USC Gould Named a Top School for Clerkships

Clerkships offer unique post-graduate opportunity

-By Gilien Silsby

U.S. News and World Report recently ranked USC Gould School of Law a top law school for federal clerkship placements. In 2012, USC law graduates secured 18 federal and state judicial clerkships across the country, including positions in the 3rd, 5th and 9th Circuits of the U.S. Courts of Appeals.

Gould ranked No. 15 for federal clerkship placements in U.S. News and World Report's most recent survey, beating out UC Berkeley Law School, Cornell University Law School and UCLA Law School.

“Judicial clerkships offer a learning opportunity like no other – law clerks work directly with judges, wrestle with challenging legal issues, and sharpen their writing and research skills by analyzing and writing about a variety of legal issues on a daily basis,” said Prof. Elizabeth Carroll, chair of USC Gould’s Clerkship Committee.

Clerkships are among the most competitive employment opportunities available to recent graduates. Over the past several years, USC Gould graduates have clerked for judges throughout the country, including in courts in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Delaware and California.

Clerking provides invaluable practical experience, including conducting legal research, analyzing parties’ briefs, drafting decisions, thinking analytically and strategically about the law and learning the customs of various types of practitioners.

The competition for federal clerkships in particular can be fierce. Judges typically look for students with good grades who demonstrate strong legal writing and analysis skills; have a position on law review or another journal or have published an article; and have completed an externship while in law school.

“Clerkships are a highly sought-after experience and competition for the most selective federal clerkships can be intense,” said Carroll.  “But graduates of USC Gould are coming from a top law school and therefore have a competitive advantage.  Also, those interested in clerkships can broaden their clerkship opportunities by considering clerkships in state courts, clerkships with federal magistrate or bankruptcy judges, or clerkships in other specialized courts.” 

Students interested in clerkships should develop relationships with their professors, as they can be a key resource.  “Professors can offer helpful advice about the application process and also write letters of recommendation, which judges rely upon heavily in making hiring decisions,” Carroll said.