What are my chances at a judicial clerkship?

Question

...if I only have a 3.0 (but at a top 25 school) and didn't do a journal?

Answer 1

The best judicial clerkships go to law students who have the highest grades. If you are in the top 10% of your law school class and are on the law review, you should have a relatively easy time. The best clerkships [federal courts] seem to go to the students with the best academic credentials. Large cities, like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington, also seem to attract the students with the highest academic credentials.

If you live in a county where your family has a degree of political power, the top grades are not that important. It may be a matter of who Mom and Dad know, etc.

If your academic history is as you described it, you may want to apply for legal clerkships in rural counties. It may require you to send out a lot of letters and résumés, but you may find that persistence pays off.