In the United States, a law clerk is a person who assists a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Those unfamiliar with court operations often incorrectly assume that a law clerk is a court clerk, essentially a secretary for the court. To the contrary, a law clerkship--especially for a federal judge--is one of the most prestigious and highly-coveted jobs in the legal profession. The hiring of law clerks is particularly prevalent among federal judges and state appellate judges. Federal district judges traditionally have two law clerks, who are generally hired for a one-year term, but in some cases are hired for a two-year term. Judges on the United States Court of Appeals are allotted three clerks apiece each year. Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are entitled to hire four law clerks for each term of the court. The Chief Justice is allowed five law clerks. Most applicants for clerkship to the Supreme Court have worked previously as clerks for judges on the federal courts of appeals. A judge or justice is an official who presides over a court. ... A court clerk or clerk of the court is an occupation whose responsibilities include maintaining the records of a court. ... A United States federal judge is a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution. ... The United States courts of appeals (or circuit courts) are the mid-level appellate courts of the United States federal court system. ... Associate Justices of the United States Supreme Court are the members of that court other than the Chief Justice. ... The Supreme Court of the United States is the supreme court in the U.S.. As the highest court, it provides the leadership of the judicial branch of the U.S. federal government. ... The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the judicial branch of the government of the United States, and presides over the Supreme Court of the United States. ... The Supreme Court of the United States is the supreme court in the U.S.. As the highest court, it provides the leadership of the judicial branch of the U.S. federal government. ...

Working as a judicial law clerk at any level of government is generally considered to be a prestigious occupation within the legal field. It tells others in the legal profession that an individual came out of law school with enough competence and legal intelligence to earn a judge's trust and heavily influence his or her decisions. Working as a law clerk generally opens up vast career opportunities.

Qualifications

Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who were at the very top of their class, or who graduated from the most prestigious law schools. Judges often require that applicants for law clerk positions have experience with law review or moot court. // A law school is an institution where future lawyers obtain legal degrees. ... A law review is a scholarly journal focusing on legal issues, published by an organization of students at a law school. ... Moot court (sometimes synonymous with mock trial) is an extracurricular activity in many law schools. ...

Because of the selection criteria, many notable legal figures, professors, and judges were law clerks before achieving greatness in other areas of the law. A professor (Latin: one who publicly professes to be an expert) (or prof for short) is a senior teacher, lecturer and researcher, usually in a college or university. ...

Five Supreme Court Justices previously clerked for other Supreme Court Justices. Associate Justice Byron White clerked for Chief Justice Frederick M. Vinson. Associate Justice John Paul Stevens clerked for Associate Justice Wiley Rutledge. Associate Justice Stephen Breyer clerked for Associate Justice Arthur Goldberg and Chief Justice John Roberts clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist when Rehnquist was still an Associate Justice. Rehnquist himself had previously clerked for Associate Justice Robert H. Jackson. Byron White, official portrait, 1976. ... Frederick Moore Vinson (January 22, 1890–September 8, 1953) served the United States in all three branches of government. ... John Paul Stevens (born April 20, 1920) is an American jurist and the senior Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. ... Wiley Blount Rutledge (July 20, 1894 - September 10, 1949) was a U.S. educator and jurist. ... Justice Stephen Breyer Stephen Gerald Breyer (born August 15, 1938) is an American attorney, political figure, and jurist. ... Arthur Goldberg Arthur Joseph Goldberg (August 8, 1908 – January 19, 1990) was an American statesman and jurist who served as the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Supreme Court Justice and Ambassador to the United Nations. ... John Glover Roberts, Jr. ... William Hubbs Rehnquist (October 1, 1924 – September 3, 2005) was an American lawyer, jurist and political figure, who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1972 until 1986, and as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States from 1986 until his death... Justice Jackson Robert Houghwout Jackson (February 13, 1892 – October 9, 1954) was United States Attorney General (1940 - 1941) and an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1941 - 1954). ...

Some judges seek to hire law clerks who not only have excelled academically but also share the judge's ideological orientation. However, this occurs mostly at the level of some state supreme courts and the United States Supreme Court. Law clerks can have a great deal of influence on the judges with whom they work. In Brad Meltzer's novel The Tenth Justice, the title character is actually a highly influential Supreme Court law clerk. Brad Meltzer is an American author of several New York Times best-selling books including The Tenth Justice, The Millionaires, Dead Even, The First Counsel, and The Zero Game. ...

Upon completing a judicial clerkship, a federal law clerk can expect that elite law firms will pay a handsome premium to hire him or her.

See Also

• List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States

External links

• University of Pittsburgh collection of articles on law clerks