Law Clerk
In a judge's chambers, appellate court, law firm, or in-house legal department, you conduct legal research, draft opinions or memos, and support the substantive legal work of judges or senior attorneys — typically a junior-attorney role in a court or firm setting.
What it's like to be a Law Clerk
Most of the work happens in legal-research databases (Westlaw, Lexis, Bloomberg Law) and a word processor — pulling cases, building research memos, drafting bench memos or motions, and the substantive legal writing that supports the judge or senior attorneys you're working for. Quality of legal writing and case analysis is the operating measure.
Variance is wide and consequential: federal judicial clerkships run as one- or two-year postings for top law school graduates with strong career signaling; state appellate clerkships run similar paths; law firm and corporate clerk positions support practicing attorneys without the judicial-prestige dimension. The clerkship-to-career arc differs significantly by setting.
This work fits people who are strong legal researchers, careful writers, and intellectually rigorous about precedent. JD plus law-review or moot-court background anchors competitiveness for judicial clerkships. The trade-off is the temporary or finite nature of most clerkship positions and the modest pay during the clerkship year, balanced against the career value the experience builds.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
How this category is changing
Skills & Requirements
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