By Ann W. Parks

Ryan McCauley (L’09) chats with Judge William E. Smith of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island at a morning coffee hour

A group of federal district and circuit court judges came to Georgetown Law February 25 to chat with students, enjoy lunch with Dean Alex Aleinikoff, take a campus tour and even sit in on courses in corporations and constitutional law — not that they needed the pointers. It was the Law Center’s Federal Judiciary Day, designed to bring practicing judges together with the Georgetown Law community for formal discussions, informal conversations and a few good meals.

Judges Lynn S. Adelman, Richard J. Leon, Milan D. Smith Jr., William E. Smith (C’82, L’87) and Virginia M. Hernandez Covington (L’80) arrived on campus in the morning to meet with students over coffee and croissants. They were joined in the afternoon by Judge Laurence H. Silberman, who helped round out a six-judge panel on federal clerkships moderated by Professor Michael Gottesman.

In between, the judges met for lunch with the dean and student board members of the Federalist Society and the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy; enjoyed a campus tour with student guides; and witnessed engaging classes taught by Professors Peter Edelman and Donald Langevoort. And in the evening, each of the judges was accompanied by a group of students to a different restaurant around town.

“The opportunity to meet a judge and then pick his or her brain on a legal issue provides a great perspective for law students,” said Ryan McCauley (L’09), who is interested in pursuing a clerkship after graduation. McCauley got the chance to pick the judicial brains of Judges William Smith, Milan Smith Jr. and Lynn Adelman during the morning coffee hour — on topics ranging from the judges’ appointment experiences to federal sentencing guidelines.

McCauley also attended the afternoon panel, which he called a helpful way to “demystify” the clerkship process.

“While each judge uses his or her own unique system to select clerks, several trends developed as the judges discussed their hiring practices,” McCauley said. “From course selection to co-curricular activities, the panel members highlighted key attributes that they believe lead to successful clerks and, more importantly, successful advocates.”

Judges Milan D. Smith Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, William E. Smith and Richard J. Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia discuss federal clerkships with students.

All about fit

Applying for a federal clerkship, the judges noted in the panel, is a competitive process. With hundreds of applications from talented, qualified students to review, judges have to do quite a lot of narrowing down.

William E. Smith, who serves on the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island and who has been nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, said he interviews maybe 10 of the approximately 300 or so applicants he hears from every year.

“By the time of the interview, it’s all about fit,” he said. “You have to say no to eight or nine people you absolutely know would be terrific clerks.”

Still, the judges shared plenty of insight as to how students might better navigate the application process and how they might become standout clerks once they make it that far. Beyond a strong GPA, judges cited recommendations, compatibility, and an ability to juggle multiple tasks as key indicators of a successful law clerk. Judges were mixed about the usefulness of clinical or law review experience, though they seemed to agree that substantive classes taken in law school carried some weight.

“Not legal basket-weaving under water,” joked Silberman, a senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and a Distinguished Visitor from the Judiciary at the Law Center.

The judges also discussed the day-to-day work of law clerks — reading briefs, writing memoranda or in some cases, drafting opinions that are edited by the judge.

“What makes the difference between a good clerk and an extraordinary law clerk,” noted Covington, who serves on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, “is a law clerk who makes it his or her mission to make you look good … you can’t always tell by the resumé.”   

Judges Adelman, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin; Leon, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; and Milan Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit also lent their insights to the panel. The Georgetown Law student chapters of the American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society organized the day’s events, with support from the Dean’s Office and the Office of Career Services.