A couple of years ago in a post titled The Coming Judicial Clerkship Application Crush I suggested – accurately, as it turned out - that the economic crisis would cause a surge in judicial clerkship applications among the most highly credentialed law students. Federal clerkships have long been highly sought positions, but all evidence suggests that the rise in applications has made them even more difficult to secure.
That 2009 crush continued and only increased this past fall according to this report. Now the question is whether things will ease up now that we see a soft bounce in entry level associate hiring. My prediction is: just a little. If that comes to pass, it'll be good news for students at not-quite-super-elite national schools and strong regionals.