Table 46. Demographics of Alumni Law Clerk Survey Respondents
|
|
Percent |
Number |
|
Overall |
100.0% |
931 |
|
Gender: |
||
|
Men |
462 |
50.1 |
|
Women |
460 |
49.9 |
|
Race/ethnicity: |
||
|
American Indian |
5 |
0.6 |
|
Asian/Pacific Islander |
44 |
5.4 |
|
African American/Black |
24 |
2.7 |
|
White |
797 |
88.6 |
|
Hispanic |
20 |
2.2 |
|
Other |
10 |
1.1 |
|
Age: |
||
|
20-25 |
131 |
14.3 |
|
26-30 |
627 |
68.2 |
|
31-35 |
112 |
12.2 |
|
36 and older |
49 |
5.3 |
|
Sexual orientation: |
||
|
Heterosexual |
872 |
96.8 |
|
Other |
29 |
3.2 |
|
Disability Status: |
||
|
Not disabled |
886 |
98.2 |
|
Disabled |
16 |
1.8 |
Note: Counts of individual categories do not add to the total because some respondents did not provide the information requested.
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Table 47. Courts Represented by Alumni Law Clerk Survey Respondents
|
Level/Type of Court |
Number Responding |
Percent Responding |
|
Federal Appellate |
206 |
22.3% |
|
Federal Trial |
303 |
32.8 |
|
Local Trial |
12 |
1.3 |
|
State Appellate |
132 |
14.3 |
|
State Trial |
243 |
26.3 |
|
Other |
27 |
2.9 |
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Table 48. Comparison of Demographics by Type of Court
|
|
Federal |
State |
Local |
Other (Agency) |
|
Overall |
56.7% |
41.1% |
1.5% |
1.2% |
|
Gender: |
||||
|
Women |
45.6 |
54.1 |
71.4 |
72.7 |
|
Men |
54.4 |
45.9 |
28.6 |
27.3 |
|
Age: |
||||
|
20-25 years |
12.7 |
16.9 |
7.7 |
0.0 |
|
26-30 years |
71.0 |
65.0 |
53.8 |
72.7 |
|
31-35 years |
12.1 |
11.4 |
23.1 |
27.3 |
|
36 and older |
4.3 |
6.6 |
15.2 |
0.0 |
|
Sexual Orientation: |
||||
|
Heterosexual |
96.4 |
97.3 |
100.0 |
90.9 |
|
Other |
3.6 |
2.7 |
0.0 |
9.1 |
|
Race/Ethnicity: |
||||
|
American Indian/Alaska Native |
0.2 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Asian/Pacific Islander |
6.0 |
3.2 |
0.0 |
9.1 |
|
Black/African American |
2.0 |
3.2 |
14.3 |
0.0 |
|
Caucasian |
88.2 |
89.5 |
85.7 |
90.1 |
|
Hispanic/Latino |
2.4 |
2.2 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Other |
1.2 |
1.1 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Disability Status: |
||||
|
Not Disabled |
98.2 |
98.4 |
92.9 |
100.0 |
|
Disabled |
2.8 |
1.61 |
7.1 |
0.0 |
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Table 49. Comparison of Demographics by Level of Court
|
|
Appellate |
Trial |
District |
Magistrate |
Bankruptcy |
Admin. Law Judge |
Other |
|
Overall |
36.8% |
19.8% |
36.7% |
2.1% |
1.2% |
0.2% |
2.1% |
|
Gender: |
|||||||
|
Women |
48.3 |
59.3 |
43.5 |
72.0 |
60.0 |
66.7 |
63.2 |
|
Men |
51.6 |
40.7 |
56.5 |
28.0 |
40.0 |
33.3 |
36.8 |
|
Age: |
|||||||
|
20-25 years |
13.5 |
20.0 |
11.9 |
8.0 |
33.3 |
0.0 |
10.5 |
|
26-30 years |
67.1 |
62.8 |
73.8 |
60.0 |
46.7 |
100.0 |
68.4 |
|
31-35 years |
13.5 |
11.1 |
10.7 |
16.0 |
6.7 |
0.0 |
21.1 |
|
36 and older |
6.0 |
6.1 |
3.6 |
16.0 |
13.3 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Sexual Orientation: |
|||||||
|
Heterosexual |
95.7 |
97.2 |
97.6 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
94.4 |
|
Other |
4.3 |
2.8 |
2.4 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
5.6 |
|
Race/Ethnicity: |
|||||||
|
American Indian/Alaska Native |
0.6 |
0.6 |
0.0 |
4.6 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Asian/Pacific Islander |
4.9 |
3.9 |
5.4 |
0.0 |
6.7 |
0.0 |
5.6 |
|
Black/African American |
2.1 |
2.8 |
3.3 |
0.0 |
6.7 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Caucasian |
88.1 |
88.1 |
90.0 |
81.8 |
86.7 |
100.0 |
88.9 |
|
Hispanic/Latino |
2.1 |
2.8 |
1.2 |
13.6 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
5.6 |
|
Other |
2.1 |
1.7 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Disability Status: |
|||||||
|
Not Disabled |
98.5 |
98.9 |
97.6 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
94.4 |
|
Disabled |
1.5 |
1.1 |
2.4 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
5.6 |
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Table 50. Comparison of Demographics by Court Combination
|
|
Total # |
Federal Appellate |
Federal Trial |
State Appellate |
State Trial |
Local Trial |
Other Court |
|
Overall |
923 |
22.3% |
32.8% |
14.3% |
26.3% |
1.3% |
2.9% |
|
Gender: |
|||||||
|
Women |
456 |
44.5 |
46.0 |
54.2 |
53.7 |
75.0 |
66.7 |
|
Men |
458 |
55.5 |
54.0 |
45.8 |
46.3 |
25.0 |
33.3 |
|
Age: |
|||||||
|
20-25 years |
130 |
12.9 |
12.6 |
14.5 |
18.3 |
9.1 |
7.4 |
|
26-30 years |
622 |
70.2 |
71.4 |
61.8 |
66.7 |
54.5 |
70.4 |
|
31-35 years |
110 |
12.4 |
11.6 |
15.3 |
9.2 |
18.2 |
22.2 |
|
36 and older |
49 |
4.5 |
4.3 |
8.4 |
5.8 |
18.2 |
0.0 |
|
Sexual Orientation: |
|||||||
|
Heterosexual |
864 |
95.9 |
96.9 |
95.4 |
98.3 |
100.0 |
92.3 |
|
Other |
29 |
4.1 |
3.0 |
4.6 |
1.7 |
0.0 |
7.7 |
|
Race/Ethnicity: |
|||||||
|
American Indian/Alaska Native |
4 |
0.0 |
0.3 |
1.5 |
0.4 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Asian/Pacific Islander |
43 |
7.2 |
5.4 |
1.5 |
3.8 |
0.0 |
7.7 |
|
Black/African American |
24 |
1.0 |
2.7 |
3.8 |
3.0 |
16.7 |
0.0 |
|
Caucasian |
791 |
86.7 |
88.8 |
90.0 |
89.8 |
83.3 |
88.5 |
|
Hispanic/Latino |
20 |
2.6 |
2.4 |
1.5 |
2.1 |
0.0 |
3.8 |
|
Other |
10 |
2.6 |
0.3 |
1.5 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Disability Status: |
|||||||
|
Not Disabled |
879 |
98.4 |
98.0 |
98.5 |
98.7 |
91.7 |
96.4 |
|
Disabled |
16 |
1.5 |
2.0 |
1.5 |
1.3 |
8.3 |
3.8 |
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Table 51. Comparison of Demographics by Status of Judge
|
|
Active Judge |
Senior Judge |
Chief Judge |
|
Overall |
74.9% |
15.1% |
9.9% |
|
Gender: |
|||
|
Women |
50.9 |
42.1 |
49.4 |
|
Men |
49.1 |
57.9 |
50.5 |
|
Age: |
|||
|
20-25 years |
13.1 |
16.3 |
14.1 |
|
26-30 years |
68.1 |
69.5 |
66.3 |
|
31-35 years |
12.6 |
8.5 |
13.0 |
|
36 and older |
5.5 |
5.7 |
6.5 |
|
Sexual Orientation |
|||
|
Heterosexual |
97.5 |
96.4 |
95.4 |
|
Other |
2.5 |
3.6 |
4.6 |
|
Race/Ethnicity |
|||
|
American Indian/Alaska Native |
0.3 |
0.7 |
1.2 |
|
Asian/Pacific Islander |
4.8 |
6.5 |
0.0 |
|
Black/African American |
3.2 |
0.7 |
1.2 |
|
Caucasian |
87.8 |
90.6 |
92.9 |
|
Hispanic/Latino |
2.3 |
0.7 |
4.7 |
|
Other |
1.5 |
0.7 |
0.0 |
|
Disability Status |
|||
|
Not Disabled |
98.4 |
96.4 |
96.6 |
|
Disabled |
1.6 |
3.6 |
3.4 |
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Table 52. Characteristics or Activities in Law School
|
Characteristic/Activity |
Percentage Responding |
|
Had top grades/high class rank |
48.6% |
|
Had been a teaching or research assistant |
44.1 |
|
On the law review/law journal |
44.0 |
|
Had significant professional work experience prior to law school |
36.2 |
|
Participated substantially in the a law clinic |
34.6 |
|
Did a summer or academic year judicial internship/externship |
32.4 |
|
Participated in another journal in the law school |
30.6 |
|
Member of moot court team or barristers union |
24.8 |
|
Held other advanced degrees |
14.1 |
|
Had some special connection to a judge |
10.9 |
|
None of the above |
1.7 |
Based on 930 responses. Percentages add to more than 100 because more than one item could be checked.
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Table 53. Importance of Factors or Student Characteristics in Judges' Selection of Law Clerks
|
Factor |
Extremely Important |
Moderately Important |
Not Very Important |
|
Academic record |
72.0% |
25.8% |
2.2% |
|
Cover letter |
11.9 |
42.8 |
45.2 |
|
Demographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation) |
3.6 |
32.0 |
64.3 |
|
Evaluation of the interview |
81.3 |
17.8 |
0.9 |
|
Faculty recommendations |
35.2 |
47.1 |
17.7 |
|
Geographic/regional factors |
16.1 |
39.7 |
44.2 |
|
Law clinic experience |
3.2 |
29.2 |
67.6 |
|
Law journal membership |
35.0 |
44.1 |
20.8 |
|
Law school attended |
47.1 |
40.2 |
12.7 |
|
Moot court participation |
3.6 |
36.7 |
59.6 |
|
Prior work experience |
17.4 |
57.5 |
25.1 |
|
Personal character traits |
73.3 |
24.3 |
2.4 |
|
Personal connection to judge |
24.0 |
30.3 |
45.6 |
|
Summer of academic year judicial internship/externship |
8.5 |
33.7 |
57.8 |
|
Writing sample |
37.3 |
42.9 |
19.8 |
|
Other |
64.1 |
15.4 |
20.5 |
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Table 54. Factors Influencing Decision to Apply for a Clerkship
|
Reason |
Percent Responding |
|
Desire to gain work the work experience of a clerkship |
90.2% |
|
Impact of clerkship on future career |
81.5 |
|
Discussions with others |
66.0 |
|
Lawyers in practice |
57.8 |
|
Law students |
42.9 |
|
Faculty member |
33.1 |
|
Career services professional |
21.8 |
|
Other person (parent, mentor, friend) |
18.3 |
|
Member of faculty clerkship committee |
14.9 |
|
Prestige of clerkships |
63.8 |
|
Academic performance in law school |
20.1 |
|
Journal/moot court membership |
4.9 |
|
Programs in the law school |
2.7 |
Based on 926 responses. Note that the secondary reason percentages (indented) are percentages of those who answered the primary reason.
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Table 55. Factors Influencing Decision to Apply to Particular Courts
|
Factor |
Percent Responding |
|
Geographical considerations |
70.4% |
|
Level of court — trial/appellate |
54.9 |
|
Type of court — federal/state/local |
47.5 |
|
Prestige of court |
34.5 |
|
Future career plans |
30.9 |
|
Other |
8.4 |
|
Specialized subject matter (e.g., bankruptcy, tax, military) |
8.2 |
|
Financial (e.g., salary, differential in future clerkship bonus) |
6.3 |
Based on 919 responses. Percentages add to more than 100 because more than one item could be checked.
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Table 56. Factors Influencing Selection of Judges to Whom to Apply
|
Factor |
Percent Responding |
|
Reputation of the judge |
55.2% |
|
Atmosphere in chambers/working conditions |
52.1 |
|
Length of clerkship term (one year vs. two years) |
33.4 |
|
Mentor relationship |
27.6 |
|
Judicial ideology |
24.1 |
|
Judge hired clerks from law school before |
22.7 |
|
Personal connection to judge |
11.5 |
|
Political affiliation of the judge |
11.1 |
|
Judge is a graduate of law school |
8.7 |
|
Special status of the judge (e.g., chief, senior, new appointee) |
7.3 |
|
Race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability status of the judge |
4.5 |
|
Status as a "feeder judge" for U.S. Supreme Court |
3.3 |
Based on 866 responses.
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Table 57. Effect of Costs Related to Application Process on Choices
|
Effect |
Percentage Responding |
|
Costs did not affect my choices |
66.7% |
|
Applied to fewer judges |
17.3 |
|
Applied or interviewed primarily with local judges |
16.5 |
|
Accepted fewer invitations to interview |
5.7 |
Based on 924 responses. Percentages add to more than 100 because more than one item could be checked.
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Table 58. Skills the Clerkship Helped to Enhance or Develop
|
Skills |
Significantly Enhanced |
Moderately Enhanced |
Not Significantly Enhanced |
Did Not Use or Learn |
||||
|
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
|
|
Research skills |
47.5% |
440 |
47.5% |
440 |
4.9% |
45 |
0.1% |
1 |
|
Writing/drafting opinions or memoranda |
85.3 |
789 |
13.7 |
127 |
1.0 |
9 |
0.0 |
0 |
|
Writing/drafting speeches or articles |
8.3 |
76 |
16.7 |
153 |
21.8 |
200 |
53.3 |
489 |
|
Editing skills |
42.4 |
391 |
47.8 |
441 |
7.9 |
73 |
1.9 |
18 |
|
Knowledge of court procedure |
81.1 |
750 |
17.6 |
163 |
1.3 |
12 |
0.0 |
0 |
|
Knowledge of case law/statutes |
65.5 |
605 |
32.2 |
297 |
2.2 |
20 |
0.1 |
1 |
|
Knowledge of administrative matters |
26.3 |
238 |
29.6 |
268 |
20.2 |
183 |
23.8 |
215 |
|
Legal reasoning and analysis |
61.8 |
572 |
35.9 |
332 |
2.2 |
20 |
0.1 |
1 |
|
Trial advocacy or appellate skills |
32.7 |
302 |
45.5 |
420 |
14.0 |
129 |
7.8 |
72 |
|
Settlement techniques |
16.1 |
148 |
19.6 |
180 |
24.3 |
224 |
40.0 |
368 |
|
Oral communication |
23.8 |
220 |
45.7 |
422 |
25.3 |
234 |
5.1 |
47 |
|
Organizational skills/juggling tasks |
32.3 |
299 |
43.2 |
399 |
22.8 |
211 |
1.7 |
16 |
|
Working under pressure/handling deadlines |
30.3 |
281 |
43.6 |
404 |
23.8 |
220 |
2.3 |
21 |
|
Professional responsibility/ethics |
28.1 |
259 |
46.4 |
428 |
22.9 |
211 |
2.7 |
25 |
|
General legal ability/judgment |
62.3 |
576 |
36.0 |
333 |
1.7 |
16 |
0.0 |
0 |
|
General knowledge/experience |
67.5 |
623 |
30.4 |
281 |
1.9 |
18 |
0.1 |
1 |
|
Other |
71.1 |
32 |
11.1 |
5 |
13.3 |
6 |
4.4 |
2 |
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Table 59. Comparison of Development of Skills by Type of Court
|
Met or Exceeded Expectations |
Total Responses |
Federal Appellate |
Federal Trial |
State Appellate |
State Trial |
Local Trial |
Other Court |
Overall |
|
Strongly agree |
583 |
58.8% |
67.8% |
59.1% |
66.1% |
50.0% |
51.8% |
63.4% |
|
Somewhat agree |
298 |
33.3 |
29.9 |
37.9 |
29.4 |
50.0 |
40.7 |
32.4 |
|
Somewhat disagree |
31 |
6.9 |
1.7 |
1.5 |
3.4 |
0.0 |
7.4 |
3.4 |
|
Strongly disagree |
7 |
1.0 |
0.7 |
1.5 |
0.4 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.8 |
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Table 60. Relationships/Contacts the Clerkship Helped to Enhance or Develop
|
Relationship |
Significantly Enhanced |
Moderately Enhanced |
Not Significantly Enhanced |
Did Not Have Contact |
||||
|
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
Percent |
Number |
|
|
Your judge |
87.3% |
807 |
10.7% |
99 |
1.3% |
16 |
0.2% |
2 |
|
Other judges |
26.4 |
243 |
44.3 |
408 |
25.5 |
235 |
3.8 |
35 |
|
Law clerks in your chambers |
71.4 |
633 |
13.6 |
121 |
3.8 |
34 |
11.2 |
99 |
|
Law clerks in other chambers |
34.8 |
321 |
44.9 |
414 |
15.6 |
144 |
4.6 |
42 |
|
Administrative staff in your chambers |
66.9 |
614 |
25.9 |
238 |
6.2 |
57 |
1.0 |
9 |
|
Staff from other chambers |
16.0 |
147 |
35.5 |
326 |
36.0 |
330 |
12.4 |
114 |
|
Court personnel (e.g., Clerks' Office) |
31.2 |
289 |
36.1 |
334 |
28.2 |
261 |
4.4 |
41 |
|
Attorneys |
19.6 |
180 |
30.8 |
283 |
26.4 |
243 |
23.2 |
213 |
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Table 61. Comparison of Development of Relationships by Type of Court
|
Met or Exceeded Expectations |
Total Responses |
Federal Appellate |
Federal Trial |
State Appellate |
State Trial |
Local Trial |
Other Court |
Overall |
|
Strongly agree |
431 |
38.4% |
46.8% |
37.9% |
58.7% |
58.3% |
44.4% |
46.8% |
|
Somewhat agree |
396 |
47.3 |
43.8 |
50.8 |
34.2 |
33.3 |
44.4 |
43.0 |
|
Somewhat disagree |
81 |
12.8 |
8.4 |
9.1 |
5.4 |
8.3 |
11.1 |
8.8 |
|
Strongly disagree |
13 |
1.5 |
1.0 |
2.3 |
1.7 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
1.4 |
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Table 62. Comparison of Working Relationship with Judge by Type of Court
|
Met or Exceeded Expectations |
Total Responses |
Federal Appellate |
Federal Trial |
State Appellate |
State Trial |
Local Trial |
Other Court |
Overall |
|
Strongly agree |
573 |
51.7% |
67.7% |
54.2% |
70.7% |
66.7% |
52.0% |
62.4% |
|
Somewhat agree |
253 |
32.5 |
25.0 |
33.6 |
21.7 |
16.7 |
40.0 |
27.6 |
|
Somewhat disagree |
72 |
11.3 |
6.3 |
9.2 |
5.4 |
16.7 |
8.0 |
7.8 |
|
Strongly disagree |
20 |
4.4 |
1.0 |
2.3 |
2.1 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
2.2 |
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Table 63. Rating of Overall Clerkship Experience
|
Rating* |
Percent Responding |
|
10 |
33.1% |
|
9 |
32.6 |
|
8 |
20.6 |
|
7 |
8.3 |
|
6 |
1.5 |
|
5 |
1.1 |
|
4 |
0.5 |
|
3 |
1.4 |
|
2 |
0.4 |
|
1 |
0.3 |
* Former clerks were asked to rate their clerkship experience on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best possible rating. This table is based on 920 responses.
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Table 64. Current Career Plans Following Clerkship
|
Plan |
Percent Responding |
|
Private practice/law firm |
60.4% |
|
Government — Federal |
7.6 |
|
Undecided |
7.5 |
|
Public interest law |
6.6 |
|
Another clerkship |
6.3 |
|
Government — State |
4.4 |
|
Government — Local |
2.3 |
|
Non-law |
1.3 |
|
Academia |
1.1 |
|
Government |
1.0 |
|
Additional degree |
0.54 |
|
In-house lawyer |
0.3 |
|
Judgeship or other court position |
0.0 |
Based on 921 responses.
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Table 65. Effect of Clerkship on Success in Obtaining Post-Clerkship Position
|
Response |
Percentage Responding |
|
Helped a great deal |
46.7% |
|
Helped somewhat |
24.4 |
|
Did not substantially affect |
28.2 |
|
Affected negatively |
0.6 |
Based on 634 responses. These percentages represent the portion of respondents who answered the question with an answer other than "unknown."
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Table 66. Comparison of Ease/Degree of Success in Handling Duties by Type of Court
|
Effect of Clerkship |
Total Responses |
Federal Appellate |
Federal Trial |
State Appellate |
State Trial |
Local Trial |
Other Court |
Overall |
|
Helped a great deal |
129 |
14.8% |
53.6% |
42.4% |
70.7% |
80.0% |
57.1% |
50.4% |
|
Helped somewhat |
103 |
66.7 |
37.7 |
51.5 |
25.6 |
20.0 |
14.3 |
40.2 |
|
Did not substantially affect |
23 |
16.7 |
8.7 |
6.1 |
3.7 |
0.0 |
28.6 |
9.0 |
|
Affected negatively |
1 |
1.8 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.4 |
