Are there any courts near the Blue Lagoon?

Holland & Knight NY is NOT hiring any law clerks either. And they have a pretty large lit practice, so... Bummer.

Is old standby Jacoby & Meyers taking clerks this year?

maybe they don't want to pay 50k sign-on bonuses?

I've gotten a similar reaction from firms in some of the midlevel markets and am concerned that I will run into the same issues in DC. Is the DC market soft for law clerks?

No surprise. There are risks to clerking, especially in this economy.

Chicago is soft. Kirkland and Winston are hiring clerks though.

Is HRC trying to use this whole "pimping" controversy as free publicity? Is she "pimping" the fact that she got called for "pimping" Chelsea?

Wow. Baker & Hostetler really sucks. Not only do they no-offer a high number of their summer associates, but they can't even send out the right rejection letters to people. What an inept firm.

Its a buyer's market out there. I've had trouble in DC and NY, even from a top 10 law school, and a prestigious district court.

I guess you could always clerk for another year, and hope the market looks rosier when you finish.

2:13 PM

Take the political warfare elsewhere. Or experiment with what happens when you refer to the children of important clients being "pimped" in a public communication coming out of your office.

Either would be acceptable course of action for you.

How do firms view career clerks? Similar bonus structure as term clerks? Do you get credit for the number of years clerking when you move into private practice (like moving up to a 5th year, etc.)?

I'll be clerking from 2008-2009. I have an offer from the firm where I summered. I'm in litigation. Should I be worried?

What steps should I take to ensure that I have a job upon completion of my clerkship?

Any advice is welcome.

I'm a current COA clerk. My co-clerks and I have received unsolicited info from latham, jones day, keker and van nest, patterson bellknap, and a couple of the large firms in our circuit. I haven't contacted any of those firms, but I assume that they are hiring clerks, given the "effort" of contacting us. Anecdotally, I have heard of some folks struggling to get traction with their applications. I had hoped that this was based on firms being slow to determine their hiring needs for the coming year, but I'm starting to think that the economic downturn is really putting a crimp in the clerk hiring situation. I don't think clerks who are still looking for permanent employment should begin to panic, but I do think we may need to adjust our expectations a bit, and realize that it isn't the clerk-friendly environment that has existed in the past.

3:20 - too late to line up another clerkship for next year...those slots were filled in the fall.

For 3L to law clerk, my advice would be to accept your offer now, if your judge permits you to.

Federal clerkships are the new lower third of the class.

That Baker & Hostetler letter looks familiar...
Oh, that's right, I got the same one.

I wonder if bankruptcy practices are still hiring bankruptcy clerks even if general lit isn't? I'd certainly think so.

Be thankful you were spared Dinged 1L. Baker Hostetler is a shithole.

I don't suppose those Pacific clerkships trigger the clerkship bonuses from most firms?

I'm a current clerk and I have lowered my expectations. I'd even consider Baker Hostetler. My co-clerk and I have received unsolicited brochures from Keker, Quinn, and a few others. Anyone know of other CA firms looking for clerks?

I'm a current district court clerk and just finished finding a job in CA (in a non-Los Angeles market). I found a job but it was tighter than expected, and I was told by several prominent CA based firms that the office I had applied to was not hiring at the moment. Then again maybe I jumped the gun and applied too early?

I am clerking for a judge on Washington State's Supreme Court. It might just be that Seattle's economy is shrugging off much of the downturn of the rest of the country, but I had no problem finding firms in Seattle looking to hire.

hey guys -- I wouldn't put much stock in those "unsolicited brochures" from law firms. It's a form of marketing. Doesn't mean they actually plan to hire a set number of clerks at the time they send those out.

I thought clerking was supposed to help your job prospects?

Ditto, CaliBigLaw.

Kellogg Huber sent me and my CoA co-clerks fancy brochures inviting us to apply and then didn't even acknowledge receipt of resumes.

7:36, having a clerkship on your resume definitely helps. But, with the downturn in the economy, firms are hiring very conservatively (if at all). Best of luck with your search.

I'm clerking in a fed. district court in Texas and looking in Houston. It has been slow thus far. Anyone else with some thoughts on clerk hiring in Houston (or Dallas for that matter)?

In response to 5:38, a friend is currently clerking for the bankruptcy court, she had several offers (I think everywhere she interview with)

I would presume your best bet will always be in the judicial district where you clerk. Firms will want someone with experience before the judges that handle their cases. I'm in a large county with only five judges, and I've heard back from some highly selective firms in that area.

Huh. I clerked N.D. Cal. last year, and applied to firms in SF this time last year (think KVN, QE, MoFo, Heller, OMM, Orrick, etc.) - 6 of the 7 I sent applications to called within two weeks, and I felt I had my choice of the SF market (graduated T3 school, summered V5 law firm). I haven't heard anything about the above-named SF offices NOT hiring, but I haven't been paying attention since it's no longer relevant. It'd be sad if the market for clerks had dried up in the past eleven months. Good luck to all the clerks looking!

I graduated from a top law school, clerked on federal district court, and am clerking on the court of appeals. I have had very little response from firms in the D.C. area even those that sent out marketing material.

Considering how firms are reluctant to hire clerks, should 2L summer associates be worried about receiving job offers at the end of the summer?

I'm also a CoA clerk and have had no luck in DC, although I have put in my cover letter that I have an interest in the firm's appellate group. My sense is that DC firms are not hiring clerks at all to do appellate work. But I don't really have any desire to work at a firm unless I can do appellate work. If I can't do appellate work at a firm, I'm happy to go work at a non-profit or for the Government instead.

From what I hear, clerks from the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (the patent court) are still in big demand - and they get $100K signing bonuses from a number of firms. Has anyone heard of a downturn in the Fed Circuit hiring market?

to 6:54: Yes, you should be very worried. This is direct evidence that 2L summer associates will NOT be getting guaranteed offers this year. The firms clearly expect the economy to be slow in 2009, and will not be hiring everyone like in previous years.

Really sucks to be a 2L summer this year...

I think 2Ls will still be fine since they won't be starting until the fall of 2009 unlike clerks starting this fall. Firms will need cheap labor when work picks back up.

2L's will NOT be fine! Nobody knows when -- if ever -- the economy will pick up again. The firms will be very cautious and will be forced to cut back on offers.

1:07: What about 3Ls who will be starting in the fall? Any risk that their jobs will no longer be there when the fall rolls around?

1:07: what is the evidence you speak of?

4:15 - I would recommend you think VERY carefully about clerking. If your clership is not that prestigious (eg in a circuit court or similar level for different fields or the Supremes obviously), I would recommend that you forgo it...My firm has rescinded offers to 3 clerks who had offers upon graduation but decided to go for a clerkship...

3:13 can you give a vault range or market? This really surprises me that even federal clerks from top schools had trouble getting offers. I still think midlevels have much more to worry about than 2Ls though.

To 12:52 -- DC appellate practices are hiring. Not sure how widely, but they're definitely interviewing (at least COA 2/9/DC clerks).

From what I've heard, though, Latham DC is pretty much done and won't be hiring any new clerks.

Clerks,

Chill out. It is early. If you have strong credentials (top 10), you will have a good job lined up by the time you end your clerkship.

2:49: The evidence is all around us. The economy is tanking, and the firms were not on top of things when they were hiring for this summer. The summer classes are MASSIVE this year, because the firms did not anticipate the slowdown when they were hiring in the fall.

The fact that they aren't even interviewing clerks is further proof that the firms are in bad shape financially.

so what about the prospects of firm hiring for summer 2009?

Should I (a 1L at a top10) be extremely worried?

5:04-- nobody knows. Any advice you get on that would be a wild guess. So all you can do right now is sit tight and try to get great grades. The firms will not stop hiring any summers/entry level people, so don't freak out.

Clerks-- the DC market is tough for everyone. Almost EVERYONE went to top 10 schools, had top grades, and did prestigious internships/clerkships. You might just be a little too late to the table this year. Maybe try looking at smaller markets?

DC sucks. Go to another market.

I think 5:23 and other folks are overstating things. Yes, it might be harder for clerks to get jobs this year than it has been in the past, but I bet clerks will still be better off than non-clerks. I wouldn't take the advice of anyone telling you NOT to clerk for this reason.

5:23: Clerkships and internships are very different.

If things are really tanking why are they giving even bigger clerkship bonuses? And raising salaries in smaller markets? This is confusing...

I haven't heard a satisfying answer to the old (and documented) adage that as the economy worsens, litigation goes up, because companies are more likely to break contracts.

Could it be that the people who aren't finding jobs are flukes? (Or that the people who are most likely to read post like this, and to post comments, are those who are having trouble finding jobs, for whatever reason?) Are these people looking for jobs in transactional departments?

I just find it a little hard to swallow that it's tough to find a job as a law clerk. This is, all other things being equal, the very best of the candidate pool. I can't imagine that the demand for new associates is so low that law firms are essentially ignoring everyone who applies. Particularly since, when the economy rebounds, there would otherwise be a huge gap in staffing cases with associates of appropriate seniority level.

Good lord - are you people hysterial enough yet?? "2L's will NOT be fine! Nobody knows when -- if ever -- the economy will pick up again" LMAO - you really need to get a grip.

with all this talk about the economic downturn and slow down in clerk hires does anyone know what the prospects for bankruptcy clerks will look like if in fact the economy tanks in 2008-09?

I am a clerk at a State Supreme Court and the market for big firms in my area is very soft. My Judge's clerks from last year who are at big DC firms have reported that their firms are not hiring clerks at the moment.

It's better than Texas, which is hell on earth.

Will law clerk hiring survive the Cloverfield monster?

With the increase in new associate salaries (at a faster clip than clerkship bonuses), the top candidates for the 2007-08 term were probably more likely to work at a firm than clerk for a judge.

Could it be, that in addition to the law firm economy, this term's clerks are having a tougher time finding work because they were not the top candidates pre-clerkship? Maybe clerks from prior terms had an easier time getting a post-clerkship job because those clerks were the best candidates pre-clerkship.

I know a couple of clerks who've had trouble finding a job this year. By "trouble", I mean that they sent their resumes out in a mass mailing and haven't heard anything back. I don't consider not turning anything up instantaneously using such a passive approach "trouble." It's idiocy to leave your fate in the hands of any firm's recruiting department - too much sloppiness, too much turnover, etc.

I recently interviewed for pre-clerkship summer gigs at NY firms, and so did a friend of mine. If they're hiring for pre-clerkship gigs (which are sort of a boondoggle), I have to assume hiring is not that tight.

I haven't had any trouble, but I've been using a head hunter. While I was initially hesitant about the idea, it seemed to make sense -- they know which firms are hiring and which are not so that you don't have to waste your time with a mass mailing. I've done 2 full round interviews and gotten 2 offers.

10:37 - which market?

LA

How did you find a headhunter?

lateral link. i swear i'm not a troll. i've also just been chatting with a couple headhunters referred by friends. i worked for a year before clerking, so I don't know if that makes a difference in terms of working with a head hunter. i know that some firms (e.g., latham) refuse to pay head hunter fees for clerks).

I worked for a V20 firm in DC before clerking on the COA. Still, the top firms in my secondary, target market have not yet responded to my resume. I've received some bites from T2 firms. There is a definite unease in the market place regarding the need to hire more associates, even clerks. And the clerkship bonuses make clerks even more expensive.

2:13,

You are an idiot. Anyone who takes a "bigfirm" job over a good clerkship is shortsighted, and does not have good judgment.

The market for associates in DC is tough right now for laterals and clerks. You may have better luck in NY.

Yep, 2:13 is definitely wrong.

Mass mailings are lame.

How else to do it?

Well, on the one hand I'm glad other clerks are having a rough time because it means I'm not alone. On the other hand, I'm worried b/c I'm a T2 clerk looking out of district.... Maybe the public defender is hiring.

I imagine this also depends on the market. I bet that clerks looking for jobs in NYC are not going to have a problem, but smaller markets might be more difficult.

Im am also curious as to the job opportunities for Bankruptcy Clerks, especially the ones who are done in Late Summer 2009.

...same question here, from a bankruptcy clerk to-be, I was curious what impact this economy will have on job prospects, especially if it keeps heading south? If we're knee deep in a recession come 2009, what kind of turn out can I except from nyc biglaw (bankruptcy departments)? note: clerkship is out of state plus I have the stigma of a ny TTT, albeit in the top 5%... is big law even an option? are clerkship bonuses just a pie in the sky if your judge is art. I?? …should I just continue clerking my way to district court?

I don't get the anxiety among the bankruptcy clerks. As the economy goes down the tubes, bankruptcies go up. That means the demand for bankruptcy associates goes up too...

I dont think clerks are having a rough time. Many firms might decline to hire a clerk as a summer associate, but thats different than their unwillingness to provide permanent offers to former law clerks. Clerks are jamming.