Many Cornell Law School graduates clerk in federal or state courts either directly after graduation or after one or more years of practice. Our typical JD class size is approximately 200 students, and at least 20% of recent classes have obtained at least one clerkship within four-to-six years after graduation. For example, as of May 1, 2023, the following percentage of each class had clerked or secured a clerkship:

• 22% of the Class of 2017 (44/202)
• 24% of the Class of 2018 (48/196)
• 22% of the Class of 2019 (42/194)

In the most recent six years, an average of 55 graduates, including both new graduates and alumni, have started a new judicial clerkship each year. Data on the number of Cornell Law School graduates starting new clerkships in each calendar year, based on self-reporting, is below.

Total Clerkships by Year	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Federal Courts	60	51	33	39	50	41	37
U.S. Supreme Court	1	–	–	–	1	–	–
U.S. Circuit Judges	16	12	14	16	15	9	10
U.S. District Judges	34	27	16	17	28	21	27
U.S. Magistrate Judges	6	5	2	4	5	6	4
Other Federal	3	7	1	2	1	5	2
State and Foreign Courts	8	12	12	3	6	5	4
Total by Year	68	63	45	42	56	46	47

¹ “Other Federal” includes courts such as International Trade, Tax, Bankruptcy, and Federal Claims, administrative agencies, and staff attorneys on the U.S. Circuit courts.

Last updated: April 9, 2024