District Court Profile: D. Mass.

The main courthouse for the District of Massachusetts is located in downtown Boston, just a few miles from three of the nation's best law schools -- Harvard, Boston University, and Boston College.  Currently, ten district judges, two senior district judges, and seven magistrate judges serve on the court. Given the court's size and location, competition for clerkships on the D. Mass. is extremely competitive.  Most clerks tend to hail from the three schools mentioned above, as well as Yale and handful of other elite schools in the northeast.

The court's website lists short bios for each judge, a history of the court, a telephone directory (for those all-important faculty calls!), and even information on artwork located in the ultra-modern Boston courthouse.  Currently, Judge Zobel and Magistrate Judge Neiman are hiring for 2012; none of the D. Mass judges have OSCAR listings up for 2013 yet.  Judge Nieman's entry states that he prefers prior clerkship experience.  Judge Zobel's is more direct: "Candidates are REQUIRED to have ONE TO TWO YEARS MINIMUM of post-law school experience, either in an appellate clerkship or other legal setting."  In other words, 2Ls need not apply.

Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse
One Courthouse Way, Room 5110
Boston, MA 02210-3002

District Judge Denise Jefferson Casper
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse
One Courthouse Way, Room 5130
Boston, MA 02210-3002 (more after the jump . . .)
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The Early Outlook: Who's already hiring for 2013?

The spring off-plan hiring season is still a few months away, but we are already receiving quite a few reports of off-plan and alumni hiring.  Judges on the Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits have already hired clerks for 2013-14.  Some of those judges have even hired 2Ls.  And on the Second Circuit, a few judges have begun hiring for 2014-15.

So who is looking now for 2013?  Here is a rundown of the current list of "available" positions on OSCAR.  Note that many of these judges may review alumni applications early, but student applications on-plan.  The fact that a judge is accepting apps now does not mean that the judge is reviewing apps now.  Likewise, a judge is not "off plan" simply because he or she appears on this list.  For a list of judges known or rumored to be off-plan, see this post.

• Bybee (9th Cir.)
• Calabresi (2d Cir.)
• Carney (2d Cir.)
• Chagares (3d Cir.)
• Chin (2d Cir.) (continued after the jump . . .)

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District Court Profile: C.D. Cal.

The Central District of California is among the busiest federal district courts.  It services nearly 20 million residents in southern California, most of whom live in the greater Los Angeles area.  The court's docket includes a significant number of media law and copyright cases, due to Hollywood's presence, as well as a substantial number of criminal and immigration cases.  The court is also part of the recently-announced patent pilot program, which means it will be an attractive target for applicants interested in IP litigation.

These characteristics have made the Central District a very popular target for clerkship applications.  Although no judges on the Central District have begun hiring for 2013, a handful -- District Judges Morrow and Pfaelzer, and Magistrate Judge Wilner -- are still hiring for 2012 term clerkships.  Here are the mailing addresses for each of the district and magistrate judges:

Chief District Judge Audrey B. Collins
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and Courthouse
255 East Temple Street, Suite 670
Los Angeles, CA 90012-3332

District Judge Percy Anderson
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
United States Courthouse
312 North Spring Street, Suite 163
Los Angeles, CA 90012-4701

District Judge Cormac J. Carney
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse
411 West Fourth Street, Suite 9-079
Santa Ana, CA 92701 (continued after the jump . . .)

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State court clerkship guides

hose interested in state court clerkships should check out NALP's updated guide.  The guide does not cover all fifty states, but does include detailed information on judicial clerkships in California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia.

Vermont Law School puts out an annual report covering all fifty states.  The 2010 version is available here.  The key takeaway for applicants is this: state courts hire on a variety of different timelines.  Some hire much earlier than federal courts; others much later.  If you are thinking about including state court clerkships in your game plan, you should read up on the process during the winter of your 2L year.

Expanded feeder judge data: OT 2002-13

Our feeder judge page lists the federal court of appeals judges with the strongest Supreme Court clerk placement records between October Term (OT) 2006 and OT 2013.  That is arguably the most relevant snapshot for current applicants, as feeder patterns shift over time.  In just the last two terms, several newer judges -- such as Judges Griffith (D.C. Cir.) and Gorsuch (10th Cir.) -- have established a strong presence in the rankings.  


For those interested in a longer view, here is a data set that looks back to OT 2002.  This list includes ten years of complete data (OT02-11) and two years of the most recent incomplete data (OT12-13). Only current judges are listed.  If a person clerked for two court of appeals judges prior to clerking on the Supreme Court, each court of appeals judge was counted.  However, if a person clerked on the Supreme Court twice (e.g., for a new Justice), their court of appeals judge was counted only once.  

Judge	Clerks OT02-13	Bristows 2002-12	Total
1. Garland (D.C. Cir.)	32	3	35
2. Wilkinson (4th Cir.)	27	5	32
3. Kozinski (9th Cir.)	26	2	28
4. Tatel (D.C. Cir.)	21	3	24
5. Boudin (1st Cir.)	19	1	20

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Michigan Law OCS: On Top of the Game

Welcome Wolverines!  We understand that the MLaw Office of Career Services mentioned this site during a clerkship presentation earlier today.  Career services offices vary widely in their response to off-plan hiring.  Some, like NYU's, have responded proactively to changes in hiring practices -- thus putting their students at a competitive advantage.  Others have essentially ignored the plan's demise, much to their students' detriment.  Kudos to UM for firmly establishing itself in the first group, and good luck to UM students this cycle!

Bristow Fellows

The Solicitor General's office hires four Bristow Fellows each year.  According to DOJ, Bristows

assist OSG attorneys in drafting briefs in opposition to certiorari filed against the government in the Supreme Court of the United States, preparing petitions for certiorari and briefs on the merits in Supreme Court cases, preparing recommendations to the Solicitor General regarding authorization of government appeals in the lower courts, and assisting in the preparation of oral arguments in the Supreme Court.

Bristow Fellows generally come directly out of high-end appellate clerkships.  The application window is open from July 15 to September 1 for positions starting the following summer (instructions here); selections are usually made in late fall.

Above The Law has covered Bristow Fellow selections in recent years.  But there is no central database listing where former Bristows clerked or went to law school.  This post seeks to fill that void for the past decade.

2012: Kavanaugh (D.C. Cir.)/YLS; Wilkinson (4th Cir.)/UVA; Sutton (6th Cir.)/Thapar (E.D. Ky.)/GULC; Niemeyer (4th Cir.)/NU

2011: Garland (D.C. Cir.)/SLS; Fletcher (9th Cir.)/Boalt; Randolph (D.C. Cir.)/Penn; Gorsuch (10th Cir.)/Chicago (continued after the break . . .)
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