Judicial Law Clerks Career, Salary and Skills
Judicial Law Clerks have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $64,920 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 13,290. Wage data is published for 93 locations.
Occupation description
Assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents.
O*NET code
23-1012.00
Job zone
5
Typical education
Doctoral Degree
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$64,920
Hourly median
$31.21
Employment
13,290
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
$46,180
10th
$52,870
25th
$64,920
Median
$80,420
75th
$113,140
90th
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.50 | 4.88 |
| Active Listening | 4.25 | 4.25 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.25 | 4.62 |
| Writing | 4.12 | 4.38 |
| Speaking | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Active Learning | 3.75 | 4.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Time Management | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.00 | 3.12 |
Typical tasks
- Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court.
- Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations.
- Confer with judges concerning legal questions, construction of documents, or granting of orders.
- Review complaints, petitions, motions, or pleadings that have been filed to determine issues involved or basis for relief.
- Keep abreast of changes in the law and inform judges when cases are affected by such changes.
- Attend court sessions to hear oral arguments or record necessary case information.
- Review dockets of pending litigation to ensure adequate progress.
- Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations.
Technology
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Aderant CompuLaw
- Adobe Acrobat
- Advanced Technologies Class Act
- American Legalnet eDockets
- American Legalnet Smart Dockets
- Canyon Solutions Jcats
- Compugov DocketView
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- Infocom JACS
- Justice Systems FullCourt Enterprise
- Legal Files software
- Levare Center Court
- LexisNexis
Judicial Law Clerks salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in CAMedian $79,030 · Employment 1,800
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in FLMedian $55,180 · Employment 1,300
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in PAMedian $50,590 · Employment 970
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in NYMedian $133,320 · Employment 850
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in UTMedian $51,900 · Employment 630
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in WAMedian $80,240 · Employment 580
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in New York, NYMedian $58,890 · Employment 560
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in GAMedian $55,120 · Employment 560
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in NJMedian $58,890 · Employment 530
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in MAMedian $143,350 · Employment 500
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in Philadelphia, PAMedian $58,890 · Employment 460
- Judicial Law Clerks Salary in MNMedian $71,070 · Employment 410
Related careers
- Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and InvestigatorsNational median $78,000
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol OfficersNational median $76,210
- Eligibility Interviewers, Government ProgramsNational median $54,210
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsNational median $66,270
- Detectives and Criminal InvestigatorsNational median $93,790
- Private Detectives and InvestigatorsNational median $51,220
- Compliance OfficersNational median $80,730
- BailiffsNational median $56,600
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.