Clerkship Study Tables 9-26

Courting Clerkships:
The NALP Judicial Clerkship Study

Table 9. Judicial Clerkship Programs Conducted at Law Schools
Table 10. Percent of Schools with Academic Program to Encourage Clerkships
Table 11. Percent of Schools with Formal Externship or Internship Program with Judges
Table 12. Percent of Schools Reporting Positive Effect on Clerkship Applications
Table 13. Percent of Schools Reporting Positive Effect on Clerkship Offers
Table 14. Value of Resources as Reported by Schools
Table 15. Types of Databases Maintained for Judges
Table 16. Types of Database Information Maintained for Judges
Table 17. Resources Used to Update Judges' Databases
Table 18. Percent of Schools with a Faculty Clerkship Committee
Table 19. Functions of Faculty Clerkship Committee
Table 20. Roles of Faculty Members in Clerkship Application Process
Table 21. Factors on Which Faculty Members Base Their Level of Recommendation or Support
Table 22. Clerical Services Provided by Career Services Offices
Table 23. Types of Financial Assistance Offered by Career Services Offices
Table 24. Percent of Schools Reporting Loan Forgiveness for Clerks
Table 25. Factors for Success as Perceived by Career Counselors: Federal Clerkships
Table 26. Factors for Success as Perceived by Career Counselors: State Clerkships


Table 9. Judicial Clerkship Programs Conducted at Law Schools(percent of schools)

PROGRAM IS OFFERED BY:

Not Offered

Career Services

Student Groups

Other Law School Office

Introduction/overview

91.2%

4.8%

25.2%

2.7%

Mechanics of application process

83.0

4.1

22.4

10.2

Interviewing for clerkships

61.2

4.8

19.0

32.7

Preparing for your clerkship

25.9

2.7

12.2

63.9

Panels of third-year students

38.8

5.4

8.2

54.4

Panels of alumni law clerks

85.7

1.4

17.0

10.9

Panels of faculty members

63.3

1.4

12.2

31.3

Lectures by judges

51.7

11.6

23.1

32.0

Special programs for women

8.2

8.8

5.4

77.6

Special programs for minorities

13.6

7.5

6.8

73.5

Other program

8.8

0.0

2.7

21.1

Note: Programs may be either sponsored or co-sponsored by the group/office. Percentages are based on all survey respondents and may add to more than 100 across because programs may be offered by more than one group within a school.

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Table 10. Percent of Schools with Academic Program to Encourage Clerkships

School Type

Respondents

Nationwide

14.5%

Private schools

18.1

Public schools

9.7

JD enrollment 500 or fewer

10.0

JD enrollment 501-750

15.8

JD enrollment more than 750

16.7

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Table 11. Percent of Schools with Formal Externship or Internship Program with Judges

School Type

Respondents

Nationwide

85.0%

Private schools

87.1

Public schools

82.3

JD enrollment 500 or fewer

80.0

JD enrollment 501-750

84.5

JD enrollment more than 750

89.8

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Table 12. Percent of Schools Reporting Positive Effect on Clerkship Applications
(based on schools reporting an externship or internship program)

School Type

Respondents

Nationwide

91.2%

Private schools

92.8

Public schools

88.6

JD enrollment 500 or fewer

82.8

JD enrollment 501-750

95.6

JD enrollment more than 750

92.3

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Table 13. Percent of Schools Reporting Positive Effect on Clerkship Offers (based on schools reporting an externship or internship program)

School Type

Respondents

Nationwide

84.8%

Private schools

82.6

Public schools

88.4

JD enrollment 500 or fewer

78.6

JD enrollment 501-750

86.7

JD enrollment more than 750

87.2

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Table 14. Value of Resources as Reported by Schools

Resource

PERCENT OF SCHOOLS REPORTING:

Very Useful

Moderately Useful

Not Useful

Do Not Have

Clerkship handbook published by CSO

63.3%

13.6%

0.0%

23.1%

Judicial clerkship of Web site

14.3

13.6

0.7

71.4

Written feedback from alumni law clerks

24.5

18.4

0.7

56.5

Written comments from faculty

8.2

9.5

0.7

81.6

Postings of letters from judges seeking clerks

72.8

21.8

1.4

4.1

Almanac of the Federal Judiciary

53.1

23.1

1.4

22.4

BNA Directory

44.9

29.9

2.0

23.1

The American Bench

36.1

27.9

3.4

32.7

Judicial Yellow Book

42.9

34.0

2.7

20.4

Wants Federal-State Court Directory

32.2

24.0

4.1

39.7

Guide to State Judicial Clerkship Procedures

30.6

40.1

7.5

21.8

NALP Judicial Clerkship Directory

55.8

35.4

2.7

6.1

Directory of Minority Judges of the United States

19.0

27.9

4.1

49.0

WESTLAW®/LEXIS®

52.4

38.1

3.4

6.1

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Table 15. Types of Databases Maintained for Judges (percent of schools)

 

All Schools

Private

Public

Enrollment 500 or fewer

Enrollment 501-750

Enrollment more than 750

Have a database

54.4%

61.2%

45.2%

50.0%

58.6%

53.1%

Of those with database, information maintained for:

    Federal, state, and local judges

48.8

40.3

64.3

60.0

44.1

46.2

    Federal and state judges

33.8

36.5

28.6

30.0

35.3

34.6

    Federal judges

12.5

17.3

3.6

5.0

17.7

11.5

Note: Percentages do not add to 100 because other combinations reported by a few schools are not shown.

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Table 16. Types of Database Information Maintained for Judges

Type of Information

% of Schools Maintaining Info on Federal Judges*

# of Schools

% of Schools Maintaining Info on State Judges*

# of Schools

% of Schools Maintaining Info on Local Judges*

# of Schools

Application materials and procedures

62.3%

48

66.7%

46

55.8%

24

Background information

20.8

16

27.5

19

27.9

12

Comments from faculty members

5.2

4

4.3

3

4.7

2

Comments from former law clerks

19.5

15

21.7

15

18.6

8

Contact information

97.4

75

97.1

67

100.0

43

History of minority and women hiring

14.3

11

18.8

13

23.3

10

Information about former law clerk hiring

41.6

32

46.4

32

48.8

21

Names of current law clerks

36.4

28

42.0

29

44.2

19

* Percentages are based on schools with a database for that type of judge.

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Table 17. Resources Used to Update Judges' Databases

Resource

Ongoing

Monthly

Annual

Do Not Use

Printed resources

53.2%

1.3%

36.7%

8.9%

Mail surveys

5.2

0.0

46.8

48.1

Comments from students/alumni/faculty

52.6

0.0

25.0

22.4

Telephone calls to judges' chambers

39.2

0.0

41.8

19.0

WESTLAW®/LEXIS®

31.6

1.3

15.8

51.3

Internet resources

31.1

1.4

12.2

55.4

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Table 18. Percent of Schools with a Faculty Clerkship Committee

Respondents

% of Schools

Nationwide

51.0%

Private schools

60.0

Public schools

38.3

JD enrollment 500 or fewer

35.0

JD enrollment 501-750

52.6

JD enrollment more than 750

62.5

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Table 19. Functions of Faculty Clerkship Committee

Function

% of Schools*

Screening

20.3%

Advising Students

90.5

Programming

64.9

Policy-making

54.1

Other

21.6

* Percentages based on 74 schools (51% of respondents) which have a faculty
judicial clerkship committee.

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Table 20. Roles of Faculty Members in Clerkship Application Process

Function

% of Schools*

# of Schools

Provide info/advice on application process

92.5%

136

Provide info/advice on individual judges

92.5

136

Review writing samples, resumes, cover letters

71.4

105

Participate in clerkship program for students

74.1

109

Invite Judges to speak in classes

42.2

62

Write letters of recommendation

96.6

142

Make phone calls to judges

63.9

94

Other

9.5

14

Percentages add to more than 100 because more than one item could be checked. Percentages are based on all survey respondents.

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Table 21. Factors on Which Faculty Members Base Their Level of Recommendation or Support

Factor

% of Schools*

# of Schools

Class rank/overall grades

78.2%

115

Grade in that faculty members class

69.4

102

Evaluation of written work

55.8

82

Law journal membership

50.3

74

Personal character traits

44.2

65

Research or teaching assistant

42.2

62

Class participation

34.0

50

Moot court participation

22.4

33

Summer or academic year judicial internship

15.6

23

Other

13.6

20

Law clinic experience

10.9

16

* Percentages add to more than 100 because more than one item could be checked. Percentages are based on all survey respondentsn -- however, some respondents did not check any items, indicating that the factors varied from professor to professor. A number of respondents checked more than four items on this question.

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Table 22. Clerical Services Provided by Career Services Offices

Type of Assistance

% of Schools

# of Schools

Mail merging and processing cover letters

17.7%

14

Gathering letters of recommendation from faculty

35.4

28

Mailing complete packets to judges

35.4

28

Providing list of judges on disk to mail merge

59.5

47

Collecting all application materials

31.6

25

Preparing and labeling envelopes or packages

26.6

21

Other

17.7

14

Note: Percentages are based on 79 schools (54% of respondents) which provide at least one of the services.
Percentages add to more than 100 because more than one item could be checked.

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Table 23. Types of Financial Assistance Offered by Career Services Offices

Type of Assistance

% of Schools

None

42.9%

Phone access only

21.1

Phone access/other

10.9

Phone access/postage

8.2

Postage only

7.5

Phone access/postage/other

4.1

Other only

2.7

Postage/travel expenses

1.4

Phone access/travel expenses

0.7

Postage/travel expenses/other

0.7

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Table 24. Percent of Schools Reporting Loan Forgiveness for Clerks

Respondents

% of Schools

Nationwide

7.7%

Private schools

9.8

Public schools

4.9

JD enrollment 501-750

8.9

JD enrollment more than 750

12.2

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Table 25. Factors for Success as Perceived by Career Counselors: Federal Clerkships

% of Schools

# of Schools

Students with high class ranks

94.6%

139

Students on law review/journal

91.8

135

Students with support of top faculty

58.5

86

Students with judicial internship/externship

46.3

68

Students with some special connection to judge

23.8

35

Students who participate in moot court

23.1

34

Students involved with other journals

15.6

23

Students with other strong academic qualities

14.3

21

Students with strong non-academic qualities

11.6

17

Other

9.5

14

Students who have law clinic experience

7.5

11

Note: Percentages add to more than 100 because more than one item could be checked. Percentages are based on all survey respondents. However, some respondents did not check any items and some checked more than four items.

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Table 26. Factors for Success as Perceived by Career Counselors: State Clerkships

% of Schools

# of Schools

Students with high class ranks

74.8%

110

Students on law review/journal

72.1

106

Students with judicial internship/externship

46.9

69

Students with support of top faculty

34.0

50

Students who participate in moot court

29.3

43

Students involved with other journals

21.8

32

Students with other strong academic qualities

21.8

32

Students with some special connection to judge

18.4

27

Students with strong non-academic qualities

17.7

26

Students who have law clinic experience

16.3

24

Other

15.0

22

Note: Percentages add to more than 100 because more than one item could be checked. Percentages are based on all survey respondents. However, some respondents did not check any items and some checked more than four items.

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