**Job Title:** Law Clerk 2025 - 2026
**Job Responsibilities:**
Law clerks in the **Members Only** have the opportunity to engage in a variety of legal and administrative tasks, gaining invaluable experience in the judicial system. The responsibilities differ slightly depending on the court division they are assigned to, but generally include:
- **Supreme Court:** Work closely with justices on complex legal cases, conduct thorough legal research, prepare written memoranda on novel legal issues, and assist in drafting opinions.
- **Appellate Division:** Conduct research, analyze legal data, prepare legal memoranda, process emergent motion applications, and proofread published opinions. Clerks also edit opinions and handle emergent applications.
- **Superior Court (Assignment Judge, Chancery Division, Law Division, and Tax Court):** Gain insight into court administration, assist with emergent motions, observe judicial proceedings, attend conferences, and summarize information for judges. Tax Court clerks focus on judicial tax challenges and assist with legal research and documentation.
- **Family Division:** Handle cases involving children, youth, spouses, and domestic partners. Tasks include conducting legal research, assisting with remote proceedings, drafting legal opinions and orders, and managing emergent applications.
- **Civil Division:** Prepare bench memoranda, perform legal research, draft legal orders, manage the motion calendar, and assist with drafting legal opinions. Clerks gain exposure to a broad range of legal issues and advocacy styles.
- **Criminal Division:** Conduct legal research, assist in drafting jury instructions and legal orders, manage the motion calendar, and perform case management functions. Clerks also assist with remote proceedings and communicate with attorneys and staff.
- **General Equity (Chancery):** Conduct legal research, review case files, draft orders, proofread judges' opinions, interact with counsel and litigants, and assist in processing emergent temporary restraining order applications.
**Education and Experience Information:**
- Candidates must have graduated from a law school approved by the American Bar Association by the time of appointment.
- The program is intended for recent law school graduates, defined as those who graduated within the last four years.
- Applicants must possess excellent writing and analytical skills.
- Completion of a course in mediation is beneficial, and trial court clerks serving as mediators must complete Judiciary-sponsored mediation training or its equivalent.
- Law clerks who have served in trial courts may be eligible for a successive clerkship in the Appellate Division or Supreme Court.
**Salary Information:**
For the 2024-2025 Court Term, the salaries 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): $63,950
- Superior Court Law Division (Civil and Criminal): $58,900
- Superior Court Chancery Division (Family): $58,900
- Tax Court: $58,900
Salaries for the 2025-2026 Court Term will be determined based on funding availability.
**Additional Information:**
- The position offers a hybrid work schedule, with up to four days per month of remote work.
- Law clerks may hold outside employment with prior approval as per the Code of Conduct for Judiciary Employees.
- A valid New Jersey driver's license is required if vehicle operation 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 mandatory for selected candidates.
- Law clerks must establish and maintain residence in New Jersey within one year of hire, though clerkship terms are exempt from this requirement.
**Application Process:**
- Applications open on June 10, 2024, and can be submitted through the Judiciary's web-based portal.
- Applicants will be contacted by justices or judges for interviews starting June 17, 2024.
- The **Members Only** encourages individuals from historically underrepresented groups, women, individuals with disabilities, and other protected class members to apply.
The **Members Only**, recognized for its innovative work and commitment to justice, offers approximately 480 clerkships annually, providing law clerks with hands-on experience and insight into the legal process.
