This past summer I worked for a professor as a research assistant and helped her research/write her article for a law journal.  This summer I'm looking to work for a judge (I'd prefer it to be a bankruptcy judge as this is the area of law I'm looking to get into).  There are several in Houston that I can apply to, but I'd also like to apply to a few in Austin as well as out of state (ie California).  When I graduate, I want to practice in Houston, Austin, or LA, so I figure working a summer in either city would be a good chance to establish some roots.

My question is when should I apply for a clerkship with these judges?  I remember last yr as a 1L, people didn't apply until January or February for clerkships.  Given that I'm a 2L now and the job market is kind of tight, I wanted to apply earlier for these positions.

As for clerkships in LA, should I mention that I'll be in the area on X dates and would be available to interview with them then?  As well, should I send my resume, cover letter, etc to the actual judge or to the clerk for the court?

As for my credentials, I'm right outside of the top 1/3.  I'm not on a journal this semester but am doing work with the Mock Trial teams at school.  I competed this summer on the Mock Trial teams as well as working for the professor (as mentioned above)

Thanks for the help ya'll. 

I was looking on NALP earlier today and found a few firms that hire 1L's for the summer.  I'm currently in Texas for law school but want to go to either California or Florida to work during the coming summer.  I'm not at one of the top schools in Texas (ie UT or Baylor), so that could hinder my chances applying to some of these firms w/out a "big name" law school.  I know it may be a long shot trying to come in from out of state, but I figure there's no harm in trying.

On NALP, there are some contact names/e-mails/addresses/etc.  My question is should I contact these hiring partners now and let them know I'm interested??  (granted, being a 1L I don't have any grades yet.  I probably won't have any until at least mid January) 

Any advice on how to show interest in some of these positions given the fact I'd be coming in from out of state and I don't have any grades yet?  I'm just a little confused about how to handle the whole process as it seems somewhat overwhelming.  Thanks for the help!

I've got a question about the process of applying for financial aid with several of the schools I applied to.  I realize it's a little late in the financial aid application cycle, but I got my dates a little mixed up and am frantically trying to get my paperwork taken care of.

Most of the schools have their own financial aid application that they require.  As well, some mention that the FAFSA is necessary as well, but others don't mention it in their requirements.  My question is, in order to apply for financial aid, do I just need to fill out the school's application as well as the FAFSA??  I never had to use financial aid for my undergrad, so I'm a little confused about the overall process. 

Any help would be appreciated!!

Southwestern has sent me a couple e-mails this week reminding me to apply for finanacial aid.  However, as of yet, my application status check online says they're still reviewing my file. 

Do ya'll think these e-mails are an early indication that I'm close to being accepted/a serious contender??  No other law schools have sent me these kinds of e-mails...only Southwestern.

I was wondering if you all think I need to submit an LSAT addendum to the schools I'm applying to?  I took the test in Sept. and did fairly poorly on it (part of it related to nerves and stress as I put quite a bit of studying time into it)  I retook in December and saw an 8 point jump in my score.  (It's much more respectable now) 

Anyways, with my gpa of a 3.31 (3.6 for my major), I'm unsure if the added addendum would help my case...or be merely another essay that adcoms would have to look at.  Any ideas??

Edit:  My LSAT is now a 153