Judicial Law Clerks: Job Description
Assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents.
Featured schools near , edit
What Tasks Do Judicial Law Clerks Take On?
The core tasks performed by judicial law clerks include:
- Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations.
- Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court.
- Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations.
- Confer with judges concerning legal questions, construction of documents, or granting of orders.
- Review complaints, petitions, motions, or pleadings that have been filed to determine issues involved or basis for relief.
- Keep abreast of changes in the law and inform judges when cases are affected by such changes.
- Attend court sessions to hear oral arguments or record necessary case information.
- Review dockets of pending litigation to ensure adequate progress.
What Judicial Law Clerks Need to Know
Effective judicial law clerks rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Types of Judicial Law Clerks Jobs
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Appellate Law Clerk
- Attorney Law Clerk
- Career Judicial Law Clerk
- Career Law Clerk
- Chancery Clerk
- Court of Appeals Law Clerk
- District Clerk
- District Court Law Clerk
How Many Judicial Law Clerks Are There?
The U.S. employs around 125,970 judicial law clerks working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +4.1% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Judicial Law Clerks
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $132,226 |
| Hourly median | $63.57 |
| 10th percentile | $94,462 |
| 25th percentile | $113,344 |
| 75th percentile | $151,108 |
| 90th percentile | $169,990 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Judicial Law Clerks Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New York | $127,780 |
| Connecticut | $96,260 |
| Arkansas | $94,490 |
| North Dakota | $89,080 |
| Tennessee | $80,440 |
| Washington | $80,260 |
| California | $76,410 |
| Idaho | $71,690 |
| Maine | $68,540 |
| Nevada | $66,120 |
| Colorado | $65,270 |
| Delaware | $63,450 |
| Missouri | $62,900 |
| Iowa | $62,390 |
| Texas | $61,950 |
| South Carolina | $60,190 |
| Arizona | $59,710 |
| Louisiana | $58,690 |
| Michigan | $58,320 |
| New Jersey | $54,040 |
| Wisconsin | $53,940 |
| Florida | $53,930 |
| Georgia | $53,000 |
| Utah | $50,490 |
| Indiana | $49,930 |
| West Virginia | $49,220 |
| Ohio | $49,110 |
| Hawaii | $48,460 |
| Nebraska | $47,960 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,950 |
| Kansas | $46,950 |
| Montana | $44,920 |
| Mississippi | $43,680 |
| Oregon | $41,120 |
| Oklahoma | $38,480 |
| Kentucky | $37,680 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Pay for judicial law clerks vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $93,392 | 2.6% | 1.65 |
| Middle Atlantic | $79,073 | 22.0% | 1.50 |
| Far Western US | $71,924 | 22.9% | 1.94 |
| Southeast | $59,285 | 29.6% | 1.75 |
| Plains States | $58,995 | 3.3% | 0.73 |
| Southwest | $55,638 | 5.5% | 0.73 |
| Rocky Mountains | $53,895 | 7.2% | 3.12 |
| Great Lakes | $53,544 | 6.9% | 0.65 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | NY | $127,780 | 90 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | CT | $102,710 | 120 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $99,490 | 50 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | RI | $92,870 | 90 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $86,090 | 180 |
| Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | TN | $85,340 | 370 |
| Knoxville, TN | TN | $80,440 | |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $80,260 | 310 |
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Information retrieval or search software: Thomson Reuters Westlaw (in demand)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of judicial law clerks is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
How to Become Judicial Law Clerks
This career aligns with Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators (Supplemental)
- Compliance Officers (Supplemental)
- Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers (Primary-Long)
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators and Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists (Supplemental)
- Lawyers (Primary-Short)
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers (Primary-Short)
- Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators (Primary-Long)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Aspiring judicial law clerks typically earn programs in:
Legal Professions and Studies
1 programs across 1 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 23-1012.00 (Judicial Law Clerks).
GradDegree.com provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© GradDegree.com – All Rights Reserved.