A judicial clerkship is one of the most rewarding (and prestigious) employment opportunities that a recent law school graduate could experience. They usually last one to two years and serve as an excellent bridge from law school to the actual practice of law.  Working as a judicial clerk will give a recent law school graduate access to knowledge and connections that will make them a very attractive candidate for even the most prestigious law firms.  To apply for a judicial clerkship:

1.    You must be a U.S. citizen to become a federal judicial clerk.  Those who are non-citizens may be able to work for the federal judiciary in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. Both non-citizens and citizens can apply for a judicial clerkship at the state judiciary.

2.    You must have completed your J.D. degree.  Although there are no specific requirements, the most competitive clerkships which are the federal clerkships usually prefer students in the top 25% of their class.  However, each judge has his/her own criteria for picking judicial clerks, so don’t allow grades to stop you from applying.

3.    Applicants must send a cover letter, resume, writing sample, official law school transcript and 3 - 4 letters of recommendation to the judge.  The application materials cannot be sent separately, everything must be sent at one time in one enveloped marked "Judicial Clerkship Application."

To learn more about hiring criteria of federal judges visit https://lawclerks.ao.uscourts.gov.