u/YankeeDaddy69

As the header says, I’m a rising 2L in the U.S. and I passed the CIPPUS today. I have a 2L summer job lined up with a big firm and I was recruited for my background in cyber/software engineering before law school. I am looking to grab the next cert, I eventually want to take the CISSP but want to have a few more years of work under my belt before tackling that. It seems like the CIPT is the next exam I should shoot for. How was studying for that compared to the CIPPUS? Did those of you with a technical background find the CIPT any easier?

Top 25% at a T30 state flagship school, didn’t make law review (doing a smaller journal in my niche area of interest), doing ADR team, and TA’ing for legal writing. Also won a book award for legal writing II and got an A in civpro. I have a judicial internship this summer with a district judge which I have been enjoying very much and has made me heavily consider clerking. My 2L summer I have a BL SA in my niche area of interest (had a career in this area before law school), and from what I’ve been told I’m basically guaranteed a return offer, and have heard nothing but amazing things about this firm from everyone I’ve met (including a couple judges!)

So given this information, and assuming I enjoy my next summer enough to want to start on at this firm with a return offer, is it even worth applying for fed clerkships straight out of law school, or waiting until I have a few years in practice under my belt? Does leaving to clerk for a year or two stunt your growth at the firm? I know the experience is invaluable but also being MIA from the firm means less time to build your reputation at that firm.

I also want to know, given my information, do I even have a shot at a fed clerkship? With the hiring schedules being so weird and competitive this year it’s hard to tell what’s even viable anymore.