How to Become a Law Clerk

A law clerk researches and writes legal arguments and bench rulings and summarizes information for lawyers or judges. Law clerks perform many of the same functions as lawyers; they cannot, however, officially appear in court (since they have not taken the bar exam). They may deliver subpoenas and take sworn statements from witnesses. Read on to learn more about become a law clerk.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Complete the appropriate training in your state to become a law clerk. You must get a bachelor's degree (in any field), complete at least your second year of law school, apply and get the job. You may have one of three types of appointments as a law clerk. These include temporary (an internship, usually for law students), term (for law school graduates or current students, usually for two years or less) or career (for law school graduates wishing to clerk for four or more years).

2. Take the following electives and specializations in college, as they can help toward your future career as a law clerk: computers and electronics, law and government, English language, customer and personal service, clerical and public security and safety.

3. Hone your skills in the following areas: communication--you should be able to process complex law-related materials and clearly express your thoughts when writing or talking; listening--an important skill as well when asking questions or obtaining subpoenas; reasoning and problem solving--you need to logically analyze ideas for their weaknesses and strengths, be open to the idea of a constant stream of new information, identify problems and compose solutions, use quality reasoning and complete tasks in a timely fashion without becoming distracted; working with People--tune in to the reactions of others, use persuasion to communicate your points clearly and act as a mediator and facilitator to discuss and solve differences amongst parties.

4. Investigate the employment outlook for law clerks. Although the number of legal cases in the United States seems to rise exponentially, so does the number of students entering law schools. Law clerks may see modest, single-digit gains across the United States in the next few years, but generally, demand for them is fairly flat.