Clerks receive the experience of a trial court within the specialized field of tax. The court's trials involve controversies regarding deficiencies in income, estate, and gift taxes, among other things.
Students interested in positions should be sure to take and excel in tax courses and be ranked in the upper third of their class. Tax Court. This specialized court sits in Washington, D. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This court has 18 judges and approximately 19 law clerks. The judges hear cases dealing with suits against the United States. This court has nine judges, most of whom have two law clerks.
The jurisdiction of this court is over civil actions against the United States arising from federal laws governing import transactions. Find more information about the court. Many students from Indiana University Robert H. Each justice has two clerks with the exception of the chief justice who has three. Clerks are primarily responsible for reviewing the trial record, researching the applicable law, and drafting legal memoranda and court opinions. Clerks also attend oral arguments before the court.
Students interested in a clerkship opportunity should apply during the fall semester of their second year. Find more information on the Indiana Supreme Court and on the justices. There are 15 judges on the Indiana Court of Appeals.
The courtroom and all judges' offices are located in Indianapolis. The courtroom and nine offices occupy a portion of the fourth floor of the State House. Six offices and the administrative offices are housed on the twelfth floor of the National City Center in downtown Indianapolis.
Some judges select their clerks during the fall and some wait until the spring semester. Students should apply during the second year of law school. Find more information on the Indiana Court of Appeals and on the judges. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law students can clerk at any state court in the country and are not limited to the Indiana state court system. The deadlines and procedures for individual state courts vary widely.
The National Center for State Courts has more information about state courts across the country. A judicial clerkship application generally includes a cover letter, resume, writing sample, law school transcript, and three to four letters of recommendation. Bring completed clerkship application packets to the Office of Professional Development in addressed, but unsealed envelopes.
Please see the section below regarding letters of recommendation for instructions on including letters in application packets. An applicant's cover letter is extremely important because this is the first opportunity the judge has to evaluate writing ability.
A poorly written cover letter or a cover letter with errors will result in the applicant not receiving an interview. Cover letters should be no more than one page. It is important that a member of the Professional Development staff review judicial clerkship cover letters before they are sent. A cover letter should indicate the applicant's interest in a judicial clerkship during a specific hiring cycle including the month and year the applicant is available to begin work and should include information that the judge will need to evaluate such as academic success including the ability to research and write , interest in or connection to a particular geographic area, and availability for interviews, including any trips planned to the area.
Many applicants are tempted to explain why they want a judicial clerkship and how the clerkship experience could benefit them. Instead, the cover letter should focus on why the candidate is interested in the specific court, specific judge, specific geographic area or specific area of law if the court has limited jurisdiction , and the attributes that the candidate possesses that would make him or her a successful judicial clerk.
If it is possible to simply change the name of the judge and send a cover letter to multiple judges, the letter is not specific enough and should be rewritten to specifically express interest in the particular clerkship opportunity. Remember, the judge will receive many applications and can only choose a small number of clerks. An applicant's cover letter should stand out as expressing genuine interest. Applicants are also tempted to describe themselves as possessing "excellent research and writing skills.
Instead of simply stating ability, demonstrate it through examples of experiences that have developed those skills. Describe achievements instead of just stating attributes. Letter 1: I am uniquely qualified for the position of judicial clerk. I have excellent writing and research skills and hope to further develop them through the clerkship experience.
This letter would not stand out from other letters and does not give the judge any useful information with which to evaluate this candidate.
Letter 2: My experience as a research assistant to Professor Smith helped me to hone my research skills. I reviewed the recent changes to Title VII and the impact those changes had on the ability of employees to sue their employers for hostile environment sexual harassment. My research revealed that the changes in the law significantly affect the time that employees have to file claims, and I expressed this result in a written memorandum of law.
This letter is much more specific and uses examples to illustrate the point. This type of letter is much more effective. Take special care in addressing cover letters. Use the form of address appropriate for the particular judge.
Letters of application are formal and should show proper deference to the judge by stating the judge's title correctly. Find an ABA accredited paralegal program. Most judges want clerks who are strong writers. Clerks are often responsible for drafting decisions, and the more cleanly and clearly they do so, the less work it will be for the judge to polish and complete.
Judges, of course, are fully aware of the advantages they are bestowing on their chosen candidates. Most make a considerable effort to find candidates who are not only qualified for the clerkship itself, but who appear likely to go on to greater things in the field of law. There is also, in some courts, a certain philosophical standard that candidates will be evaluated on. On the highly politicized Supreme Court, justices increasingly select clerks who share their own political views.
This trend is relatively recent and may reverse again at some point. The late Justice Antonin Scalia, for example, was known for ensuring that at least one of his four clerks did not share his own ideology, ensuring that he would hear arguments from both sides of political debates. For state courts, potential clerks have to seek out and apply directly to judges they are interested in working for.
This makes applying for clerkships with multiple federal judges a snap. Supreme Court clerks, for example, commonly apply with every justice, even though they may only hope to actually land a position with a particular one.
Many top-end law schools have counselors who specialize in helping connect students with judges for clerkships. Providing clerks to prominent judges looks good for the school and counselors can help line up both interviews and recommendations. Recommendations are pure gold for clerkships. Finding a former clerk or well-respected member of the local bar to put in a good word for you can help seal the deal before you even interview.
Your law school is also a major consideration for most judges. A paralegal is under the guidance of a lawyer, and assists with many legal responsibilities. They help prepare cases and handle many of the administrative tasks involved with pursuing claims, as well as conduct research and execute orders from the lawyer in relation to a case.
Paralegal training programs typically offer classes that resemble the first year or two of law school. A law clerk is a legal professional who works for a lawyer or most likely, a judge, and helps to research and determine legal options in a case. Law clerks have typically completed law school, and get their start as a law clerk.
Law students compete intensely for summer law clerk positions because law firms use these temporary worker slots to fill their future attorney job openings. Continue reading. The employing judge must be confident in the law clerk's professionalism in interacting with counsel, litigants and the public. A law clerk is bound by the ethical standards established by the judge and the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.
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