CHARTING A COURSE FOR SUCCESS : JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS

STEP 2 - BUILDING YOUR RESUME FOR A JUDICIAL CLERKSHIP

It is never too soon to begin considering a judicial clerkship after graduation. To learn more about the benefits and responsibilities of judicial clerkships, refer to Charting a Course for Success: JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS, Step 1 – General Clerkship Information. Additionally, the Career Development Office has a section of the library devoted to materials on clerkships, including binders with information on Suffolk graduates who have clerked at the federal and state levels. You should also meet with a career counselor to discuss your interest in clerking and to develop a strategic plan for building your resume during your time in law school. While judges place significant emphasis on strong academic performance, they will also consider a student’s achievements in extracurricular activities. With that in mind, the Career Development Office has developed the following recommendations.

• Study! Strong academic performance is a prerequisite for obtaining a clerkship, so it is important for you to develop excellent study habits now. Additionally, courts look very favorably on law review experience. Eligibility to participate in the closed writing competition for the Suffolk University Law Review is based on academic performance. 
• Attend Career Development Programs on clerkships.
• Consider interning for a judge during your summer break. Meet with a career counselor to plan your application strategy. You will need to write letters directly to the courts/judges you are interested in working for, because these positions are rarely advertised, and the CDO can assist you in locating contact information for judges. Interning is excellent experience to have on your resume; however, the positions are not paid. Some judges will let students work part time, or, if you intern fulltime, you may consider a second job in the evenings for income.
• Begin researching Suffolk’s Internship Program; it provides an excellent opportunity to gain experience. Past interns have worked with judges during the school year.
• Develop a strong relationship with one or more of your professors; clerkship applications require letters of recommendation and at least one letter should be from a law school professor.
• Take part in competitions (e.g., negotiations, mock trials). If you are not eligible to participate as a competitor, consider being a client or witness for other competitors.
• Plan to take advanced research and writing courses during your second and third years.
• Participate in the writing competitions that determine journal membership. For specific information on eligibility for the various journals at Suffolk, refer to the Suffolk web site, under Student Organizations/Honor Boards.
• Find a job for your summer break that will provide you with further legal research and writing experience.  

Second-Year Day Students

• Attend CDO programming events on clerkships: a Clerkship Information Panel is held in late August, where judges and Suffolk graduates who have clerked speak about their experiences. A similar program is held each spring.
• Attend the Live Motion Session with Chief Judge William G. Young of the U.S. District Court, held annually in the fall.
• While most clerkship opportunities are available beginning in your third year, some positions may be available earlier, so begin checking relevant websites and read the Spotlight weekly.  The "State Judicial Clerkship" binder or the Guide to State Judicial Clerkships (ID and password available in the CDO) are excellent resources for information on state court clerkship application procedures and deadlines.
• Take advanced research and writing courses during your second and third years.
• Develop a writing sample to use with your clerkship application, either in a class, a clinic, or through work experience.
• Cultivate relationships with professors who you will ask for letters of recommendation.
• Consider participating in Suffolk’s Internship Program to gain additional legal experience. Some Suffolk students have even worked directly with a judge through this program. Also, consider participating in a clinical program.
• Become a research assistant for a professor. This will allow you to hone your research and writing skills, and develop a strong relationship with someone who could later write a letter of recommendation for you.
• Search for a summer job that will allow you to further develop your research and writing skills. Depending on your previous work experiences, consider interning for a judge.
• Consider working part-time during the school year to build resume experience.
• Participate in the writing competitions that determine journal membership. For specific information on eligibility for the various journals at Suffolk, refer to the web site, under Student Organizations/Honor Boards.
• Take part in mock trial competitions and other activities to strengthen your advocacy skills.
• Obtain advanced certification from Westlaw and LEXIS.
• Read the packet of information that will arrive from the CDO over the summer.
• Begin preparing your applications over the summer, referring to Judicial Clerkships, Step 3 – The Application Process, for more information. 

Evening Students (1L/2L/3L)

Many Suffolk evening students have obtained clerkships. If you are planning to apply for a clerkship, it is critical to gain legal research and writing experience during your first three years of law school. Refer to the lists above for first- and second-year day students for ideas on how to develop these skills. Realizing that evening students often maintain fulltime jobs outside of school, and therefore have limited time for extracurricular activities, the Career Development Office has also developed an Evening Student Career Starter Workshop to provide further advice on obtaining legal experience. Additionally, you should plan to meet with a career counselor to develop a strategic plan for building your resume during your time in law school.

Third Year Day Students & Fourth Year Evening Students

Applications for federal courts and many state courts are due in early September. Please check with the CDO staff about specific deadlines; some federal judges may accept applications earlier. We strongly encourage you to check the Federal Law Clerk Information System at https://lawclerks.ao.uscourts.gov, the Federal Judges Law Clerk Hiring Plan at www.cadc.uscourts.gov/lawclerk, and OSCAR (Online System for Clerkship Application and Review) at http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/OSCAR.html for more information. OSCAR is a pilot program permitting applicants to electronically file their federal clerkship application materials with participating judges. Again, in order not to miss any important deadlines, we highly recommend that you meet with a career counselor. 

• Review information received from the CDO over the summer.
• Research application requirements and deadlines for courts to which you plan to apply.
• Application materials for Massachusetts state courts (Supreme Judicial Court, Superior Court, Appeals Court, Land Court, and Probate and Family Court) are available in the CDO. The Massachusetts Probate and Family Court requires writing a memorandum of law based upon a provided fact pattern, so plan accordingly.
• Attend CDO programming events, including the Clerkship Information Panel and the Live Motion Session with Chief Judge William G. Young of the U.S. District Court.

Refer to JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS, Step 3 – The Application Process, for more information.