Preparing for a Federal District Clerkship

Course Information

Registration Information

Meeting Times

Day Time Location
THU 11:50 am - 1:30 pm JON 6.206

Evaluation Method

Type Date Time Location
Other

Description

Same as LAW 279P, Topic: Preparing for a Federal District Clerkship.

This course is for 3Ls who will be clerking for a federal district or magistrate judge. It is taught by an active and a recently-retired federal magistrate judge, both of whom also clerked for a federal district judge.    

On your first day in your new clerkship, you will inherit the responsibility of overseeing a docket of 100 or more cases, all of which have ongoing motion practice, upcoming trial dates, and a lot for a law clerk to do.  And most of the things you will need to do are things you have never done before, like preparing a bench memo for a hearing, or an order denying a 12(b)(6) motion.  The first few months in a clerkship can be pretty overwhelming. This class is intended to provide you with enough knowledge and insight into the nuts and bolts of a district or magistrate judge clerkship to allow you to hit the ground running on your first day.  It covers everything from how to read a docket sheet and find the pleadings in your cases, to drafting a memorandum opinion.  It is a  two-credit, pass/fail, small and collaborative class.  

Permission to enroll must be acquired prior to registration. Students must have a verified federal district clerkship. Before the registration period begins, email Andrea Stanfill: clerk-admin@law.utexas.edu to request verification and departmental access to register online.

Textbooks ( * denotes required )

Aspen Treatise for Federal Jurisdiction *
Chemerinsky, Erwin
Wolters Kluwer Law & Business , edition: 8
ISBN: 978-1-5438-1371-5

Instructors

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Important Class Changes

Date Updated
01/28/2022 Room(s) changed