Job Title: Law Clerk 2025 - 2026
Job Responsibilities:
The **Members Only** offers law clerk positions across various courts, including the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Superior Court, and Tax Court. The responsibilities of law clerks vary depending on the court they are assigned to, but generally include:
- Supreme Court clerks assist justices with complex cases, conducting legal research, preparing memoranda, and aiding in opinion drafting.
- Appellate Division clerks research and analyze legal data, prepare memoranda, process emergent motion applications, and proofread opinions.
- Superior Court Assignment Judge clerks learn court administration and assist with emergent motions.
- Trial court clerks gain practical experience, observe judicial proceedings, attend conferences, receive mediation training, and summarize information for judges.
- Tax Court clerks perform duties similar to those in the Appellate Division and trial courts but do not mediate cases.
- Family Division clerks handle legal research, assist with remote proceedings, draft opinions and orders, and manage emergent applications.
- Civil Division clerks prepare bench memoranda, conduct legal research, draft orders, and manage the motion calendar.
- Criminal Division clerks conduct legal research, assist in drafting jury instructions and legal opinions, manage the motion calendar, and perform case management functions.
- General Equity (Chancery) clerks conduct legal research, review case files, draft orders, and assist in processing emergent temporary restraining order applications.
Education and Experience Information:
Candidates for law clerk positions must have graduated from a law school approved by the American Bar Association within the last four years. Excellent writing and analytical skills are essential. It is beneficial for candidates to have completed a course in mediation. Law clerks are also required to complete a 12-hour mediation training or its equivalent unless they have received a waiver by providing documentation of prior completion of an approved alternative dispute resolution course.
Salary Information:
Salaries for law clerks for the 2024-2025 Court Term are as follows:
- Supreme Court: $76,400
- Supreme Court Appellate Division: $69,750
- Superior Court Assignment Judge: $63,950
- Superior Court Chancery Division (General Equity) and Law Division (Civil and Criminal): $58,900
- Superior Court Chancery Division (Family): $58,900
- Tax Court: $58,900
The salaries for the 2025-2026 Court Term are to be determined based on funding availability.
Additional Information:
The **Members Only** offers approximately 480 law clerkships annually. Candidates may hold outside employment with prior approval as provided in the Code of Conduct for Judiciary Employees. A valid driver's license in New Jersey is required if operating a vehicle is necessary for the position. US citizenship is not required, but candidates must be authorized to work in the US. A thorough background check, including fingerprinting, is required for selected candidates. Law clerks are exempt from the residency requirement during their court term but must establish residency in New Jersey if they anticipate moving into another state position immediately following their clerkship. The **Members Only** promotes diversity and encourages individuals from historically underrepresented groups, women, individuals with disabilities, and other protected class members to apply. The Judiciary offers a hybrid work schedule, allowing for up to four days per month of remote work. Applications for clerkships will be accepted starting June 10, 2024, through the Judiciary's web-based portal, with interviews beginning on or after June 17, 2024.
