You have to be pretty special to be considered for a Supreme Court clerkship.
It's not just about good grades.
It's about your former clerkships, work history, scholarships, and most importantly who you know, Northwestern University School of Law career counselor Hanna Stotland told Business Insider.
Supreme Court clerks need to have the right "feeder clerkship," often in a federal appellate court or even in both a trial and an appellate court.
Clerks also have to place in the top of their class, secure elite scholarships, and belong to their schools' best law reviews, according to Stotland.
But that might not be enough.
"The big thing, among the people with the right law schools and the right grades and the right scholarly experience on the law review is who are your recommenders and how much do they love you," Stotland said.
Keeping this in mind, you can imagine the 2012-2013 term clerks are a pretty impressive bunch.
For instance there's Thane Rehn, who's clerking for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
After graduating first in his class at Columbia Law in 2009, Rehn clerked for the famous appeals court judge Richard Posner. Then he went on to corporate law firm Susman Godfrey, where he successfully argued a motion that essentially killed a billion-dollar claim against his client OppenheimerFunds. At the time, Rehn was the most junior associate on the team.
Another clerk has shown she's a good person in addition to being a good lawyer.
Caroline Edsall, a clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts, was the founder and team captain of Yale Law's Relay for Life Team. She was also the team's top fundraiser, having raised more than $12,600, according to the American Cancer Society.
Edsall graduated Yale Law in 2010 and previously clerked for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a well known judge on the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.
A clerk for another right-leaning justice, Samuel Alito, is also pretty impressive.
Claire McCusker Murray scored the coveted Temple Bar Scholarship, which allowed her to work in barristers' chambers in London and in the U.K. Supreme Court before going on to work for Alito in the U.S., according to American Inns of Court.
In addition to their legal accomplishments, the entire class of clerks might also share a personal connection with the justices.
Supreme Court justices have the luxury of choosing from the best of the best, so they are able to make their selections based on really personal criteria, according to Stotland.
The late Justice William Rehnquist enjoyed playing tennis with his clerks, Stotland points out, so he chose people who would be up for a doubles match.
SEE ALSO: Sonia Sotomayor Shows She's The Least Guarded Supreme Court Justice >
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