How to Get a Federal Clerkship: 2026-27 Guide Forum

Post by **TLS** » Tue Oct 27, 2026 7:37 am

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How to Get a Federal Clerkship: 2026-27 Step-by-Step Guide

Short answer: Federal judges hire law clerks one chambers at a time, mostly through OSCAR. To qualify you need a law degree (or certification that you are only awaiting the degree) plus one marker of academic strength, such as upper-third class rank, a law review editorial board seat, an LL.M., or equivalent proficiency in the judge's view (OSCAR qualifications). Current students with two full years of grades follow the Federal Law Clerk Hiring Plan dates; graduates and practicing lawyers can be hired on each judge's own schedule (OSCAR hiring plan).

Fast facts

Where the jobs are: 13 circuits and 94 districts, plus bankruptcy courts and courts of special jurisdiction (OSCAR career page).
Main system: OSCAR, the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR Applicant Prep Kit).
Class of 2027 dates: applications from 12:00 p.m. EDT June 8, 2026; judge contact from June 9; interviews and offers from June 10 (OSCAR hiring plan).
Class of 2028 dates: applications from 12:00 p.m. EDT June 14, 2027; contact, interviews and offers from June 15, 2027 (OSCAR hiring plan).
Class of 2029 dates: applications from 12:00 p.m. EDT June 12, 2028 (OSCAR hiring plan).
Offers: judges on the plan keep offers open at least 24 hours, and you may keep interviewing during that window (OSCAR hiring plan).
Term length: term clerkships are usually one or two years (some are 18 months), capped at four years of term service in total (OSCAR qualifications).
Citizenship: paid judiciary jobs in the continental U.S. are limited to citizens, nationals, certain refugees and asylees, and lawful permanent residents seeking citizenship (U.S. Courts citizenship rules).

Step 1: Decide which kind of clerkship you want

District court: trial-level work, including motions, hearings, trials and sentencing.
Court of appeals: bench memos and opinion drafting on appeals; usually the most competitive and the usual path toward a Supreme Court clerkship.
Magistrate and bankruptcy judges: strong litigation training and often more reachable; see magistrate clerkships and bankruptcy clerkships.
Specialized courts: Tax Court, Federal Claims, International Trade, Federal Circuit and CAAF; see the Specialized Clerkships Directory.
Court-wide roles: pro se, death penalty and staff attorney jobs; see pro se and staff attorney jobs.

Threads that help you compare: Rank these courts in order of prestige?, Best and worst judges to clerk for, Is it worth it to do a CoA clerkship after a district clerkship?, Should I try to get an appellate clerkship?.

Step 2: Check your credentials honestly

The official floor is the qualification list above (OSCAR qualifications), and each judge can add requirements in the OSCAR posting. In practice, applicants on TLS compare class rank, journal, school and recommenders when deciding where they are competitive: Where Am I Competitive for a District Clerkship?, Federal clerkships - class rank from non-HYSCC T14?.

If you are already practicing, experience helps with both hiring and pay: one year of post-graduate legal work plus bar membership supports JSP-12, and two years supports JSP-13 (OSCAR qualifications). See Obtaining a federal court clerkship as a practicing attorney and the law clerk salary guide.

Step 3: Build a target list

Use OSCAR's Judges List and Advanced Search. You can filter by court, judge type, clerkship term, law review preference, prior clerkship preference, class rank preference and more than 30 other fields (OSCAR Applicant Prep Kit).
Read each judge's Hiring Practices field. Many judges also post "not hiring" status, and judges do not keep applications for future openings (OSCAR applicant FAQ).
Plan your volume. OSCAR allows up to 100 finalized chambers applications at a time (OSCAR Applicant Prep Kit). TLS threads on how many to send: How many clerkship should I apply to?, How many applications do people usually submit?, How many applications should I be submitting?.
Include judges who hire off-plan or by paper or email; they appear in OSCAR as non-participating or list a different application method.

Step 4: Prepare materials before OSCAR opens

OSCAR opened to the Class of 2027 on January 20, 2026 and opens to the Class of 2028 on January 19, 2027 (OSCAR hiring plan). Use that time to finish your cover letter, resume, grade sheet, writing sample and recommender list. The application materials guide covers file rules and examples, and the OSCAR guide walks through the system.

Step 5: Apply, interview, decide

Finalize applications as soon as the plan window opens; recommendations can be requested before judges see them.
Expect calls and emails starting the day after the application date under the plan (OSCAR hiring plan).
Prepare for interviews and possible writing tests with the clerkship interview guide.
You do not have to accept the first offer; the Best Practices encourage judges to give time to weigh offers (OSCAR Best Practices).

The stacking trend

A 2026 study reported by Reuters found that more graduates now complete two, three or even four clerkships, that judges sometimes make offers several years in advance, and that this shrinks the pool for other applicants (Reuters, June 16, 2026). Practical effects: apply to graduate-hire judges after your first clerkship, and look at future-term postings. Discussion: Are people clerking for much longer now?, 2 year clerkship v. 1 year clerkship.

Discuss on TLS

FAQ

Q: Can I get a federal clerkship after I graduate?
Yes. Hiring plan dates do not apply to graduates, and judges may hire them on their own schedule (OSCAR hiring plan).

Q: Do I need to be admitted to the bar?
Not for the entry grade. Bar membership is required for the JSP-12 and higher grades (OSCAR qualifications), and individual judges may require it.

Q: Do all federal judges use OSCAR?
No. The OSCAR Judges List shows non-participating judges, judges with open positions, and participating judges with no posted position (OSCAR Applicant Prep Kit).

Q: Do the hiring rules apply to Supreme Court clerkships?
No. The Best Practices apply to circuit, district, bankruptcy and magistrate judges but not to the Justices (OSCAR Best Practices). See the Supreme Court clerkship guide.

Related guides

Last verified: September 26, 2026, against the official court pages and dated news sources linked in this guide. Hiring status changes often, so confirm on the court or chambers page before you apply. Spot an error? Reply in the linked discussion thread or PM a moderator.