Re:Law firms pay Supreme Court clerks $400k bonuses – what a...
by gamblor956 on Monday September 28, 2020 @02:48AM
(#24613663)
Then, getting a clerkship with a “feeder” appellate judge is almost entirely a function of blind-graded exams in law school.
I dispute that assertion, given that Yarvard no longer assigns grades to law school classes. Thus, it becomes almost entirely a matter of connections, even more so than it was before when they actually did give their students grades. The only difference is that Yarvard students who would have once been prioritized for clerkships on the basis of academic success are now losing clerkship positions to fellow students with better connections than them. While I don't feel sorry for those students, it has had the knock-on effect of making it even more difficult for non-Yarvard students to get clerkships.
“Connections” matter to a degree (working with the right law professors to get good recommendations) but it’s a highly structured process.
The connection to the right law professor doesn't just matter to a degree. It's the single most important factor in determining what students will land federal judicial clerkships. The NALP conducted a study on this, and found that more than 1/3rd of federal judicial clerkship positions went to students/graduates that personally knew the judge they clerked for (generally on the basis of meeting the judges at law school functions). In contrast, state judicial clerkships were generally assigned on the basis of merit, with few if any of the clerks knowing their judges prior to clerking for them.
I dispute that assertion, given that Yarvard no longer assigns grades to law school classes. Thus, it becomes almost entirely a matter of connections, even more so than it was before when they actually did give their students grades. The only difference is that Yarvard students who would have once been prioritized for clerkships on the basis of academic success are now losing clerkship positions to fellow students with better connections than them. While I don't feel sorry for those students, it has had the knock-on effect of making it even more difficult for non-Yarvard students to get clerkships.
“Connections” matter to a degree (working with the right law professors to get good recommendations) but it’s a highly structured process.
The connection to the right law professor doesn't just matter to a degree. It's the single most important factor in determining what students will land federal judicial clerkships. The NALP conducted a study on this, and found that more than 1/3rd of federal judicial clerkship positions went to students/graduates that personally knew the judge they clerked for (generally on the basis of meeting the judges at law school functions). In contrast, state judicial clerkships were generally assigned on the basis of merit, with few if any of the clerks knowing their judges prior to clerking for them.