The 'Shipping News

New York Legal Fellows Program

The New York State Unified Court System is offering one year Legal Fellowships (very similar to clerkships) to recent law school graduates interested in pursuing a legal career in public service. Legal Fellows are assigned to work in judicial offices, assisting with legal research and writing.  The following courts are potential placements for legal fellows:

New York County Supreme Court Civil Branch

New York County Supreme Court Criminal Branch

Kings County (Brooklyn) Supreme Court Civil Branch

Kings County (Brooklyn) Supreme Court Criminal Branch

Queens County Supreme Court Civil Branch

Queens County Supreme Court Criminal Branch

Bronx County Supreme Court Civil Branch

Bronx County Supreme Court Criminal Branch

Richmond County (Staten Island) Supreme Court Civil Branch

Richmond County (Staten Island) Supreme Court Criminal Branch

New York City Civil Court

New York City Criminal Court

New York City Family Court

3rd Judicial District (Albany)

4th Judicial District (Saratoga Springs)

5th Judicial District (Syracuse)

6th Judicial District (Binghamton)

7th Judicial District (Rochester)

8th Judicial District (Buffalo)

9th Judicial District (Westchester)

10th Judicial District (Nassau)
10th Judicial District (Suffolk)

New York County Surrogate Court

Bronx County Surrogate Court

Queens Surrogate Court

Kings County (Brooklyn) Surrogate Court

Richmond County (Staten Island)Surrogate Court

Application packages must be filed by February 19, 2011 for positions starting
September 2011. Submit application packages to:

Legal Fellows Coordinator
NYS Office of Court Administration
Office of Workforce Diversity
25 Beaver Street
Room 1009
New York, NY 10004

The application package must include:

A cover letter indicating preference of location.
A current resume.
Law school transcript (unofficial copies will suffice - not self prepared).
A current legal writing sample (unedited), of your own work.
Two recent letters of recommendation from law school professors. If you have
been practicing law following receipt of a J.D. degree, letters from legal employers
may be substituted.

Judicial Clerkship Conference

Want an opportunity to learn about judicial clerkships and internships from the judges themselves?  If so, make your way to Washington D.C. next weekend for the Robert E. Wone Annual Minority Judicial Clerkship & Internship Conference (JCIC). 

The JCIC is an annual program sponsored in part by the Institute for Intellectual Property & Social Justice that brings judges and judicial clerks from around the Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland area to a Washington area law school to meet with law students to provide information about judicial internships and clerkships.  The conference will take place on Saturday, October 16, 2010, from 9am until 2pm, and will feature judges from federal and state trial, administrative, and appellate courts. 

Interested students must RSVP, but the program is free and complimentary breakfast and lunch will be provided.  RSVPS should be made by October 8th to  https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dG96M0JtWDd3REI4bmxPdHBIa19pWHc6MQ

Time to Start Thinking about 2012?

It seems such a long way off, but believe it or not, a good number of judges are starting to fill their 2012 clerkship positions.   Judges who are looking now are focusing exclusively on individuals who will have a year of experience before they begin the clerkship.  This reduces the size of the pool and makes candidates from the class of 2011 and older more competitive for the positions.  Here is a sampling of 2012 positions that are open:

Judge Michael Melloy
United States Court of Appeals
Cedar Rapids, IA
Term: 1 Year; Term Start: Aug 15, 2012

Judge Robert Sack
United States Court of Appeals
New York, NY
Term: 1 Year; Term Start: Aug 15, 2012

Judge Thomas Vanaskie
United States Court of Appeals
Scranton, PA
Term: 1 Year; Term Start: Sep 1, 2012

Judge F. Stillman
United States District Court
Norfolk, VA
Term: 1 Year; Term Start: Aug 15, 2012

Judge Guido Calabresi
United States Court of Appeals
New Haven, CT
Term: 1 Year; Term Start: Jul 1, 2012

Judge Gerard Lynch
United States Court of Appeals
New York, NY
Term: 1 Year; Term Start: Jan 15, 2012

Judge Curtis Collier
United States District Court
Chattanooga, TN
Term: 2 Years; Term Start: Aug 17, 2012


In addition, judges are continuing to add 2011 positions as well.  A few from this week:

Judge James Singleton
United States District Court
Anchorage, AK
Term: 2 Years;  Term Start: Sep 6, 2011

Judge Lawrence Hagel
United States Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims
Washington, DC
Term: 2 Years; Term Start: Sep 1, 2011

Judge Eduardo Robreno
United States District Court
Philadelphia, PA
Term: 1 Year; Term Start: Sep 1, 2011