A law clerk, also known as a “associate” or “judicial assistant,” is a court employee who works directly for a judge. Applicants for law clerk positions are typically recent law school graduates. Law clerk positions are available in most jurisdictions in local or state courts, appellate courts, and the nation’s high court.
Law clerk jobs are typically given to the best and brightest students in law school. For a recent law school graduate, a position as a law clerk, particularly in one of the nation’s higher courts, is a coveted position. Working as a law clerk can lead to a variety of job opportunities for a recent law school graduate. Positions as a law clerk are, unsurprisingly, extremely competitive. The responsibilities of law clerks differ depending on the jurisdiction and the different courts within that jurisdiction.
Law clerk positions are generally available at the state and federal level in the appellate and supreme courts in the United States, though some trial level judges also hire law clerks. In the United States, a law clerk’s responsibilities typically include researching cases before the court and assisting the judge or justice in the writing of an opinion. Many of the opinions written for the United States Supreme Court have been written law clerks, with the final approval, of course, coming from the justice for whom they worked.
Law clerk jobs operate similarly to those in the United States in other countries. In Australia, for example, a law clerk is known as a “associate,” who performs similar duties to a law clerk but travels with each of the High Court judges when the court is on circuit. Law clerks in Canada, England, and Brazil are similar to those in the United States and Australia, though they may go different names.
In most countries, law clerk jobs are only for a year, after which the clerk will look for work in the private or public sector. In some countries, however, a law clerk is a full-time position designed to serve as a sort of apprenticeship for aspiring judges. Law clerks in France, for example, are full-time staff attorneys or “junior judges.” Lower-level judges in Germany perform law clerk duties for judges in higher courts as a means of preparing for a position in the higher courts.