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Judicial Law Clerks

People classed as Judicial Law Clerks assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents. The skills rated most useful are reading comprehension, critical thinking, and active listening. You may also need to prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations. The strongest interest signal is Conventional (5.1 of 7), then Enterprising (4.5) and Investigative, which gives it the code CEI. Getting in usually takes graduate school and often five years or more of related experience, a level O*NET calls extensive preparation. It tends to suit people who want orderly work with data, records and clear procedures, and it offers little for anyone seeking hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world.

What they do

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

Main tasks

  • 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.

Skills

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Active Learning

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You like taking the lead and making the call.
  • You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
  • You are comfortable relying on reading comprehension and critical thinking.

May not suit you if

  • You get restless with routine, records and exact procedures.
  • You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 1.6 out of 7 here.
  • You want to be working in the field within the next few years.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code CEI takes the three highest, and Conventional comes first here.

Preparation

Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Doctoral Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Appellate Law Clerk
  • Career Judicial Law Clerk
  • Career Law Clerk
  • Judicial Assistant
  • Judicial Clerk

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.