Best Law Schools for Federal Clerkships — What the Data Actually Shows

The University of Chicago Law School places more of its graduates into federal clerkships than any other school in this data set: 28.1% of the graduating class, per ABA employment disclosures. That number is not just a lead — it is a chasm. Chicago and Yale (26.0%) sit in a tier by themselves, each sending more than a quarter of every graduating class into federal chambers. The gap between #2 Yale and #3 Stanford (17.6%) is larger than the gap between #3 and #12.

What that tells you: federal clerkship placement is one of the most concentrated outcomes in legal education. A handful of schools functions as a pipeline; the rest place respectably but not dominantly. Notre Dame's appearance at #5 (16.6%) — ahead of Virginia, Texas, Duke, and Michigan — is the ranking's genuine surprise and the reason reputation-based guessing fails here. This page ranks strictly by the percentage of graduates who secured federal clerkships, using ABA 509 employment data supplemented by Lovare's aggregate verified data set. No reputation weighting, no editorial thumb on the scale — just the placement rate.

Key Takeaways

• University of Chicago leads all ranked schools with 28.1% of graduates in federal clerkships.
• Yale Law School is second at 26.0%; only Chicago and Yale clear 25%.
• Stanford (17.6%) and Harvard (17.5%) are effectively tied for third.
• Notre Dame ranks fifth at 16.6% — ahead of Virginia, Texas, Duke, and Michigan.
• The bottom of this top-15 (NYU and Northwestern, 7.6%) still places roughly 1 in 13 graduates into a federal clerkship.

How We Ranked These (Methodology)

This ranking orders schools by the percentage of each graduating class that secured a federal clerkship, drawn from ABA 509 employment disclosures and cross-checked against Lovare's proprietary aggregate data set of top law schools. The metric is a single, transparent figure: federal clerkships as a share of graduates.

We chose federal clerkship rate — not raw clerkship count — because rate normalizes for class size. A large school placing 40 graduates and a small school placing 40 graduates are not equivalent outcomes; the rate captures how likely a given student at that school is to land a federal clerkship. Federal clerkships here mean U.S. district court, circuit court, and specialty federal court positions as reported to the ABA; state clerkships and staff-attorney roles are excluded from this cut.

Two honest limitations built into the method. First, this is Lovare's verified data set of top law schools and is expanding as more schools are added — a school's absence from the list does not mean it places no graduates into federal clerkships. Second, the ABA figure reports the graduating cohort's outcomes; because many clerkships are deferred and served a year or more after graduation, some schools' true clerkship pipelines run slightly higher than the reported-at-graduation figure. Where Lovare proprietary data is referenced, it appears only in aggregate and anonymized form — never a single applicant or record. All figures are the metric values supplied by the underlying disclosures and are not estimates.

The Rankings

Below is the ordered list by federal clerkship placement rate. The summary table comes first; detailed analysis follows.

RankSchoolFederal Clerkship Rate1University of Chicago Law School28.1%2Yale Law School26.0%3Stanford Law School17.6%4Harvard Law School17.5%5University of Notre Dame Law School16.6%6University of Virginia School of Law15.1%7University of Texas at Austin School of Law12.1%8Duke University School of Law10.5%9University of Michigan Law School10.2%10Washington University in St. Louis School of Law9.5%11George Washington University Law School9.5%12Vanderbilt University Law School9.0%13UC Berkeley School of Law8.8%14New York University School of Law7.6%15Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law7.6%

1. University of Chicago Law School — 28.1%

Chicago sends 28.1% of its graduates into federal clerkships, the highest rate in this data set and the clearest example of a school whose culture is built around the clerkship. More than one in four Chicago graduates clerks in federal court. That number reflects a small, intensely academic class, a faculty deeply networked into the federal judiciary, and a student body that self-selects toward clerkship-track work.

Who it fits: the applicant whose north star is a clerkship — potentially a feeder to an appellate practice or an eventual academic career. If you are choosing between comparable offers and clerking is the goal, Chicago's rate is the single strongest data point in this ranking. The tradeoff is that Chicago's clerkship dominance is inseparable from its rigor; this is not a low-stress path to the outcome.

2. Yale Law School — 26.0%

Yale places 26.0% of graduates into federal clerkships, second only to Chicago and part of the two-school top tier. Yale's clerkship pipeline is legendary and disproportionately weighted toward the most competitive appellate and Supreme Court feeder positions. The small class size and academic orientation mirror Chicago's, and the two schools together account for the two highest rates in the country's elite set.

Who it fits: applicants targeting the very top of the clerkship market — circuit courts and the Supreme Court track. Yale's brand and faculty relationships open doors that raw rate figures understate.

3. Stanford Law School — 17.6%

Stanford's 17.6% federal clerkship rate opens the second tier — a real drop from the Chicago–Yale pair, but still exceptional in absolute terms. Stanford combines a small class with strong West Coast and national judicial connections, and its rate reflects a student body that competes effectively for clerkships without the singular clerkship monoculture of the top two.

Who it fits: applicants who want elite clerkship odds alongside strong tech, IP, and West Coast options — Stanford does not force a clerkship-or-bust identity.

4. Harvard Law School — 17.5%

Harvard places 17.5% of graduates into federal clerkships, statistically tied with Stanford for third. What makes Harvard's figure notable is scale: Harvard's class is far larger than Chicago's or Yale's, so 17.5% represents one of the largest raw numbers of federal clerks produced by any school. If you care about the sheer size and breadth of a clerkship network, Harvard's alumni footprint in federal chambers is unmatched.

Who it fits: applicants who want both elite clerkship odds and the widest possible optionality across every practice area and market.

5. University of Notre Dame Law School — 16.6%

Notre Dame's 16.6% federal clerkship rate is the ranking's headline surprise — fifth overall, ahead of Virginia, Texas, Duke, Michigan, and every school below it. This punches well above where reputation-based rankings would place Notre Dame, and it reflects a deliberate institutional emphasis on clerkship placement plus strong relationships with the federal bench, particularly in conservative and Midwest circuits.

Who it fits: applicants for whom a federal clerkship is a top priority and who may receive more generous scholarship offers here than at higher-ranked peers. Notre Dame is the strongest example in this list of a school where the clerkship outcome outpaces the prestige tier.

6. University of Virginia School of Law — 15.1%

Virginia places 15.1% of graduates into federal clerkships, anchoring the strong-but-not-elite tier. UVA's clerkship strength is real and geographically concentrated — heavy placement into the Fourth Circuit and surrounding federal courts, backed by a famously loyal alumni network.

Who it fits: applicants who want a top clerkship rate paired with UVA's collegial culture and strong BigLaw fallback if clerking doesn't materialize.

7. University of Texas at Austin School of Law — 12.1%

Texas places 12.1% of graduates into federal clerkships, the top public school below the national elites on this metric. UT's rate reflects deep entrenchment in Texas federal courts (Fifth Circuit and the state's district courts) and a large class producing a substantial raw clerk count.

Who it fits: applicants targeting federal clerkships in Texas and the Fifth Circuit specifically, where UT's network is dominant, at in-state tuition that reshapes the ROI calculation.

8. Duke University School of Law — 10.5%

Duke's 10.5% federal clerkship rate reflects a school that consistently sends a strong slice of its class to the federal bench, supported by an intentional, well-resourced clerkship advising operation. The figure is solid for a school of Duke's size.

Who it fits: applicants who value structured clerkship support and a collaborative culture, with a rate that keeps the door genuinely open.

9. University of Michigan Law School — 10.2%

Michigan places 10.2% of graduates into federal clerkships. As one of the largest elite public schools, Michigan's rate translates to a meaningful raw number of federal clerks and a broad national placement rather than one dominant circuit.

Who it fits: applicants who want national reach and a strong-but-realistic clerkship rate without the monoculture intensity of the top two.

10. Washington University in St. Louis School of Law — 9.5%

WashU places 9.5% of graduates into federal clerkships, tied with George Washington and outpacing several higher-ranked peers on this specific metric — a data point worth weighing given WashU's frequently generous scholarship offers. The rate signals a school investing seriously in clerkship placement.

Who it fits: cost-conscious applicants who receive strong merit aid and still want a real shot at federal chambers.

11. George Washington University Law School — 9.5%

GW's 9.5% federal clerkship rate is powered by its D.C. location and dense connections to the federal courts in the capital. GW places well into district and specialty federal courts in Washington, where proximity and alumni presence compound.

Who it fits: applicants set on D.C. and federal-court practice, who benefit from being embedded in the market from day one.

12. Vanderbilt University Law School — 9.0%

Vanderbilt places 9.0% of graduates into federal clerkships, a steady figure supported by strong Southeastern federal-court relationships and an attentive clerkship advising program.

Who it fits: applicants drawn to the Southeast and to Vanderbilt's collegial, well-supported environment, with a solid clerkship floor.

13. UC Berkeley School of Law — 8.8%

Berkeley places 8.8% of graduates into federal clerkships. Given Berkeley's large class, the rate reflects a substantial raw number of clerks, concentrated heavily in Ninth Circuit and Northern California federal courts.

Who it fits: applicants targeting West Coast federal clerkships and public-interest-aligned chambers, where Berkeley's presence is strong.

14. New York University School of Law — 7.6%

NYU places 7.6% of graduates into federal clerkships, tied with Northwestern at the bottom of this top-15. NYU's figure is partly a function of its very large class and a student body that skews heavily toward BigLaw in New York — many strong candidates choose the firm track over clerking. Even so, 7.6% of an NYU class is a large raw number of federal clerks.

Who it fits: applicants for whom clerking is one option among several strong ones, particularly those anchored in New York.

15. Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law — 7.6%

Northwestern rounds out the list at 7.6%, tied with NYU. Like NYU, Northwestern's student body leans strongly toward BigLaw placement — especially in Chicago — which pulls the clerkship rate down even as absolute placement remains healthy.

Who it fits: applicants whose priority is BigLaw with clerking as a secondary path, particularly in the Chicago market.

How to Read This Ranking — Which Tier Fits Which Applicant

Use the rate to match your goal, not just chase the top number. If a federal clerkship is your single non-negotiable objective, the Chicago–Yale tier (26%+) gives you the best structural odds, and Stanford, Harvard, and Notre Dame (16–18%) form a strong second tier where the clerkship is a normal, well-supported path.

The middle of this list is where the smart, non-obvious choices live. Notre Dame at #5 and WashU at #10 both outperform higher-prestige peers on this exact metric — and both are known for generous scholarship offers. A lower-ranked school on this list can be the better pick when it means clerking with less debt, or clerking in the specific geography you want. Texas dominates the Fifth Circuit; GW dominates D.C.; Berkeley dominates the Ninth. A 12% rate concentrated in the exact court you want to clerk in can beat a 17% rate spread nationally. Read the rate together with geography, money, and where you actually want to practice.

What This Ranking Doesn't Tell You

A federal clerkship rate is a class-wide average — it does not tell you your individual odds. Clerkships are won on grades, journal membership, faculty recommendations, and strategic applications; a strong student at #10 will out-clerk a middling student at #1. Rank does not equal your rate.

Second, this metric treats all federal clerkships as equivalent. A district court clerkship and a prestigious circuit or feeder clerkship both count as one, but they are not the same outcome. Schools like Yale that dominate the top of the appellate market may look closer to peers on raw rate than they are in the clerkship market that matters most for academia and appellate practice.

Third, the reported figure captures clerkships secured at graduation. Because many clerkships are deferred, several schools' true pipelines run higher than what appears here. And finally, this is a verified data set of top schools that is still expanding — absence from the list is not evidence of weak placement. Read the number for what it is: a strong signal of institutional pipeline strength, not a guarantee of your personal outcome.

How to Actually Land a Federal Clerkship

The clerkship outcome is earned in your first year, before you ever apply. Federal clerkships are grade-driven above almost all else — top-of-class GPA and law review or a top secondary journal are the entry ticket at most courts. Prioritize 1L grades ruthlessly; they carry disproportionate weight.

Build faculty relationships early and deliberately. Federal judges hire on the recommendation of professors they trust, and those letters come from faculty who know your work — which means engaging in office hours, research assistantships, and seminars long before application season. Target strategically: apply broadly across districts and circuits, prioritize judges with connections to your school and professors, and use your school's clerkship advisor, whose relationships with specific chambers are often the deciding factor. If you are aiming for a school specifically for its clerkship pipeline, weigh the rates on this list against your realistic class-rank prospects there.

Common Mistakes Applicants Make

• Chasing the top rate without accounting for your own odds. A 28% school where you finish mid-pack may yield a lower personal clerkship probability than a 15% school where you're at the top. Rate is institutional, not personal.
• Ignoring geography. A school with a lower national rate may dominate the exact circuit you want to clerk in — Texas in the Fifth, GW in D.C., Berkeley in the Ninth.
• Treating all federal clerkships as equal. District, circuit, and feeder clerkships differ enormously in competitiveness and career value; the rate flattens them.
• Turning down scholarship money for a marginally higher rate. A judge does not see your debt load, but you will. WashU and Notre Dame both post strong rates and strong aid.
• Assuming absence from a top-15 list means a school can't place you. This is an expanding data set of top schools, not a complete census.
• Deferring 1L effort. Clerkships are won on 1L grades. There is no way to backfill a mediocre first year.

FAQ

See the frequently asked questions below for the specific queries applicants raise about federal clerkship placement.

Direct Answer

The best law school for federal clerkships by placement rate is the University of Chicago, where 28.1% of graduates secure a federal clerkship, per ABA employment data. Yale is second at 26.0%, followed by Stanford (17.6%) and Harvard (17.5%). Notre Dame ranks fifth at 16.6%, ahead of higher-prestige peers. Rates measure the share of each graduating class placed into federal chambers; they reflect institutional pipeline strength, not your individual odds, which depend on grades, journal membership, and faculty recommendations. Weigh the rate against geography, scholarship money, and the specific federal courts you want to clerk in.

Sources & Methodology

Ranking based on ABA 509 employment disclosures for federal clerkship placement, supplemented by Lovare's proprietary aggregate verified data set of top law schools (aggregated and anonymized). Federal clerkship rate is the percentage of each graduating class placed into U.S. district, circuit, and specialty federal court clerkships. This data set of top schools is expanding as additional schools are added. This page is educational content and not legal advice; no admissions or employment outcome is guaranteed. Last reviewed 2025.