Judicial Clerkships

Lewis & Clark Law School students and alumni are encouraged to consider pursuing a post-graduate judicial clerkship.  A judicial clerkship is one of the most prestigious and fascinating jobs available to a law school graduate.  Clerkships offer 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.  The law school 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, referrals to alumni, and a variety of judicial clerkship programs and networking opportunities. 

For more information about judicial clerkships, students and alumni should schedule an appointment with Tracy Sullivan, Director of Student & Employer Engagement. 

Start thinking about recommendations early!!!

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

Administrative Law Judges