Judicial Clerkships

Lewis & Clark Law School students and alumni are encouraged to consider concluding their legal education with a post-graduate judicial clerkship.  A judicial clerkship is one of the most prestigious and fascinating jobs available to a law school graduate.  A judicial clerkship offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage meaningfully with novel legal issues, to learn from observing lawyers “in action,” and to develop as a writer and legal thinker with an experienced mentor as a guide.  Many clerks find that their experience behind the bench and ensuing relationship with a judge bolsters the strength of their candidacy for post-clerkship positions with law firms, public interest organizations, and public-sector employers.   

Lewis & Clark Law School has consistently sent its students and alumni to prestigious clerkships with federal, state appellate, and state trial courts.  Lewis & Clark offers students and alumni considering judicial clerkships a range of resources, including one-on-one assistance from faculty advisors, counseling and materials review from Career Services’ staff, alumni connections, and a variety of judicial clerkship programs and networking opportunities. 

For more information about judicial clerkships, students and alumni should schedule an appointment with Alice Emerson, Director of Public Interest Law. 

Start thinking about recommendations early!!!

• Letters of Recommendation Instructions

Federal Judicial Clerkships

• Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR): Official website maintained by the Administrative Office of the Federal Courts on behalf of the Federal Judiciary where judges post open clerkship positions, applicants upload application materials, and recommenders upload letters of recommendation. See The OSCAR Applicant Prep Kit. 

• Federal Law Clerk Hiring Best Practices: A voluntary timeline governing when judges may review application materials, conduct interviews, and make offers to second-year and rising third-year applicants. Judges may accept applications, interview, and make offers to students in their last year of law school and law school graduates at any time. 
• Oregon Chapter of the Federal Bar Association: Chapter newsletters contain updates on the activities of the federal courts in Oregon and occasionally profiles of newly-confirmed federal judges. 
• United States Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, Nominations and Confirmations: Current information on judicial nominations and confirmations for all Article III courts.
• Almanac of the Federal Judiciary:  Westlaw’s semi-anually updated directory of all federal judges containing biographical information, summaries of noteworthy opinions, and lawyer evaluations. (“AFJ” is the database identifier).  Also available in hardcopy in the Reference Section of the Boley Law Library.
• Federal Judicial Center: The FJC website contains the Federal Judges Biographical Database, which you can use to create customized lists of judges based on multiple categories, including nominating president, type of court, dates of service, and demographic groups.
• LexisNexis: Provides biographical information and links to articles by and about judges.   Select “Research” from the drop-down menu, then select “Litigation Profile Suite”, and click on the “Judge” tab to search. 

State Judicial Clerkships

• Court Opportunity Recruitment for All (CORA): A new web-based platform to connect state courts with students in search of opportunities - essentially the state court equivalent to OSCAR, and maintained by the National Center for State Courts. Check out the tip sheet for applicants and sign up for an account!
• Guide to State Judicial Clerkship Procedures: An annually updated guide with information about clerkship hiring procedures for trial and appellate courts in all 50 states and U.S. territories.  Includes hiring timelines, website listings, and salary and contact information.  (Login information is available from Career Services and in the Resource Library on Career Connect.)
• Oregon Appellate Courts Clerkship Opportunities: These applications usually open up in the Spring with an application deadline in August.
• Multnomah Bar Association Judicial Profiles: Biographies of Oregon Supreme Court Justices, and Oregon Tax Court, Oregon Court of Appeals, and Multnomah County Judges.

Administrative Law Judges

• Federal Administrative Law Judge Law Clerk Hiring Information: Guide to administrative law judge hiring information compiled by National Association for Law Placement (NALP) in 2016.
• Government Honors Handbook: Annually updated resource for internship and graduate honors positions.  Some ALJs recruit through government honors programs. (Login information is available from Career Services.)