Why do clerkship

You may be wondering what exactly a judicial clerkship is and whether it would be a good position for you. In this post, we explain what a judicial clerkship is and the pros and cons of taking such a position! Most judges have at least one attorney on their staff who helps the judge conduct legal research, prepare for hearings and trials and draft written opinions.

A law clerk is often a recent graduate. There are two types of clerkships: term clerks and career clerks. Term clerks often serve in the position for 1 to 3 years. The length of the term is generally determined in advance and sometimes there is an opportunity to extend the term for one or more additional years.

Career clerks often continue working for the judge for an undisclosed period of time. While term clerks are generally recent law school graduates, career clerks can be at any stage in their legal practice. The most talked-about and most prestigious clerkship is that for a federal judge. All levels of federal judges have law clerks: District Court judges and sometimes even magistrates , Circuit Court judges, and Supreme Court justices.

It is an extremely competitive process and it can be very difficult to even land an interview with a federal judge. The process is extremely formal, with specific start and end dates for the application process that are uniform for all judges.

Judges often hire law clerks one to two years in advance of the date on which the clerk will actually start working for the judge. State court judges and justices also hire law clerks.

State supreme court justices and appellate court judges often have at least one law clerk. Some state appellate courts may even have staff attorneys whose job is to assist all of the judges, not just one particular judge.

State trial court judges sometimes also have law clerks. Whether state court justices and judges have law clerks and the process of obtaining such clerkships will vary greatly from state to state. Ask an OPD staff member for more information.

Federal judges will then observe a reading period in mid-September. Then judges can begin interviewing candidates and making offers. It is critical that applicants assemble application packets over the summer before third year and have them ready to mail for the early September due date.

That means that applicants should start the research and application preparation process in late June or early July. Applicants who begin the process late and are not ready to send applications pursuant to the Hiring Plan will risk losing out on the opportunity. With just 14 days between the opening of the application period and the date that judges can make offers, the process will move quickly. The following is a breakdown of the courts at the federal level:.

These clerkship positions are obviously the most competitive. In fact, U. Supreme Court clerks are not hired while the clerk is in law school. In order to be considered for a clerkship with the U. Supreme Court, applicants must almost always have completed a clerkship at the federal Court of Appeals level. Certain courts, such as the Court of Appeals for the D.

Circuit are considered most likely to lead to a U. Supreme Court clerkship. The credentials of individuals selected for such positions are almost always extraordinary. Find more information on the U. Supreme Court. There are 12 regional circuit courts of appeal. Each judge at the Court of Appeals level has two or three clerks. With a limited number of positions available and with the complexity of legal issues presented, these clerkships are incredibly competitive, although certain circuits are more competitive than others.

The D. Circuit, the Second Circuit, and the Ninth Circuit are generally considered the most competitive. See a map of circuits and links to circuit court websites. There are 94 judicial districts in the United States. There are two different clerkship options at the federal trial court level. First, there are several hundred active U. District judges across the country, most of whom have two law clerks. Second, U. District magistrate judges frequently hire judicial clerks.

Magistrates handle pre-trial matters for trials before the District Court and handle trials for petty offenders. Judicial clerks at the Bankruptcy Court are responsible for reviewing cases, writing memoranda of law, and answering attorney questions regarding court procedures and policies. There are 19 judges appointed to the Tax Court each with approximately three judicial clerks. Clerks receive the experience of a trial court within the specialized field of tax. The court's trials involve controversies regarding deficiencies in income, estate, and gift taxes, among other things.

Students interested in positions should be sure to take and excel in tax courses and be ranked in the upper third of their class. Tax Court. This specialized court sits in Washington, D.

Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This court has 18 judges and approximately 19 law clerks. The judges hear cases dealing with suits against the United States. This court has nine judges, most of whom have two law clerks. The jurisdiction of this court is over civil actions against the United States arising from federal laws governing import transactions. Find more information about the court. Many students from Indiana University Robert H.

Each justice has two clerks with the exception of the chief justice who has three. Clerks are primarily responsible for reviewing the trial record, researching the applicable law, and drafting legal memoranda and court opinions.

Clerks also attend oral arguments before the court. Students interested in a clerkship opportunity should apply during the fall semester of their second year. Find more information on the Indiana Supreme Court and on the justices.

There are 15 judges on the Indiana Court of Appeals. The courtroom and all judges' offices are located in Indianapolis. The courtroom and nine offices occupy a portion of the fourth floor of the State House. Six offices and the administrative offices are housed on the twelfth floor of the National City Center in downtown Indianapolis.

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Clerkships offer an opportunity to work closely with a judge, learn about the inner workings of the judicial system, and hone your legal research and writing skills. In short, a clerkship can be an ideal stepping stone into any legal job.

Number of consecutive years our graduates have clerked on the U. Clerking entails a good deal of legal research and writing, though it can also involve administrative responsibilities. It is an excellent opportunity to become familiar with pretrial and trial procedures and to hone legal research, writing and advocacy skills. There are many benefits to working as a term judicial law clerk or permanent staff attorney.