What does a law clerk do?
Law clerks are employees in a legal firm who handle clerical tasks for the office. They handle the office's official phone lines, answering incoming calls, and making outgoing calls. They also field office correspondence, often receiving incoming mail and distributing them to their addressees. They manage office documents and ensure that they are correctly filed and labeled in their respective storage bins. Law clerks help make office life more comfortable because they make sure that the office is running well. They also manage appointments and office calendars.
Law clerk responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real law clerk resumes:
- Hire specifically to perform legal research and write memorandums on probate cases, particularly those involving litigation.
- Conduct legal research, draft various legal documents, including complaints, social security/disability appeals, settlement demand letters and subpoenas.
- Research and draft affirmations in support, arbitration contentions, discovery responses, and attorney correspondence for insurance fraud litigation firm.
- Value securities by performing company valuations utilizing DCF and multiples methods.
- Develop valuation ranges using precedent transaction, comparable company, and DCF analyses
- Utilize LexisNexis and WestlawNext search databases to conduct legal research and data analysis.
- Research, analyze, and synthesize Probate/Estate administration issues utilizing LexisNexis and WestlawNext databases.
- Prosecute several misdemeanors as a certify student attorney, represent the county in probate hearings.
- Assist in discovery process and interview clients to obtain information for response to interrogatories submit by opposing counsel.
- Prepare and revise drafts of opinions, including death penalty sentencing, and arbitration awards concerning municipal salaries and benefits.
- Draft orders and reports and recommendations in cases involving employment discrimination, consumer protection statutes, and social security appeals.
- Compile accurate information from other departments in order to answer complaints, interrogatories and other legal documents on a timely basis.
- Analyze petitions for allowance of appeal, appellate briefs, and intermediate appellate opinions in preparing for disposition of discretionary appeals.
- Branch out into some areas of civil practice, such as family law, plaintiff work, and civil defense.
- Interview clients and handle inquiries regarding discovery and trial preparation; also communicate with opposing counsel and co-counsel; issue subpoenas.
Law clerk skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Law Clerks are proficient in Litigation, Legal Issues, and Legal Memos. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Law Clerks that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Litigation, 16%
Conducted extensive research on capital punishment in Alabama, substantially expanding upon an ongoing project of the Capital Litigation Unit.
- Legal Issues, 7%
Conducted extensive legal research and drafted several sentencing memorandums and case summaries regarding complex legal issues.
- Legal Memos, 7%
Conducted legal research and prepared legal memos regarding legal and non-legal issues Drafted arbitration filings, complaints, and other litigation documents
- Pre-Trial Motions, 6%
Gained litigation experience by conducting preliminary hearings and pre-trial motions with the assistance of a supervising attorney.
- Interrogatories, 4%
Compiled accurate information from other departments in order to answer complaints, interrogatories and other legal documents on a timely basis.
- Summary Judgment, 3%
Drafted motions for summary judgment researched and prepared memorandum regarding medical records statute, and drafted interrogatories.
"litigation," "legal issues," and "legal memos" are among the most common skills that law clerks use at work. You can find even more law clerk responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a law clerk to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what law clerks do because "lawyers must be able to clearly present and explain information to clients, opposing parties, and other members of the legal community." Additionally, a law clerk resume shows how law clerks use communication skills: "organized, processed, and charted communications for asbestos litigation. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of law clerks is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday law clerk duties, as "lawyers must build relationships with current and prospective clients, as well as with their colleagues and other members of the legal community." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "established oral argument and public speaking techniques as well as effective interpersonal, written & oral communication skills. "
Research skills. A big part of what law clerks do relies on "research skills." You can see how essential it is to law clerk responsibilities because "lawyers need to find laws and regulations that apply to a specific matter in order to provide appropriate legal advice for their clients." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical law clerk tasks: "assist in tort litigation preparation by drafting legal motions, conducting research, preparing legal memorandum and assisting in litigation discovery. "
Analytical skills. A commonly-found skill in law clerk job descriptions, "analytical skills" is essential to what law clerks do. Law clerk responsibilities rely on this skill because "lawyers interpret the law as it applies to their client’s case." You can also see how law clerk duties rely on analytical skills in this resume example: "researched and analyzed laws governing patent and trademark prosecution and litigation. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill commonly found on law clerk job descriptions is "problem-solving skills." It can come up quite often in law clerk duties, since "lawyers must evaluate information to propose viable solutions, mediate disputes, and reach agreements or settlements for their clients." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day law clerk responsibilities: "drafted initial and supplemental litigation plans assessing outstanding liability and damages issues and potential resolutions. "
The three companies that hire the most law clerks are:
- Pacific Architects and Engineers
25 law clerks jobs
- United States Courts18 law clerks jobs
- CACI International15 law clerks jobs
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Compare different law clerks
Law clerk vs. Attorney
Generally, an attorney's responsibility is to advise the client with an ongoing lawsuit on the legal procedures and provide strategies to resolve the case as early as possible. An attorney compiles necessary documents or any records for appeal and client's defense. Attorneys must acquire strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to mediate disputes and settle pending litigation for the client's best interest. In some cases, an attorney's procedure depends on any evidence and research presented during the trial period. An attorney is expected to present clients on legal proceedings, seeking justice and justifying the law.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, law clerk responsibilities require skills like "legal memos," "pre-trial motions," "family law," and "client intake." Meanwhile a typical attorney has skills in areas such as "legal advice," "legal services," "appeals," and "trial preparation." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Attorneys tend to reach similar levels of education than law clerks. In fact, attorneys are 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 19.4% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Law clerk vs. Executive legal assistant
An Executive Legal Assistant provides comprehensive support to lawyers and legal offices. They start as entry-level assistants before specializing in a field after a few years with experience; litigation, criminal law, family law, international law. Their duties include performing legal research by gathering case information for presentation, writing legal reports based on research and interviews, scheduling meetings, organizing travel arrangements, and organizing documentation for easy accessibility. An Executive Legal Assistant must be well organized, analytical research skills, and experience in case management. They typically spend long work hours spent in libraries and offices, requiring occasional travel.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real law clerk resumes. While law clerk responsibilities can utilize skills like "legal issues," "legal memos," "pre-trial motions," and "summary judgment," executive legal assistants use skills like "powerpoint," "expense reports," "real estate," and "calendar management."
Executive legal assistants may earn a lower salary than law clerks, but executive legal assistants earn the most pay in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $64,232. On the other hand, law clerks receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $98,674.executive legal assistants earn similar levels of education than law clerks in general. They're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 19.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Law clerk vs. Senior legal assistant
Senior legal assistants are responsible for managing junior-level assistants. They also support lawyers with various legal tasks such as conducting legal research, drafting documents, and hearing trials. These assistants must work with attorneys and clients to review various legal documents to ensure their accuracy and completeness. They gather documents for attorneys and prepare witnesses scheduled for court hearings. Senior legal assistants must also arrange the delivery of subpoenas while preparing the required affidavit of service.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a law clerk is likely to be skilled in "legal memos," "pre-trial motions," "summary judgment," and "settlement agreements," while a typical senior legal assistant is skilled in "legal correspondence," "legal support," "dictation," and "administrative tasks."
Senior legal assistants earn the highest salary when working in the professional industry, where they receive an average salary of $58,939. Comparatively, law clerks have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $98,674.When it comes to education, senior legal assistants tend to earn similar degree levels compared to law clerks. In fact, they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 24.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Law clerk vs. Litigation assistant
Litigation assistants are professionals who provide administrative support as well as perform tasks such as filing legal documents, communicating with clients, and conducting legal research for law firms or legal departments. These assistants are required to draft and prepare a variety of court and legal documents that include expert witness designations, motions for preference, and complaints. They must receive many phone calls from clients they are handling as well as examining information about the cases they are working on. Litigation assistants must also work closely with bookkeepers to ensure that all invoices are paid.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between law clerks and litigation assistants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a law clerk might have more use for skills like "legal issues," "legal memos," "pre-trial motions," and "summary judgment." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of litigation assistants require skills like "phone calls," "attorney review," "trial preparation," and "proofreading. "
Litigation assistants enjoy the best pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $63,516. For comparison, law clerks earn the highest salary in the professional industry.In general, litigation assistants hold similar degree levels compared to law clerks. Litigation assistants are 0.6% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 21.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of law clerk
Updated January 8, 2025
