Watch Alok Nadig '16 explain how the Judicial Clerkship Office helped him secure two federal clerkships.
5 Strengths of NYU Law's Judicial Clerkship Program
The Law School devotes significant resources to helping students and alumni find judicial clerkships. Here are a just a few of the ways our clerkship program stands out:
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A dedicated clerkship office. Led by Assistant Dean Michelle Cherande, the Judicial Clerkship Office has two full-time, experienced administrators who offer individualized advice and counsel.
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Faculty support. A faculty clerkship committee led by the Dean identifies clerkship opportunities and supports students and alumni including by writing recommendation letters and contacting judges.
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Information sessions throughout the year. Numerous events help students navigate the judicial clerkship application process including a diversity reception, Q&A sessions with judges from across the country, and a networking reception with current and former clerks.
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Invaluable resources. Our judicial clerkship handbook and appendices feature application advice as well as a list of past, current, and future NYU Law clerks.
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A network of 1900 law clerk alumni. Our tight-knit community provides guidance and mentorship to NYU Law students and alumni seeking a clerkship.
Where Our Graduates Clerk
About 20% of each graduating class eventually clerks. In the past five academic years, our graduates accepted more than 580 clerkships—170 with judges on federal appeals courts. In the current term, 19 graduates are clerking on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Second Circuit, and the Ninth Circuit—three of the most competitive Circuits.
NYU graduates clerk throughout the country. Since 2010, NYU grads have accepted clerkships in 47 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and 4 countries.
During the 2020 term, four NYU Law graduates will be clerking on the Supreme Court. Since 2006, 23 NYU graduates have clerked or secured clerkships on the US Supreme Court, making it 15 consecutive years that NYU alumni have secured clerkships on the Supreme Court.
Numerous Opportunities to Interact with Judges at NYU Law
NYU Law students can take courses such as Decisionmaking in the Federal Courts and Constitutional Litigation with distinguished judges, including Judge Harry T. Edwards of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Chief Judge Robert Katzmann of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Judge John Koeltl, Judge Allison Nathan, and Judge Jed Rakoff of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
NYU holds several events throughout the year with judges from across the country, including the Orison S. Marden Moot Court Competition, the National Immigration Law Competition (ILC), and the Brennan Lecture on State Courts and Social Justice.
NYU is also home to the Institute of Judicial Administration (IJA), a leader in judicial education since 1952. Over one-third of all currently sitting federal and state appellate judges are alumni of IJA training programs. Students can apply to be IJA Fellows and work on the annual seminar for new appellate judges.
Information for Current Students and Alumni
NYU students and alumni can access the Judicial Clerkship Handbook and Appendices, as well as other valuable resources, by logging into your CSM/Symplicity account and clicking the “Clerkships” tab. You must complete the registration form before you can access the database. If you do not have a CSM account, you can register for an account on the student/alum login page.
Contact Us
Assistant Dean Michelle Cherande ’97
michelle.cherande@nyu.edu
Assistant Director Jim Nesbitt
james.nesbitt@nyu.edu
Judicial Clerkship Office, 245 Sullivan Street, Suite 430 New York, NY 10012-1301
Phone: (212) 998-6090 Fax: (212) 995-4529