Public Service

Each year approximately 10-15% of Cornell's graduating class begin their careers with a judicial clerkship with a federal or state court. Assistant Dean Karen Comstock coordinates judicial clerkship job search programming and resources in conjunction with the Clerkship Committee, whose members are Professors Blume (chair), Garvey, Penalver, and Mollenkamp, and Deans Lukingbeal, Comstock and DeRosa.

Judicial clerkships are one or two year full-time jobs which typically start right after graduation. Clerks work for judges at all levels of the state and federal court systems, from trial courts to the courts of last resort. Duties vary according to the particular judge’s needs, but nearly all clerkships involve reading the parties’ submissions, conducting legal research and writing memoranda or draft opinions for the judge’s review. Clerks often watch hearings, trials, oral arguments and mediations. In short: clerks see the inner workings of their judge’s chambers and the court house in which they work. Most former clerks will tell you that their clerkship was one of the best professional experiences of their life.

Many students believe that if they are not at the top of their class they don’t have a chance of getting a clerkship. This is simply false. While some clerkships are more competitive than others, there are opportunities available for all students, regardless of their academic credentials.

Click here to access on-line judicial clerkship resources, including the On-Line System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR), Cornell Law School's Judicial Clerkship Handbook, recent nominations and confirmations, state court clerkship information, and more.

Critical dates under the Federal Judges Law Clerk Hiring Plan for 2009: