OCS

Key Market Takeaways US-trained lawyers primarily work in Canada in one of two ways: as a Canadian-barred lawyer or a US-barred Foreign Legal Consultant. Most…

Interested in learning about using your JD to pursue a career in business? Listen to HLS alums as they candidly discuss careers in management consulting,…

The process for applying to 1L summer diversity positions at major law firms can be daunting. When do I apply? What should I say in…

What to Expect Format and Duration Screener Interview Screener interviews are usually 20 minutes in length, conducted by a partner or senior associate.Less frequently, your…

Turning down an invitation or delaying an acceptance can feel awkward, so below are sample responses to a myriad of situations. If your particular situation…

Never say you do not have any questions, which can be perceived as a lack of interest on your part. Do not ask any questions where…

Categories of Interview Questions Below is a non-exhaustive list of common interview questions. There are no “right” answers. You should avoid “canned” or overly rehearsed…

Eliminate Distractions Set up for interviews in a quiet, private space.Silence your phone and pop-ups on your devices.Turn off the TV and music.Make sure that…

Interview Preparation Worksheet (docx) Assessing What You and the Employer Each Want What Are Employers Seeking? Most employers are looking for: Genuine interest…

Going Negative About a Prior Career or Academic Path  Any discussion of why you chose to attend law school should not include an outright rejection of a…

Follow-Up The wait for a response from an employer after an initial interview or a callback can be an anxious time. Candidates frequently ask when…

Program Dates The EIP Mock Interview Program will take place from March 21 to April 21 using Flo Recruit, the program we will use for…

last revised: 11/30/22 The dates listed below are for applications for October Term 2024, based on the Justices’ hiring practices from previous years and any…

Mail Merge Option For your convenience, we offer a spreadsheet of the various items that change from justice to justice (xlsx) so that you can plug…

When a HLS clerk has agreed to be contacted by future HLS applicants seeking advice, an email is listed. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.

Judges Interviewing You Call or email right away judges with whom you previously interviewed and judges with whom you have upcoming interviews. They seem to…

A thank you note to a judge after a clerkship interview is nice but not required. If you are pressed for time and stressed, you…

Some students will go into summer jobs wanting to interrupt them for clerkship interviews while others already may have secured early clerkships. That raises the…

The first step is to respond promptly to an interview invitation. Usually invitations will come by phone or email so be sure to monitor both. Although you…

Judges’ law clerks are subject to official and unofficial rules restricting their conduct. While some of the rules are obvious (e.g., don’t accept bribes), others…

Before going to your interview, prepare! As with any job, the more research and thinking you do beforehand, the better you will be able to…

Judge’s Policy If you do not know already, ask your judge what, if any, policy he or she has regarding your contacts with potential future…

Of course firms can vary but we have found most firms – especially large ones – to be fairly accommodating about clerkships. Above all, be…

Clerkship Interview Reports Many applicants are helped by having as much information as possible when deciding at what point to apply, prioritizing interview opportunities, potentially…

The expectations for offers and acceptances of judicial clerkships differ from those for other types of legal jobs. Some judges are not as patient as…

Withdrawing after an Interview Despite your due diligence in researching judges, you may decide after an interview that clerking for a judge would be unwise…

What is a Clerkship? A judicial clerkship is a job as basically an assistant judge, doing everything that judges do, but behind the scenes and…

The traditional time to clerk has been right out of law school, but some people clerk after one or more years in practice. Consider the…

Chief Judges A chief judge has lead responsibility for the administration of the court on which he or she sits, in addition to having a…

Clerks have much the same experience across the various types of courts, but there are some distinguishing features by type of court as described below.

After you have generated a potential list of judges, research the judges individually to ensure you would be comfortable working for any of the final…

Law students can do a number of things to position themselves well to apply for clerkships. Overall, it’s helpful to develop good legal experience through…

Number of Judges   When deciding how many judges to target, consider factors such as:  The strength of your credentialsWhether your recommenders have any specified limits on…

***************************************************************************************************** CONFIDENTIAL FOR USE ONLY BY HLS CLERKSHIP APPLICANTS AND CLERKS.
Please be careful NOT to share this information with judges, friends at other schools,…

Each participant is assigned to work for one judge for a duration of ten months from early September to June/July and receives a $45,000 stipend…

Most Harvard applicants focus on clerkships in the United States, but another option is to go global to domestic courts of other nations or international…

After you made some initial decisions in Step 1: Develop Strategy, next generate an initial list of judges who meet your criteria. By Type of…

Researching judges as individual, potential employers before you submit applications is important, after you have considered more general factors (i.e., geography, type of court, type of judge). …

Think as broadly as possible about where to clerk, for both personal and strategic reasons. The job is similar regardless of location. Cost of Living  Salaries vary…

Financial Assistance for Clerkship Applications Expenses related to the clerkship application process include printing and mailing paper applications, formal professional attire for interviews, and possible…

By this stage in developing your clerkship strategy, you have considered geography, as well as types of courts and judges.  It is now time to…

By addressing grades, we do not mean to suggest they are the “be-all-end-all” factor that determines success. We know some applicants with mediocre grades who…

One of Harvard Law School’s greatest assets is its faculty, and one of the best ways to engage in the law school experience is by…

Transfer students face some unique benefits and challenges in the clerkship landscape. On the plus side, you must have had strong 1L grades and recommendations…

International students and alumni without U.S. citizenship have various clerkship options. First, it is helpful to understand the main restriction. Noncitizens are prohibited from being paid as federal employees…

Most clerkships have terms of one or two years, corresponding roughly to academic years (i.e., starting in August or September). With that regular turnover comes…

Advice Positioning Yourself for Clerkship Applications  Developing Faculty Recommendations  Why Clerk and Common Misconceptions  Considering Clerkships as a Transfer Student  …

While the rest of the OCS clerkship website is geared to applicants, this page is provided for the reference of HLS faculty and assistants. Faculty who…

A judicial internship is, in many ways, like a judicial clerkship except that an internship is usually for a summer or semester during the school…

Recent Numbers In recent years, we have had approximately 250+ judicial clerks each year. Total Clerkships: 2017-2021* As of 12/19/2022 Court20172018201920202021U.S. Supreme1110975U.S. Circuit116104116108116U.S. District9194124116116Other Federal106478State…