THE LAW CLERK HIRING PLAN FOR 2009

• The hiring of law clerks will be done no sooner than the Fall of the third year of law school.
  
  
• Law schools and law faculty members will discourage potential applicants from submitting applications that will be received before the day after Labor Day of their third year of law school. The law schools will do nothing to facilitate the release of official transcripts and will discourage faculty members from sending letters of reference that will be received before the day after Labor Day of the third year of law school, and they will discourage faculty from making calls on behalf of the law clerk applicants before that date.
  
  
• Law schools are strongly encouraged to continue bundling applications (including cover letters, resumes, recommendations, transcripts, and writing samples), so that each applicant’s materials arrive together and all applications from a particular school arrive at the same time.
  
  
• Law schools and applicants are strongly encouraged to ensure that the applications and all related materials arrive on the day after Labor Day.
  
  
• The critical dates under the Law Clerk Hiring Plan for 2009 are as follows:

Event	Fall 2009
First date when applications may be received:	Tuesday, September 8, 2009 (OSCAR release: 10:00 a.m. (EDT))
First date and time when judges may contact applicants to schedule interviews:	10:00 a.m. (EDT), Friday, September 11, 2009
First date and time when interviews may be held and offers made:	8:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, September 17, 2009

• The Plan does not cover applicants who have graduated from law school. Therefore, judges may interview and hire law school graduates at any time.
  
  
• Offers may be made as soon as interviews are permitted under the Plan. Generally, it is for the judge to determine the terms upon which an offer is extended. However, judges are encouraged not to require an applicant to accept an offer immediately without reasonable time to weigh it against other viable options that remain open to the applicant. This would not prohibit an applicant from accepting an offer on the spot.
  
  
• When setting up an interview with a clerkship applicant, a judge should make clear to the applicant his or her interview and offer policies or practices. For example, a judge may have a policy or practice of making offers and entirely filling his or her clerkship slots, even if more interviews are scheduled for that day. The applicant should be told this in a timely fashion, so that the applicant's decision to accept or decline the interview is appropriately informed. Applicants should also be informed if the judge will ask them to make a decision on the spot.
  
  
• In appropriate circumstances, judges may wish to consider using video conferencing in lieu of personal interviews.