Note: This article relates to United States Jurisdiction

Supreme Court clerkships are an excellent path to the judiciary. Clerkships are prestigious and offer one of the best ways to learn about the inner workings. If you are thinking about applying for a Supreme Court clerkship, this article will help you know what it takes to be considered.

Networking is the key

At first, you should only seek help from knowledgeable people and follow their advice. This way, you can have a pretty good idea to manage everything even before applying for the clerkship. You will get to know such persons in your law school. Even in this way, you will come closer to your law school, which will be helpful while getting a letter of recommendation. You have to work until you can manage a recommendation mentioning something like, “one of the top students I have taught in my 30 years as a professor.”

Write, write and write

Secondly, there are no alternatives to publications. Whenever you get the chance to write papers, you should do it. It will make your resume good, and it is a ninja technique of getting comments from professors. Similarly, you can attend small classes or seminars related to domestic battery, class c misdemeanor, etc., to attract their attention. It is the way to let professors know how well you write.

Work for a recommendation letter

Thirdly, you can try for lower federal court clerkships first. It is the way to connect with senior professors who might be good recommenders. Being old professors, they usually have a relationship with judges. Now, if they write in detail on your writing, that would be a huge bonus. Without personal attachment, you cannot achieve a great recommendation letter. So, a lower court clerkship might be a golden opportunity.

School history matters

Fourthly, if you are from a renowned law school that produced Supreme Court clerks earlier, you are way ahead of others. However, if your law school is not famous, then you may need a recommendation from the Dean saying something like, “This is the greatest one we have ever had, and that is why he or she would be the first Supreme Court clerk from this school.”

Do not make yourself exclusive

Fifthly, if your target is Supreme Court clerkship, you should apply with all the Justices. You may think this is not an ideal practice as someone cannot become equally strong in every chamber. However, this is a cultural expectation for what intelligent candidates do.

Personal affairs works

Sixthly, some referees have a personal connection to Justice. If you can manage such recommendations, you move ahead 80% of the competitors. Justices usually rely on these recommendations from close contacts.

Minimum requirement

The minimum qualification for a Supreme Court clerk is a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school ranked in the top 10 of the U.S. Therefore; you must have an outstanding academic record, good writing skills, and impeccable personal character to get the job done well.

To summarise, it is not about your qualification; sometimes it is about luck. The stars have to align even for the Yale and Harvard candidates. There is a saying that there is a sort of committee of support behind each successful candidate. If you do not make it, it might not be your fault; instead, it is the weakness of the informal committee.