Judicial Law Clerks: Career Overview
Assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents.
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The Daily Work of Judicial Law Clerks Perform?
The core tasks performed by judicial law clerks cover:
- 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
Successful judicial law clerks rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Judicial Law Clerks Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- 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?
There are about 125,970 judicial law clerks working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +4.1% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Judicial Law Clerks Make?
| 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 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Judicial Law Clerks Make in Different U.S. States?
| 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 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for judicial law clerks differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:
| 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 |
Top Metro Areas
| 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)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for 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
Getting Started in This Career
The role falls in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
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Degree Programs
Students preparing for judicial law clerks commonly pursue programs in:
Legal Professions and Studies
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
This profile draws on 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).
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