Law Clerkships

[LOVEPHYSICS]

Hi,

Just wondering about the importance of extra co-curricular activities having regard to law clerkship (upper tier firms), and if so, what kind. I have heard a lot of conflicting opinions - some say that strong extra co-curricular activities is absolutely vital, whilst others put more emphasis onto grades. Please advise.

Thank you.

[lynt.br]

Realistically you would need both good grades and a strong background of experiences that demonstrate employable skills. But that in mind, it's important you do not overcommit yourself and end up hurting your grades unnecessarily. A good rule of thumb is to try and do one 'extra' activity each semester, such as a competition, volunteering, debating or some other hobby. Also do not discount non-law related activities such as sports and special interest hobbies. There is a lot of homogeneity amongst law students and being able to stand out by showing you have other interests is important, as well as a good conversation starter in social settings/interviews (there are far too many law students who can only talk about law related things...).

[LOVEPHYSICS]

Also do not discount non-law related activities such as sports and special interest hobbies. There is a lot of homogeneity amongst law students and being able to stand out by showing you have other interests is important, as well as a good conversation starter in social settings/interviews (there are far too many law students who can only talk about law related things...).

Yeah, the thing is that I am genuinely more passionate about the law than a lot of other stuff, and spend a lot of time reading (stuff wholly unrelated to course work) about it and discussing it. What bothers me a bit is when some of my peers think that I am only doing it because of the grades; I am not. I fear that potential employees would get that impression. To some extent, it seems like there is this perfect law student image -  some 'balanced' person who gets good grades whilst doing a whole lot of volunteering, skiing in the alps and so on - which I think can be a bit unfair.

[zhenzhenzhen]

Passion will show through in interviews

[jibba]

Sorry for bumping this again, but just wondering if overseas exchange experiences go well with helping your 'co-curricular' image with law firms in interviews. 

[ninwa]

Disclaimer: I have personally never applied for a clerkship or a law firm job, but I do know many people who have been successful

Any experience or activity on your resume that shows you have other, non-law-related skills which may be valuable to a law firm will help. (For example, a successful exchange may show that you are an independent worker and have excellent time management skills etc.)

Like lynt.br said, it will also give you something to talk about. A lot of law firm clerkship interviews will ask behavioural/situational questions like "Tell us about a time when you had to organise something to a tight deadline" and if you have a variety of interesting experiences to draw on (I'm sure interviewers are sick to death of the "oh yeah I had to prepare for a moot with a tight deadline!!!" stories), that will obviously improve your answers greatly.

However, most law firms which offer clerkships will have GPA cut-offs. There's no point having all these great experiences to talk about in the interview if you don't make it to an interview in the first place. Therefore, your first priority should be to make your grades as high as possible. Having extra- and co-curriculars is great but don't let it negatively impact on your GPA.

[lynt.br]

late show to this thread but yes international exchange can help if you spin the narrative the right way. More than anything though it gives you something interesting to talk about/a way for the interviewer to remember you.

I know DLA piper on their application form even had a question asking if you had been on exchange before.

Also if anyone has any clerkship specific questions, I've just gone through the process this semester so I'm happy to answer any questions on the process.