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Judicial Internships

Judicial Internships

What are volunteer judicial internships? 

  • Unpaid positions in which you work for a judge during the summer or academic term.
  • You may work directly with the judge or may report to the judge’s clerks.
  • You may research and write memoranda or draft opinions on matters pending before the court.
  • You may perform administrative tasks. 

Is funding or credit available for volunteer judicial internships? 

 

How can you find out if a judge is hiring judicial interns? 

  • Typically, judges do not post their positions in the online job postings on CMS, but occasionally they do, so do not overlook possible CMS postings.
  • Sometimes, judges will post positions on their courts’ websites.
  • In the summer evaluations section of CMS, there are reviews from past summer interns which may lead you to judges who are interested in hiring.
  • In the Summer Evaluation Section,
    • Search in the Employer (name) field using terms like “court,” “judge,” or “hon” (short for honorable)
    • Search in the Employer Type field, selecting Judicial Internship
  • Look at the YLS Student Employment Lists to view the judges for whom YLS students have worked or are working. 

 

How can you decide which judges to apply to? 

  • Think about what you want get out of this experience so that you can find a chambers which matches your interests.
  • Judges and clerks create the atmosphere of chambers, and there is variability.
  • Use the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary, the Leadership Connect database (Yale VPN required), the Federal Judicial Center’s judge database, courts’ websites, or other online resources for preliminary background information.
  • Research using these resources:
    • The Summer Employment Evaluations in CMS and YLS Student Employment Lists (see above)
    • The Judicial Clerkship Evaluations and Interview Evaluations in the clerkship section of CMS
  • If you are unable to find useful information using the above resources, reach out to the YLS alumni community via The Courtyard. 

 

How should you apply? 

  • The standard approach is to mail applications to judges directly. Do not email application materials unless a judge provides an email address in a job posting.
  • Your application packet should include
    • Cover Letter
    • Resume
    • Writing Sample
    • Law School Transcript (can be sent separately, when available)
  • Document samples are available in the Toolkit for Student Job Seekers
  • See here for templates to guide you in addressing your letter correctly. 

 

How should you approach your cover letter?

  • Start by following CDO’s general advice about cover letters and see sample cover letter #3.
  • To personalize your letter, be sure to cite any connections you have to the chambers location.
  • You may also explain why you want to intern on this type of court. E.g., federal v. state, trial v. appellate, or limited jurisdiction v. general jurisdiction.
  • If you have a keen interest in interning for a particular judge, you can express that strong preference as well.

 

How should you approach your other application materials?

  • Follow CDO’s advice regarding resumes and view resume samples.
  • Your writing sample should be a piece of legal analysis that you have written as a law student. For further advice and an example of a writing sample cover sheet, visit the CDO site, here.
  • Request your transcript from the Registrar’s website. Allow 24-48 hours turn-around time.

 

How can you find judges’ mailing addresses? 

  • Use these resources:

 

When should you apply? 

  • For the most competitive summer internship locations and courts (e.g., federal courts in New York City, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco), you should apply on November 15th.
  • For term-time positions, apply during the semester prior to the semester in which you would like to volunteer. 

 

What should you expect at the interview? 

  • Many judges delegate hiring authority to their clerks, so the judge may not be involved in the hiring process.
  • Expect to be asked questions about why you want to intern for this judge, on this court, and in this location.
  • Be prepared to discuss your writing sample, as research and writing are essential skills. For further discussion about interviewing, view CDO’s advice.
  • Be sure to ask about the typical work of judicial interns in the chambers, how many interns will be hired, how much exposure interns have to in-court proceedings, and the resources/office space available for interns. 

 

What should you do when you receive an offer? 

  • Thank the person who extended the offer to you immediately.
  • Inquire about the acceptance deadline if it is not apparent from the offer.
  • If the deadline is very short and you need a bit more time, you can ask for up to a week more time.
  • If you have multiple offers, consider your options and respond to all offers promptly.
  • If you are considering not accepting an offer, please speak with your CDO counselor for guidance.

 

What should you do after you accept an offer? 

  • If you accepted via phone or Zoom, confirm your acceptance via an email.
  • Withdraw from consideration with all other employers in writing.
  • Share the good news with CDO! 

 

What is the connection between judicial internships and post-graduate clerkships? 

  • A judicial internship can help you to understand the inner workings of a judge’s chambers and get to know the culture of the courthouse in which you work.
  • The vast majority of judges do not require or prefer judicial internships when hiring post-graduate clerkship candidates.
  • In fact, as a matter of chambers policy, some judges will not hire former interns as post-graduate clerks.
  • Generally, judges do not write letters of recommendation or take reference calls for former judicial interns. 

 

Are there background checks or suitability requirements? 

  • For state court judges, check directly with the judge.
  • For federal judges, review policies and requirements here.