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Judicial Law Clerks

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeLower pressure

What they do

Assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $64,920 Median per year · $31.21/hr Most earn $46,180–$113,140

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Perform courtroom duties, including calling calendars, administering oaths, and swearing in jury panels and witnesses.
  • Enter information into computerized court calendar, filing, or case management systems.
  • Enter information into computerized court calendar, filing, or case management systems.
  • Verify that all files, complaints, or other papers are available and in the proper order.
  • Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations.
  • Maintain judges' law libraries by assembling or updating appropriate documents.

Job outlook

United States
3% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 1,500 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • State government, excluding education and hospitals58.1%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals41.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 3 months

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeExperience before this job: 1 to 3 monthsEntry-level

Judicial law clerks usually need a law degree, so this is not an entry-level job straight out of high school or college. Most people get here after about 7 years of college and law school, and then they can start the job with little prior work experience.

  1. Bachelor's degree in any major

    4 years

    Choose a major you enjoy and build strong reading, writing, and research skills, since law school and clerk work depend on them heavily.

  2. Law degree (Juris Doctor, J.D.)

    3 years

    Law school teaches legal research, writing, and court procedure, and many clerks get their first court-related experience through law school internships or externships.

  3. Judicial Law Clerk

    1-3 months of prior related work

    You start by researching cases, drafting memos, and helping a judge prepare opinions. Many courts also expect clerks to be licensed attorneys, so check the rules for the court you want.

Where it can lead

  1. Lawyer

    1-3 years as a clerk of experience first

    After a clerkship, many former clerks join law firms or government offices as attorneys, where they represent clients and argue cases directly.

  2. Administrative Law Judge

    4-6 years of legal practice of experience first

    Administrative law judges hear cases for government agencies, which usually requires several years of experience as a lawyer and a strong record of handling hearings.

  3. Judge, Magistrate Judge, or Magistrate

    6-8 years of legal experience of experience first

    Judges are usually chosen after years of legal practice and a record of strong, fair work, and many have clerked before taking the bench.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take English, history, and government classesThese build the reading, writing, and understanding of how laws and courts work that you will need in law school.
  • Join debate or mock trialArguing both sides of a question and speaking clearly in front of others builds the reasoning skills courts depend on.
  • Volunteer at a courthouse, legal aid office, or local government officeSeeing how cases move through the system shows you whether you enjoy legal work.
  • Work a part-time job that involves writing or customer serviceStarter jobs teach responsibility, deadlines, and communication, which all help in legal careers.
  • Practice writing clearly and carefullyWriting short essays or summaries of what you read helps you get ready for the heavy writing in law school and clerk work.

In college

  • Choose a strong major and take logic or philosophy coursesAny major works if you have strong writing and reasoning skills, and logic classes train the careful thinking that legal research needs.
  • Join a pre-law or mock trial clubThese groups give you practice with arguments, law school prep, and contact with people already in the field.
  • Look for a campus job in the library, a writing center, or the registrar's officeThese jobs build research and writing skills and show that you can handle careful, detail-focused work.
  • Seek a summer internship at a courthouse, law office, or government agencySeeing legal work from the inside helps you decide about law school and builds experience that stands out on applications.
  • Get strong grades and build relationships with professorsLaw school applications usually ask for solid grades and recommendation letters from professors who know your work.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask your school or local courthouse whether they offer tours, mock trial, or talks with judges. Seeing courts in person helps you decide if this work fits you.
  • Take a close look at the clerkship rules in your state and at the court you want, including bar admission, because requirements can vary.
  • Get good grades in writing-heavy classes. Clerks spend most of their time reading, researching, and writing clearly.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

  • Law Professional degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $76,005 a year · typical debt $111,029

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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