Law clerks provide legal research and writing
assistance to Connecticut trial level judges on pending matters and are
assigned to work for the Legal Research Office in courthouses throughout the
state.
Appointment
The appointment as a law clerk to the
Superior Court is for a period of 52 weeks. Most clerkship terms will begin in August and September of 2021.
Students graduating in 2021, or before, may apply for these positions after September 1, 2020.
Hiring decisions should be finalized in March of 2021.
Salary
The salary for the 2021-2022 term is the
biweekly equivalent of an annual salary of $55,285.11.
Qualifications
Applicants should expect to graduate
with high academic standing from a law school approved by the Connecticut
Bar Examining Committee and should have a demonstrated interest and
proficiency in legal research and writing. Law clerks are not required to
be members of the Bar of Connecticut or of any other state.
I. Applicants who attend law schools that participate in campus, consortium,
or video interview programs with this office must contact their Career
Services Offices for further instructions and interview dates.
They should submit the following items through Career Services:
- A copy of grades achieved in law school, including, if available, class standing;
- A resume;
- A cover letter.
After the initial interview, the following
items should be emailed, by the applicant, directly to the Legal Research Office:
- A brief writing sample that has not been edited by
anyone other than the applicant;
- Two letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to the applicant’s research and writing abilities;
- An official undergraduate transcript;
- An official law school transcript.
II. Applicants who attend law schools that do not participate in interview
programs with this office, as well as individuals who have already
graduated from law school, may email applications directly to the Legal Research Office, between
September 1 and October 31, 2020.
These applications should
include items 2-7, as listed above.
Interviews for direct applicants, as well as second interviews for applicants initially
interviewed in the late summer or the fall of 2020, will take place in late 2020 and early 2021. One component of the application
process is a writing exercise, administered to all applicants at the time of the interview.
Additionally, as vacancies can occur at any time during a term, qualified
law school graduates available for
immediate employment may email
applications, to include items 2-7, directly to the Legal Research Office at
any time.
Applications should be addressed to Attorney Cheryl Halford,
Manager of Legal Research, and emailed to:
SuperiorCourt.Clerkship@jud.ct.gov. If official transcripts are not
available electronically, they may be mailed directly to Legal Research,
121 Elm Street, New Haven, CT 06510.