Career Services: Judicial Clerkships
Judicial clerkships are generally one or two year assignments where attorneys serve as a research assistant for a particular judge or for an entire court. The exact assignment and duties depend upon the specific court. There are literally thousands of clerkships available each year. An easy way to divide clerkships is between federal and state courts. Federal court clerkships are usually more competitive, and therefore, more difficult to obtain than State court clerkships.
In the Federal Courts judicial clerkships are available in the following institutions:
- U.S. Court of Appeals
- U.S. District Courts
- U.S. Bankruptcy Courts
- Special Courts (located in Washington, D.C.)
- Administrative Law Judges
- U.S. Magistrates
In the State Court Systems judicial clerkships are available in the:
- Highest State Courts
- Intermediate Appellate Courts (most, but not all states)
- Trial Courts (depends upon state)
The following websites are valuable resources for students interested in judicial clerkships:
- The Federal Law Clerk Information System (https://lawclerks.ao.uscourts.gov/)
This site allows prospective applicants to search a national database of federal law clerk vacancies and also provides information about the U.S. Courts and federal clerkships. - U.S. Federal Courts (www.uscourts.gov)
This is the homepage for the U.S. Federal Judiciary. The site provides information as well as links to the U.S. Federal Courts. - The National Center for State Courts (http://www.ncsconline.org/)
This site provides links to State Court websites, as well as limited employment information and links to federal and international courts. - Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System (http://www.courts.state.pa.us/)
This site provides information and links to courts in Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. - CareerLink (http://www.whohascourtjobs.com)
This site provides job listings for judicial clerkships and internships for students in a select number of states. - Guide to State Judicial Clerkships (http://www.vermontlaw.edu/career/index.cfm?doc_id=1504) is an online source published by the Vermont Law School. This is a password protected job site and the login and password information are located on the CSO section of the Extranet
The Judicial Clerkship Application Guide along with additional books and materials on judicial clerkships are available in the Career Services Office. The CSO holds informational programs on judicial clerkships in September of each year. Students are also encouraged to meet with a member of the CSO staff to discuss judicial clerkship opportunities.
Students may also participate in Judicial Externships during the summer or throughout the school year. For more information on Externship opportunities contact the Student Affairs Office.