No surprise here. From USCourts.gov:

A total of 401,576 electronic applications from lawyers seeking jobs as federal court law clerks were received in fiscal year 2009, a 66 percent increase from the 241,529 applications received in 2008 via the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR).

The applications were filed by 10,722 applicants who were competing for the 1,244 clerkship positions that were posted between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009.

About two-thirds of all federal judges participate in the OSCAR program, electing to maintain a judge profile, post a clerkship position and accept applications, or advertise that there are not hiring law clerks.

Fifty-two percent of the applicants that used OSCAR during FY 2009 were law school graduates, and 48 percent were third-year law students. But 68 percent of the 401,576 applications were generated by third-year law students.

OSCAR takes what was a paper-heavy – and expensive – process and puts it online. Applicants for law clerk positions can pull together and submit online applications complete with resumes, cover letters, transcripts, and writing samples.

The number of applications filed via OSCAR has increased each year since its introduction in FY 2005, when 94,693 applications were handled. The totals since have been 174,363 in 2006; 180,832 in 2007; 241,529 in 2008; and 401,576 in 2009.