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Federal Court Clerkships: Application Timing

The Majority of Federal Judges Will Follow the 2010 Law Clerk Hiring Plan

• Applications can be received from third-year law students beginning on September 7, 2010 (the day after Labor Day).
• Judges can begin scheduling interviews on September 13 to be held on or after September 16.
• On September 16, judges may begin conducting interviews and extending offers.
• NOTE: Some federal judges will not follow the 2010 Law Clerk Hiring Plan.

Steps for Researching Federal Court Clerkships:

1. OSCAR is the first place to look for judge-specific hiring information. It is a searchable database of circuit judges, district judges, magistrate judges, bankruptcy judges, and other federal judges. NOTE: This is not an exhaustive list! Even if a judge is not listed, he or she may be hiring clerks.
2. Check the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR) - https://oscar.symplicity.com/ - for judges participating in this internet-based application system. Only apply to these judges through OSCAR (do not send paper applications).
3. Look at the court's website for any judicial clerkship hiring information (rarely present). Go to http://www.uscourts.gov/links.html for links to federal court websites.
4. If the above resources fail to answer your questions, use the Judicial Yellow Book and/or Almanac of the Federal Judiciary to identify judges by jurisdiction. It is acceptable to call chambers or the court with inquiries about application timing and requirements when the available resources fail to answer your questions. If you do not have time to call chambers, you can assume that these judges are accepting applications as of September 3, 2008 and send the standard application materials (cover letter, resume, law school transcript, writing sample, and two or three letters of recommendation).

*See the Judicial Clerkship Resources section of this website for more information.