Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Clerkship Program Info Sessions

State judicial clerkship season is upon us! If you're interested in learning more about how to apply for post-graduate clerkships at the Washington State Supreme Court or Washington State Court of Appeals (as well as courts in other states), be sure to attend one of the two upcoming clerkship program info sessions: Monday, April 7 from 5:15 to 6:00 pm in room 110 or Wednesday, April 9 from 12:00 to 12:45 pm in room 110. If both of the meeting times conflict with your class schedule, please let Erin Fullner know; CPD will work to schedule a make-up session if needed.

At the info session you'll get a clerkship application handbook, learn the ins and outs of the intricate clerkship application process, and have the opportunity to join the clerkship program listserv.

For those interested in federal clerkships who have not yet had a clerkship meeting with CPD, that application season is well underway. There may still be an opportunity to apply to positions, so please join us at the info session, but the focus at this point will mainly be state appellate clerkships.

If you're not sure whether a clerkship is right for you, attend the meeting to learn a bit more. If you're an especially strong writer, a judicial clerkship could be a great fit for you.

A word of clarification: Judicial clerkships are different from judicial externships. While externships are student positions where you can work for a judge for class credit, clerkships are post-graduate, paid positions. They usually last one to two years and are typically done during the first year or two after graduation from law school. Clerkship applications sent out this spring/summer (2014) will be for positions that begin in the fall of 2015, as a result, 2Ls are especially encouraged to apply at this time. 3 and 4Ls are also welcome to attend the info meeting and apply, but keep in mind that applying at this point would likely create a gap year after graduation. 1Ls, feel free to schedule an appointment with Erin Fullner to get preliminary information about the judicial clerkship process, especially if you think you'd be a good candidate for a clerkship in federal court, but there's no need to attend an info session at this point.