Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Class rankings

Per Mindi:

Updated class rank information is now available. Please keep in mind the following academic rule:

*3.06 Disclosure of Class Rank Information for Limited Purposes**
* Information about students' class standing shall be made available solely for the purpose of aiding students applying for judicial clerkships and academic positions.

Remember that disclosure of this information for any other purpose would be a violation of the Honor Code.

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Feel free to discuss class ranks, grades, and clerkships in this open thread, being mindful of the Honor Code.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Anybody have thoughts on what ranking is typically needed for a clerkship in N.D. Cal., or for 9th Circuit?

Anonymous said...

N.D. Cal. and 9th circuit are among the most competitive clerkships out there. You need to be at least top 10%, and even then your chances aren't great. The only exception is if you have a professor who (1) personally knows the judge fairly well and (2) is willing to call the judge on your behalf. Boalties in the top 40, 33, and 25% have gotten 9th Cir. clerkships this way.

Anonymous said...

So what's the curve for the class of '08 like?

Anonymous said...

~ 3.6 = top 20%

Anonymous said...

ND Cal, you should have at least a 10%;

9th Circuit, at least in Pasadena, use OSCAR -- and tend to do cut-offs at 5%.

These rules notwithstanding a professor calling a judge and having your application singled out. That will allow them to avoid the automatic sorting of OSCAR for grade cut-offs.

Some judges will also pull out only Boalt applications and look at the top 15% for the school, for instance. But in the gross picture, 5% is a good line to mark for competitive circuit court judges without any connection.

Anonymous said...

How does the level of competitiveness for 9th Cir clerkships compare, like judges in Pasadena versus those in SF, etc?

Anonymous said...

1:33 - it varies from judge to judge, but in general they are probably fairly comparable in terms of competitiveness.

Anonymous said...

How disadvantaged is someone if they wait until August to apply for a clerkship?

Anonymous said...

Not clerkships, but externships. If I want to extern in the spring, when should I send out applications? And should I send the same materials I would for a summer externship? (Sue Schechter isn't replying to my emails...)

Anonymous said...

Hmm... don't know anything about academic-year externships. Why not call chambers and ask if they're considering applications? (Make sure you say "externship" and not "clerkship.")

Or, email the career office. EStern is particularly helpful.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, ES is the one that told me to email Schechter, which hasn't been so helpful...

Anonymous said...

This may not be relevant to a spring externship, but I sent out my apps for a fall one in April of the preceding year and accepted an offer by May. Ended up turning down interviews after that. So, the earlier the better, I'd say.

Anonymous said...

Are you allowed to disclose class rank on externship applications?

McWho said...

No.

Anonymous said...

So what happened here? You just gave up?

Anonymous said...

would you be willing to discuss another blog -- this one about a second-year law student's search for a summer law clerk position? http://kdwestphal.blogspot.com
thanks.