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?

For the Summer of 2026, judicial internships are eligible for YLS Summer Public Interest Funding.
There are a very small number of organizations which provide funding to those students who secure summer judicial internships through their programs, which include
- Judicial Intern Opportunity Program and Diversity Clerkship Program supported by the American Bar Association for diverse students
- The Sonia & Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program to cultivate leaders from underserved communities
- Summer Judicial Internship Project supported by the Just the Beginning Foundation (funding is not guaranteed, but may be available)
Academic credit is not available for term-time or summer 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:
- Leadership Connect
- YLS Judge Directory located in the CMS clerkships module
- Websites of courts

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?

Should you tell your judge about a stipend from your 2L summer firm?

If you have accepted a 2L summer position with a firm that provides you a stipend as part of the recruitment process, you should tell your judge about the stipend.
Include information about the timing of the stipend payment as well as whether the stipend is to be used to support your 1L summer work. 
Judges vary on whether they will allow interns to accept these types of firm stipends.
Some students will split their summer between a judicial internship and a position with a non-profit, government agency, or another judge. Even if the firm stipend will support your work with another employer, you should still notify your judge.
Providing this information now will surface any issues your judge may have and give you the chance to address them long before your internship starts.

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?