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How to Become a Law Clerk

Law clerks work for either lawyers or judges, and their jobs vary widely depending on which one. A law clerk for an attorney conducts research, writes some legal documents like briefs, appeals, or contracts, and does other tasks when instructed to by the attorney. In fact, their duties often overlap with the office paralegals.

A law clerk for a judge, by contrast, is usually a law school graduate and uses their time as a clerk as an apprenticeship. It's a tremendous honor to be chosen to clerk for a sitting judge.

Required Education for a Law Clerk
Most law clerks have at least a bachelor's degree. Some are currently in law school and working as a clerk to improve their resume and meet perspective employers before they graduate. Those clerking for judges have typically already earned their law degree.

A law clerk diploma provides the basic education you need, including how to:
  • Communicate effectively
  • Conduct legal research
  • Interview witnesses
  • Write legal briefs
Courses in political science and business, contract, and property law can also help, especially since little to no employment growth is expected. Only 37,000 law clerks worked in the U.S. in 2006, and that number isn't expected to increase much over the next decade. That means to get one of the available law clerk jobs for yourself, you need to skills that the other job applicants lack.

Law Clerk Salaries
A law clerk earns an average salary of $40,580 a year, with the top 10% earning $63,210.
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