Judicial law clerks

SOC Code: 23-1012
Also known as:
Appellate Law Clerk, Attorney Law Clerk, Career Judicial Law Clerk, Career Law Clerk, Chancery Clerk
Median Annual Salary
$60,400
+2.5% growth (2024-2034)
1K
Openings/Year
15K
Current Jobs

What Judicial law clerks Do

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

💰 Salary

$60,400
Median annual wage (2024)

📈 Job Growth

+2.5%
As fast as average

🎓 Education

Doctoral or professional degree
Typical entry-level requirement

🚀 Annual Openings

1K
Projected average per year

Employment Projections (2024-2034)

Current Employment (2024)

14,500

Projected Employment (2034)

14,900

Related Careers

Lawyers

$151,160 • +4.1% growth
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Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers

$115,230 • -0.7% growth
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Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates

$156,210 • +2.5% growth
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Paralegals and legal assistants

$61,010 • +0.2% growth
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Legal secretaries and administrative assistants

$54,140 • -5.8% growth
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Top Skills Required

Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Writing
Speaking

Daily Tasks & Responsibilities

  • 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.
  • Communicate with counsel regarding case management or procedural requirements.
  • Respond to questions from judicial officers or court staff on general legal issues.

Technology & Tools

Adobe Acrobat Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Windows Microsoft Word

📚 Entry-Level Education

Doctoral or professional degree
Most common requirement

🎯 Recommended Education

Doctoral Degree
O*NET recommended level

Degree Programs for Judicial law clerks

These degree programs can prepare you for a career as a judicial law clerks:

Law

39,447 degrees awarded • 210 colleges offer this program
View Colleges →

Best Colleges for Becoming a Judicial law clerks

Ranked by Repit grade, then by degrees in related programs. These are the top-rated colleges that prepare students to become judicial law clerks.

# College Location Related Degrees Repit Grade
1 University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 372 A+
2 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 323 A+
3 Harvard University Cambridge, MA 622 A
4 New York University New York, NY 523 A
5 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY 523 A
6 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 411 A
7 University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 408 A
8 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 305 A
9 University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA 298 A
10 Boston University Boston, MA 296 A
11 Northwestern University Evanston, IL 293 A
12 Emory University Atlanta, GA 290 A
13 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO 285 A
14 Duke University Durham, NC 277 A
15 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 265 A
16 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 220 A
17 Yale University New Haven, CT 215 A
18 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 208 A
19 University of Chicago Chicago, IL 199 A
20 Stanford University Stanford, CA 199 A

Want this ranking as a spreadsheet? Investor Pro+ members can export any Repit table to CSV. See plans →

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do judicial law clerks make?
The median annual salary for judicial law clerks is $60,400.
What education do judicial law clerks need?
Most judicial law clerks positions require a doctoral or professional degree. Common degree programs include Law.
Is becoming judicial law clerks a good career choice?
Judicial law clerks is projected to see +2.5% job growth from 2024 to 2034, which is about average for all occupations. With approximately 1,000 job openings expected annually, there are good opportunities for those entering the field.
What are the best colleges for judicial law clerks?
Top colleges for aspiring judicial law clerks include University of California-Los Angeles, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Harvard University, New York University, Columbia University in the City of New York. These schools are ranked based on their Repit grade and the number of graduates in related programs.
What other job titles are similar to judicial law clerks?
Judicial law clerks may also be known 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, Family Law Associate, Federal Appellate Clerk, Federal Appellate Law Clerk, Federal Court of Appeals Law Clerk, Federal District Clerk, Federal District Law Clerk, Federal Judicial Law Clerk, Federal Law Clerk, Judicial Assistant, Judicial Clerk, Judicial Law Clerk, Law Associate. These titles often refer to similar roles with varying responsibilities or specializations.