The Ad Hoc Committee on Law Clerk Hiring has announced a 2004 Law Clerk Hiring Plan. The judges have endorsed a slightly amended version of the 2003 Law Clerk Hiring Plan for 2004. Under the 2004 Plan, there should be a two-week "reading period" during which law clerk applications can be received, sorted, and reviewed by chambers before interviews are held. The Plan still provides that the hiring of law clerks will be done no sooner than the Fall of the third year of law school.

Here are the critical dates:

The Day After Labor Day (September 7, 2004): Third year law students and law school graduates may begin submitting law clerkship applications. Letters of reference may be submitted.
From the Day After Labor Day Through the Second Sunday After Labor Day (September 7 - 19, 2004): Reading period.
The First Monday After Labor Day (September 13, 2004): Judges may begin scheduling interviews to be held after the reading period.
The Second Monday After Labor Day (September 20, 2004): Judges may begin conducting interviews and extending offers.

In addition, the Committee states that law schools should be strongly encouraged to have students submit all of their their application materials, including sealed letters of reference, in one mailing. At a minimum, faculty members who send letters of reference under separate cover should mark the envelopes with a notation, "LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR [APPLICANT'S NAME]." The law schools should also be encouraged to counsel applicants against sending out "scores of applications."

Note that this plan is designed for federal judges, including District Court Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Bankruptcy Judges. Thus far it has received widespread support from a "huge percentage" of all federal judges as well as the Ad Hoc Committee comprised of representatives from each federal circuit. For the full summary and report of the Committee, see 2004 Law Clerk Hiring Plan.

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