) (law school career office can access)

International Courts

International Justice and Resource Center (http://www.ijrcenter.org)

Opportunities with International Tribunals and Foreign Courts (https://www.law.yale.edu/system/files/area/department/cdo/document/CDO_International_Tribunals_Public.pdf) (Yale Guide)

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on iTunes. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact).

Enjoy! And best of luck securing a clerkship!

Alison & Lee