Judicial Clerkships

UC Hastings celebrates its rich relationship with the judiciary. Over 300 judges are UC Hastings alumni and our students have served as clerks all over the nation. A significant number of UC Hastings faculty have also served as clerks, including for the United States Supreme Court. Students interested in applying for judicial clerkships can take advantage of a range of resources including panels, nuts and bolts workshops, a faculty clerkship committee and other resources through the Career Office.

UC Hastings encourages students to consider applying for post-graduate judicial clerkships. They are prestigious and invaluable as enhancements to your legal career. They are also fun, rewarding, and lead to lifelong personal and professional connections. There are opportunities for clerking that exist across the country, as well as in the Bay Area. There is absolutely no downside to a post-graduate judicial clerkship.

For more information, students and alumni may contact Fairuz Abdullah, the Associate Director for Public Interest, Clerkship and LL.M. Programs. Contact the frontdesk at (415) 565-4619 for an appointment.

Join the UC Hastings Jclerks Listerv

For the mostup to date Judicial Clerkship information from our office, join the jclerks listserv.

OSCAR: Online System for Clerkship Application and Review

Oscar is a centralized resource that federal judges use to receive electronic clerkship applications. A majority of federal judges use OSCAR as the only way to accept your application. If you are interested in a judge is not on OSCAR or your are submitting a paper application please see paper application Instructionsbelow.To get started on OSCAR create your log in and click on the Applicant Resource tab. For an introduction on how Oscar works click on An Overview of the OSCAR Application Process.More detailed instructions can be found in the Applicant User Guide.

Relevant Dates for 2012-2013

Friday May 18: Rising 3Ls can begin viewing Judicial Clerkships for the 2013-2014 season
Tuesday, September 4, 12pm EDT: First date when applications may be received from third-year applicants
Friday, September 7, 12pm EDT: First date and time when judges may contact third-year applicants to schedule interviews
Thursday,September 13, 10am EDT: First date and time to interview and make offers

The Basics: Applying to Federal Clerkships

How to Obtain a Judicial Clerkship (Using OSCAR)
Paper Application Instructions: Step-by-step instructions on how UC Hastings can assist you if you are submitting a paper application to a Judge.
Excel Mail Merge for Judges: The most up to date address information for mailing your application to chambers

Administrative Law Judge Clerkships:

ALJ Contact Information and Hiring Practice Survey: Excel document on hiring practice of ALJ's and contact information

The Basics: Applying for State Court Clerkships

State Courts begin looking for clerks during the Spring of your 2L year. There is no one all inclusive source for information about state court judicial clerkships. For a detailed guide to when state courts hire nationwide, log onto the JudicialClerkships Page on HCO to access the Vermont Guide to StateJudicial Clerkships. Make sure to cross reference the information in the Guide with the website of the Court you are interested in. Judges may hire earlier than the dates listed in the Guide.
Additional State Court Websites:

UC Hastings Faculty/Alumni Clerks

Log onto HCO and visit the Judicial Clerkship Page for the following:

List of UC Hastings Faculty Who Clerked
List of Past UC Hastings Alumni Clerks
List of UC Hastings Alumni Judges

Keep up with Judicial Nominations:

Judicial Nominations Database: Up-to-date information on all pending nominees
Thomas Nominations Page: Senate confirmation of Presidential nominations for ambassadors, cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices and other public officials

Research Resources:

Judicial Council of California: Information on court structure, judge opinions, job postings and other resources
U.S. Senate, Committee on the Judiciary
U.S. Courts: Federal Judiciary Homepage
West Legal Directory of Judicial Clerkships: A database of court office profiles and profiles of individual full time judges from all 50 state and Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia.