SOC 23-1012.00

    Judicial Law Clerks

    Assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents.

    Median pay
    $64,920
    Growth
    +2.8%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    1,500
    Typical education
    Doctoral or professional degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $46,180
    Median
    $64,920
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $113,140
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    13,290 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Judicial law clerks assist judges by researching legal issues and drafting court documents. The career offers a median annual pay of $64,920, with top earners making more than $113,140.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What judicial law clerks do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    Assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    Judicial law clerks spend their days helping judges make informed decisions and manage court proceedings. Their primary duties revolve around gathering information, analyzing complex legal data, and interpreting the meaning of laws for others. They process information to evaluate compliance with legal standards, write legal documents, and communicate regularly with judges and court staff.

    Succeeding in this role requires strong reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing skills. Clerks must be active listeners who can solve complex problems and make sound judgments. The work demands deep knowledge of law, government, and the English language, alongside administrative and computer skills. Because accuracy is vital in the legal system, clerks must show high attention to detail, integrity, dependability, and cautiousness. This career strongly appeals to individuals with conventional interests who enjoy organized, detail-oriented tasks.

    How to get there

    Entering this career requires a high level of preparation. The typical education needed to start is a doctoral or professional degree, and the most common college major for this path is law. Most individuals in this field hold a graduate degree, such as a Juris Doctor (JD).

    To build credentials, candidates can pursue certifications like the Law and Public Safety Introductory Level certification from the Law and Public Safety Education Network. Depending on the location of employment, some states also list specific licensing requirements for individuals performing this work.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for judicial law clerks was $64,920. Earnings can vary significantly based on experience and location; the lowest 10% of earners make less than $46,180, while the highest 10% earn more than $113,140.

    With 13,290 people employed in this field, the profession is projected to grow by 2.8% from 2025 to 2035, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. Despite this modest growth rate, about 1,500 job openings are projected to become available each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    10 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    50 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    18 / 100
    Social (S)
    40 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    59 / 100
    Conventional (C) · strongest
    68 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code CEI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Getting Information
    96
    Analyzing Data or Information
    89
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    78
    Processing Information
    75
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    74
    Working with Computers
    74
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    73
    Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
    71
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    68
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    65
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension
    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Writing
    • Speaking
    • Active Learning
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Time Management
    • Coordination

    Knowledge

    • Law and Government
    • English Language
    • Administrative
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Administration and Management
    • Communications and Media
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • History and Archeology
    • Economics and Accounting

    Abilities

    • Written Comprehension
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Oral Expression
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Near Vision
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Information Ordering

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Integrity
    • Dependability
    • Intellectual Curiosity
    • Cautiousness
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Self-Control
    • Perseverance
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Cooperation

    Also called

    Appellate Law Clerk · Attorney Law Clerk · Career Judicial Law Clerk · Career Law Clerk · Chancery Clerk · Court of Appeals Law Clerk · District Clerk · District Court Law Clerk · Family Law Associate · Federal Appellate Clerk

    Career pathway

    From your interests to judicial law clerks

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Judicial Law Clerks$64,920 median pay

    3. Majors

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What judicial law clerks may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Law

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    1 state lists a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about judicial law clerks

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some common job titles for this career?

    People in this profession are known by several titles, including Appellate Law Clerk, Attorney Law Clerk, Career Judicial Law Clerk, Court of Appeals Law Clerk, and District Court Law Clerk.

    What level of education do I need to become a judicial law clerk?

    You typically need a doctoral or professional degree, such as a Juris Doctor (JD) or other graduate-level degrees, to enter this field.

    How many job openings are expected each year?

    There are projected to be 1,500 job openings each year for judicial law clerks between 2025 and 2035.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.