Judicial intern

Last updated

In the United States, a judicial intern (also commonly known as a "judicial extern" or "extern law clerk" [1] ) is usually a law student or sometimes a recent law school graduate who provides assistance to a judge and/or law clerks in researching and writing issues before the court. Working as a judicial intern allows law students to gain practical legal experience and familiarity with the court operations.

Contents

Description

Many judicial interns subsequently choose to work full-time as judicial law clerks immediately after graduation. These judicial "clerkships" generally last one year in which the law clerk works closely with the judge in assisting various matters before the court. Judicial clerkships tend to be a valuable experience to an attorney's career because of the work involved in both substantive and procedural issues. In many cases, a clerkship is a critical stepping stone into real practice. Most, if not all, major law firms pay "clerkship" bonuses to new associates who have completed a full one year clerkship term. [2]

Among the most prestigious judicial internships are those in the federal court of appeals, federal district courts, and in the state's supreme court.

A judicial intern's selection process is similar to judicial clerkship positions. Grades, class ranking, and relevant extracurricular activities such as membership in the law school's law review or being a member of the law school's Moot Court Board are common criteria in selecting a judicial intern. [3]

The American Bar Association Section of Litigation accepts judicial internship applications annually. [4]

Related Research Articles

Law school in the United States

In the United States, a law school is an institution where students obtain a professional education in law after first obtaining an undergraduate degree.

Stanford Law School

Stanford Law School is the law school of Stanford University, a private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, Stanford Law has been ranked one of the top three law schools in the United States, with Yale Law School and Harvard Law School, every year since 1992. Since 2016, Stanford Law has been ranked second, overtaking this position of Havard Law School for five consecutive years as of 2021. Stanford Law is consistently regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world, and its median undergraduate GPA of 3.93 is the highest of any U.S. law school. It also has the highest percentage of recent graduates clerking for federal judges.

University of Georgia School of Law

The University of Georgia School of Law is the prominent law school of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Ranked among the top-tier law schools in the United States, it was founded in 1859, making it among the oldest American university law schools in continuous operation.

Law clerk

A law clerk or a judicial clerk is an individual—generally an attorney—who provides direct assistance and counsel to a judge in making legal determinations and in writing opinions by researching issues before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant roles in the formation of case law through their influence upon judges' decisions. Judicial clerks should not be confused with legal clerks, court clerks, or courtroom deputies who only provide secretarial and administrative support to attorneys and/or judges.

Externships are experiential learning opportunities, similar to internships, provided by partnerships between educational institutions and employers to give students practical experiences in their field of study. In medicine it may refer to a visiting physician who is not part of the regular staff. In law, it usually refers to rigorous legal work opportunities undertaken by law students for law school credit, similar to that of a junior attorney. It is derived from Latin externus and from English -ship.

George Washington University Law School Law school in Washington, D.C. USA

The George Washington University Law School is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital and a premier center of American legal education. GW Law boasts the nation's largest course offerings with 275 elective courses in business and finance law, environmental law, government procurement law, intellectual property law, international comparative law, litigation and dispute resolution, and national security and U.S. foreign relations law. Admissions are highly selective as the law school regularly receives the second largest volume of applications with an incoming class of 508 1Ls.

Legal education in the United States

Legal education in the United States generally refers to a graduate degree, the completion of which makes a graduate eligible to sit for an examination for a license to practice as a Lawyer. Around 60 percent of those who complete a law degree typically practice law, with the remainder primarily working in business or government or policy roles, where their degrees also confer advantages.

Suffolk University Law School

Suffolk University Law School is a private, non-sectarian law school located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Suffolk University Law School was founded in 1906 by Gleason Archer Sr. to provide a legal education for those who traditionally lacked the opportunity to study law because of socio-economic or racial discrimination. Suffolk is the fourth-oldest New England law school in continuous existence.

The Federal Bar Association (FBA) is the primary voluntary professional organization for private and government lawyers and judges practicing and sitting in federal courts in the United States. Six times a year, The Association prints The Federal Lawyer, which includes the latest news of interest to the federal legal community. The magazine features articles by attorneys and judges, book reviews, the latest Supreme Court rulings, judicial profiles, and thorough coverage of FBA activities.

<i>Baylor Law School</i> Academic journal

Baylor Law School is the oldest law school in Texas. Baylor Law School is affiliated with Baylor University and located in Waco, Texas. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931, and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1938. The program offers training in all facets of law, including theoretical analysis, practical application, legal writing, advocacy, professional responsibility, and negotiation and counseling skills. Baylor Law School has been nationally ranked a "top-tier" law school by various publications in recent years.

Boston Bar Association

The Boston Bar Association (BBA) is a volunteer non-governmental organization in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. With headquarters located at 16 Beacon Street in the historic Chester Harding House, across from the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill, the BBA has 13,000 members drawn from private practice, corporations, government agencies, legal aid organizations, the courts and law schools.

University of Arkansas School of Law

The University of Arkansas School of Law is the law school of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a state university. It has around 445 students enrolled in its Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Law (LL.M) programs and is home to the nation's first LL.M in agricultural and food law program. The School of Law is one of two law schools in the state of Arkansas; the other is the William H. Bowen School of Law.

The West Virginia University College of Law is the professional school for the study of law at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. The law school was established in 1878 as the first professional school in the state, and remains the only law school in the state.

Kim McLane Wardlaw American judge

Kim McLane Wardlaw is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is the first Hispanic American woman to be appointed to a federal appeals court. Wardlaw was considered as a possible candidate to be nominated by Barack Obama to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Reading law is the method by which persons in common law countries, particularly the United States, entered the legal profession before the advent of law schools. This usage specifically refers to a means of entering the profession. Reading the law consists of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the tutelage or mentoring of an experienced lawyer. A small number of U.S. jurisdictions still permit this practice today.

Patrick J. Schiltz American judge

Patrick Joseph Schiltz is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Wake Forest University School of Law

The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). The school was established in 1894. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the school among the Top Tier Law Schools in the nation. The current dean is Jane Aiken.

Paul Grewal is currently Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase. Previously Grewal was Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Facebook, and is also a former U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Justin Reed Walker is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He is a former United States District Judge of the Western District of Kentucky.

Dario Borghesan is an American lawyer from Alaska who is an associate justice of the Alaska Supreme Court.

References

  1. Externship Job Description, Los Angeles Superior Court http://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/VolunteerOpportunities/UI/volunteerIEP/judicialOfficerAdults.aspx
  2. The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) Study on Law School Activities (Reported by Students Receiving an Offer for a Judicial Clerkship) http://www.nalp.org/content/index.php?pid=219#29
  3. The American Bar Association's Frequently Asked Questions page on Judicial Internship Selection Criterion http://www.abanet.org/litigation/jiop/faq.html
  4. The American Bar Association Judicial Intern Opportunity Program "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2006-12-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)