Judicial Clerkships

A judicial clerkship is a short-term experience in which you work closely with a sitting judge conducting research and drafting orders, memoranda, and, in some instances, first drafts of court opinions. A clerkship will develop your professional and job skills. Because you will be working closely with a judge who is an expert legal writer, researcher, and thinker, you will see your skills in these areas grow exponentially.

In addition, you will gain insights from a judge’s perspective, insights that will allow you to avoid errors other lawyers make and to understand what judges most appreciate from the lawyers who appear before them. You also will be adding a prestige appointment to your resume, and you will gain a professional reference whose name is respected in the community. In other words, a clerkship can advance your legal career like no other experience can.

To support the application process and encourage student applications, Career Services also surveys Arkansas-related federal chambers (including the Eighth Circuit) as well as local chambers that regularly hire judicial law clerks to determine their hiring plans for the upcoming graduating class.