Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Clerkship Lunch Live Blog 2/3/10

Let's get ready to live blooooooooog:

35 comments:

  1. 12:42: 35 students present. Transfers make up about 7 of those. Transfers are so hot right now

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  2. Oh, and there's M**di. She's wearing pink. Looking surly. I wonder what 12 new jobs she's going to be assigned this week.

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  3. Eri* Ste**n (ES) is getting started

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  4. He won't double up (uh uh) about what he covered last semester. Or things that are in the guide. He will cover: minimizing stress (YOU GIVE ME CLERKSHIP NOW) and talk to us about what we can do to position ourselves to apply for c'ships

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  5. Focus will be on what we need to do this spring as well as some best practices. Also to highlight resources here at Boalt

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  6. Spring Action ITems;

    * Self Assessment (I hate my knees)
    * Strategy Sessions
    * Letters of Rec (3) /Advocates(n.) (numerous)
    * Writing sample options (uhhh)
    * Attend CDO programs and c'ship reception
    * Develop Netweorking Plan (TALK TO 3Ls) (shudder)
    * Develop Judge Research Plan: Where, Level, etc. Me: Arkansas, state magistrate bankruptcy rat king holding court of mutant minions

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  7. Self Ass.:
    * What info do you need in order to commit to applying in the fall?
    * Is this your number 1 priority. Are you flexible? Where can you live for a year. Be sure you like your judge
    * How will this affect your post-grad job search, etc? This is for you: DOJ Honors, Fellowship, Etc

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  8. Strategy Sessions:
    * He's really hot right now. Get on his calendar early and often. Or just early. If you can't schedule on-line you can call him directly. He'll also meet with you in the city (SF)
    * Preference during Application period is to call him

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  9. Oh, heyyy Andy Wei**er, you been working out?

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  10. Rec's and Advocates (n.):
    * CDO (ES)
    * Your faculty rec's and FSU(? what be that?) How do you make the ask? (AWKWARD TURTLE) Who jumps to mind? Ideally it should be a mentor-like figure.
    BE ORGANIZED. Have your strategy set up. Be competitive and enthusiastic. No reason to wait. DO IT IN PERSON.
    * Your non-faculty rec's: many students use one of these. Supervisor from first summer? Can be a different perspective.
    * Other Members of the faculty or in your life: Do you know clerks? Decision makers (George W?)? Judges, Etc
    * 2nd Summer: I hope it's as delicious as 2nd breakfast. Don't rely on these people, but maybe it'll work out.
    * 3L Future clerks and alumni clerks: don't be skeeze balls.

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  11. * These 3L folks will give you the skinny.

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  12. Writing Sample:
    * Identify one or two viable options: SEE THE GUIDE
    * Dont' rely on your 2nd summer (okay, now I'm starving) b/c a lot will be privileged
    * Discuss options w/ recommenders and advocates

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  13. C'ship Programs and Receptions:
    * Spring 2010:
    1) Developing your clerkship strategy (that's today!)
    2) How c'ship fits into your PIPS Career
    3) Nuts and Bolts of the c'ship

    OH NO . . .TOO FAST E.S. TOO FAST

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  14. Develop Networking Plan
    * He's reading a student email. It sounds like someone who is . . . interesting. She kept in touch with an Alum who's judge she was after. It worked out, they all lived happily ever after.
    * Why networking is so vitally important in this process. WHY?! WHY?! We hates networking, we hates it.

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  15. Develop a Research Plan
    * Start w/ geography. For me, that means crossing off anything where 1) there is ocean; 2) there are cities; 3) places where human beings live.
    * Type of c'ship experience sought: Be sure to note your state court c'ships as to whether you have to sit for the bar or if they have different req's
    He just said tutelage.
    * More in next

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  16. More on State Ct C'ship process:
    * All have different deadlines, different req's, sitting for bars, etc.
    * Alaska doesn't make you sit there . . . probably afraid you'd freeze to death if you stopped for long enough to sit down

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  17. Transcript and Competitiveness: Be pragmatic
    * Lessons learned from 2009:
    1) very competitive. even state clerkships
    2) OOO... even those of us at bottom of class can do state supreme court or any other state court c'ship -- even in normal people states (NJ: you don't count)

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  18. IN house Resources:
    * Check them out. They talk about what judges want, are looking for, etc.

    Intelligence gathering:
    * E.g., start in the database, look at the state you're looking for, download a list of all the judges, export to a spreadsheet, and then start researching them.
    * What do you want to know: Are they from boalt? Have they hired Boalties? Interviewed us? Don't let politics enter in at this point. He thinks it's a bad idea to just screen out based on this as a blanket rule.
    * Judges want their clerks to challenge and broaden the perspective.

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  19. Best Practices:
    * Early planning (that's what you're doing right now . . . )
    * Stay organized (sh**!)
    1) spreadsheets, data, staying on top of deadlines
    2) Yeah
    * Communicate with your advocates
    1) Next steps
    2) Share your judge list (drafts); top choices; etc; phone calls (from your recommenders AND your advoactes)
    * Meeting Important deadlines: See appendix 1 of his guide. Keep the dates in the back of your mind. If you can't do this, it's hard for them

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  20. What if you're away in the fall?

    * Go talk to him to make arrangements

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  21. Look at the list of CDO Resources. Actual instructions will be delivered to you in May. That's when OSCAR comes out with his newest, most devious, version

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  22. Timeline: (seriously, that's not a word?)

    Ooo...hmm.

    June/July:
    * Finalize J list, finalize your ap materials, share those w/ your advocates
    * Go into OSCAR (get him) and start searching. See what the J's require based on what Oscar tells you.
    * Create your OSCAR profile by July

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  23. Dean wants letters of rec done by July 23rd. If you have a non-Boalt Rec'er you have to do some stuff that is more work b/c Boalt can't do it all.

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  24. Early August:
    * Begin getting all your stuff

    August 23rd: Paper packets must be dropped off. Boalt will bundle them and Fedex them for 2$/application and will make sure they land everywhere at the same time.

    They think that having an entire Boalt box will make them look through the whole box . . . thank you Li*y for making sure mine gets read

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  25. Judges begin contacting on Sept. 10th, interviews begin on Sept 16th.

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  26. CHANGES TO THE PROCESS:

    * C'ship committee reviewed the rank disclosure policy beginning last year. Currently, if you were applying you could disclose your cummulative (4 semester) ranking.
    * Goal of the review was to make more Boalt students more competitive
    * Our policy was NOT in line with all other top law schools -- we were getting sc**wed

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  27. New Policy (from help with all):
    * Will allow us to show off our top applications without having to say that we rank in Oscar
    * Will create distinctions for the purpose of clerkships. They would be given out 1L, 2L, and 3L years. This info would go on your c'ship resume. Still can't put it on OCIP or what have you -- just like now.
    * These distinctions were approved by the Faculty
    * Final language is being drafted and will go in our clerkship applications

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  28. He's interested in hearing whether this is something we want to do this year. I think this is enormously beneficial to all of us.

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  29. They want to get feedback from 2Ls.

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  30. YOu can email:

    estern@law.berkeley.edu
    spowly@berkeley.edu

    Email them if you have feelings either way.

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  31. 2nd year distinction is just for your 2nd year, 1st just for your fist. This is b/c we can't do cumulative (OSCAR hates cumulative things) and this way we can also help out the transfers a bit

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  32. Also, this round isn't the end-all-be-all of c'ships. You can apply as a graduate. It can bridge you from private to public, from law to getting out of law, etc.

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  33. No wonder you made me read this rather than just telling me. You make clerkships fun!

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