Judicial Law Clerks
Assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents.
What it pays
Judicial Law Clerks earn a median of $31.21/hr — about $65,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $22.20/hr; the top 10% earn $54.40/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Judicial Law Clerks earn a median of $31.21/hr — about $65,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $22.20/hr; the top 10% earn $54.40/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- 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.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Doctoral degree. Overall preparation: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 2.7% of judicial law clerks are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, take-charge and analytical.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants
- Legal Support Workers, All Other
- Lawyers
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers
- Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
Quick questions
- How much does a judicial law clerk make?
- The median pay is $31.21 per hour — roughly $65,000 a year, with the real range running from about $22.20/hr (10th percentile) to $54.40/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a judicial law clerk?
- The typical entry-level education is: Doctoral degree. Overall preparation level: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).
- What does a judicial law clerk actually do all day?
- 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.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.