
The on-line federal clerkship applications for 3Ls were just released to the judges on June 28th. Are you applying? Do you know which states to which you plan to apply? We've talked about what it takes to be selected for one of these plum positions and the competition is very tough! OSCAR has released the data from the 2012 hiring cycle, indicating how many clerkships were available in each state and how many applications were made for those clerkships. On the whole, it's easy to see how tough the competition is for a federal clerkship. Makes sense; as it is a position that can help to boost your future career opportunities exponentially. The 2012 data won't tell you which states have the lowest amount of applicants for this year, but they can be used to get an idea of what this year will look like and can help you strategize if you're flexible on where you're willing to work and live.
2012 Federal Law Clerk Statistics
State Positions Applications Circuit
Alabama 14 2,112 11
Arizona 7 2,110 10
Arkansas 4 84 8
California 75 19,821 10
Colorado 10 1,222 10
Connecticut 7 2,716 2
Delaware 11 2,244 3
District of Columbia 25 10,295 4
Florida 38 5,708 11
Georgia 19 2,353 11
Idaho 1 10 10
Illinois 51 13,161 7
Indiana 12 2,437 7
Iowa 3 368 8
Kentucky 13 2,345 6
Louisiana 21 5,156 5
Maine 8 1,231 1
Maryland 16 8,426 4
Massachusetts 17 6,274 1
Michigan 14 2,821 6
Minnesota 8 2,300 8
Mississippi 3 112 5
Missouri 6 1,199 8
Montana 2 640 10
Nebraska 0 0 8
Nevada 8 1,916 10
New Hampshire 5 976 1
New Jersey 15 5,932 3
New Mexico 6 1,366 10
New York 110 34,824 2
North Carolina 17 5,574 4
North Dakota 5 457 8
Ohio 14 3,985 6
Oklahoma 3 365 10
Oregon 0 0 10
Pennsylvania 38 14,147 3
Rhode Island 4 210 1
South Carolina 2 553 4
South Dakota 2 663 8
Tennessee 14 2,844 6
Texas 73 15,195 5
Utah 6 1,104 10
Vermont 4 323 2
Virginia 36 9,378 4
Washington 8 2,797 10
West Virginia 34 8,658 4
Wisconsin 6 1,182 7
Wyoming 4 1,092 10
Alaska 2 120 10
Guam 0 0 10
Hawaii 5 1,336 10
Northern Mariana Islands 1 51 10
Puerto Rico 4 724 1
Virgin Islands 4 916 3
2012 Federal Law Clerk Statistics
State Positions Applications Circuit
Alabama 14 2,112 11
Arizona 7 2,110 10
Arkansas 4 84 8
California 75 19,821 10
Colorado 10 1,222 10
Connecticut 7 2,716 2
Delaware 11 2,244 3
District of Columbia 25 10,295 4
Florida 38 5,708 11
Georgia 19 2,353 11
Idaho 1 10 10
Illinois 51 13,161 7
Indiana 12 2,437 7
Iowa 3 368 8
Kentucky 13 2,345 6
Louisiana 21 5,156 5
Maine 8 1,231 1
Maryland 16 8,426 4
Massachusetts 17 6,274 1
Michigan 14 2,821 6
Minnesota 8 2,300 8
Mississippi 3 112 5
Missouri 6 1,199 8
Montana 2 640 10
Nebraska 0 0 8
Nevada 8 1,916 10
New Hampshire 5 976 1
New Jersey 15 5,932 3
New Mexico 6 1,366 10
New York 110 34,824 2
North Carolina 17 5,574 4
North Dakota 5 457 8
Ohio 14 3,985 6
Oklahoma 3 365 10
Oregon 0 0 10
Pennsylvania 38 14,147 3
Rhode Island 4 210 1
South Carolina 2 553 4
South Dakota 2 663 8
Tennessee 14 2,844 6
Texas 73 15,195 5
Utah 6 1,104 10
Vermont 4 323 2
Virginia 36 9,378 4
Washington 8 2,797 10
West Virginia 34 8,658 4
Wisconsin 6 1,182 7
Wyoming 4 1,092 10
Alaska 2 120 10
Guam 0 0 10
Hawaii 5 1,336 10
Northern Mariana Islands 1 51 10
Puerto Rico 4 724 1
Virgin Islands 4 916 3