How to Apply

Capital University Law School's Application Procedure

To initiate your participation in the judicial clerkship application process, you must complete a Notice of Intent form. The information you provide allows the Career Services Office to track you and your progress as well as the uploading and printing of your letters of recommendation.

Each faculty member who agrees to provide you with a letter of recommendation needs to sign the reverse side of the Notice of Intent Form. If a faculty member is not available to sign the form, you may attach a printed email authorization from that faculty member in place of a signature.

Applying for a Federal Judicial Clerkship

Federal clerkships are prestigious and competitive opportunities.  In order to maximize your chances of getting a clerkship, it may be wise to apply to a variety of judges, in a variety of courts.  Be sure to assess the effect of your class standing.  Federal appellate clerkships are extremely competitive – your class standing and credentials will be measured against those of many other candidates.

The application process for federal judicial clerkships varies from judge to judge.  Although some constants run through the application, you should familiarize yourself with the specific requirements of each judge to whom you wish to apply. Most federal judges will follow the 2009 Federal Judicial Law Clerk Hiring Plan:

• Law school students may not submit applications prior to Tuesday, September 8, unless specifically requested otherwise. But do not delay – most chambers begin reviewing applications right away.
• If requested to mail your application materials, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit all of their application materials (i.e., including sealed letters of reference) in one mailing.
• In 2009, judges may begin scheduling interviews on Friday, September 11, and may begin interviewing on Thursday, September 17.

To learn more about available federal judicial clerkships, see the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR). OSCAR is the preferred method of application for many federal judges.

Applying for a State Judicial Clerkship

The application process for state judicial clerkships is very different from the federal application process. There is no consistent or central hiring process for state courts. Some state court judges hire on an annual basis while other judges hire whenever a law clerk leaves. This is especially true with trial court judges who typically hire staff attorneys who remain for the duration of the judge's tenure.

If you are interested in a specific state, you may wish to consult the Vermont Law School Guide to State Judicial Clerkship Procedures. (Contact the Career Services Office for access to this guide.)  This publication lists the hiring information for many state courts around the country.  You can also obtain information directly by calling chambers.  For a quick link to state judges around the country, try using the National Center for State Courts.

In Ohio, clerkships or staff attorney positions may be posted on our online job posting board, on the Supreme Court of Ohio webpage, or in Bar Association publications.