1. Home
  2. Careers
  3. Judicial Law Clerks
  4. Required Skills Responsibilities Activities

Judicial Law Clerks Occupation Detailed Description

Judicial Law Clerks career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Judicial Law Clerks

The main tasks and work activities of Judicial Law Clerks are to record information from legal proceedings, direct courtroom activities or procedures, confer with court staff to clarify information, prepare legal documents. In general, for the Judicial Law Clerks, reading Comprehension, active Listening, critical Thinking, writing and other 8 skills are required.
Judicial Law Clerks Job Description
EducationMost of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Related ExperienceExtensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Job TrainingEmployees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
ExampleThese occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include pharmacists, lawyers, astronomers, biologists, clergy, neurologists, and veterinarians.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Judicial Law Clerks jobs. 7.00% of Judicial Law Clerks have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 86% of Judicial Law Clerks have Bachelor's Degree and Above.
Less than a High School Diploma
0.00%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
7.00%
Post-Secondary Certificate
0.00%
Some College Courses
7.00%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
0.00%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
86.00%

Tasks and Work Activities of Judicial Law Clerks

  • Attend court sessions to hear oral arguments or record necessary case information.
  • Communicate with counsel regarding case management or procedural requirements.
  • Confer with judges concerning legal questions, construction of documents, or granting of orders.
  • Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations.
  • Keep abreast of changes in the law and inform judges when cases are affected by such changes.
  • Participate in conferences or discussions between trial attorneys and judges.
  • Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations.
  • Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court.
  • Review complaints, petitions, motions, or pleadings that have been filed to determine issues involved or basis for relief.
  • Review dockets of pending litigation to ensure adequate progress.
  • Verify that all files, complaints, or other papers are available and in the proper order.
  • Compile court-related statistics.
  • Coordinate judges' meeting and appointment schedules.
  • Enter information into computerized court calendar, filing, or case management systems.
  • Maintain judges' law libraries by assembling or updating appropriate documents.
  • Perform courtroom duties, including calling calendars, administering oaths, and swearing in jury panels and witnesses.
  • Prepare periodic reports on court proceedings, as required.
  • Respond to questions from judicial officers or court staff on general legal issues.
  • Supervise law students, volunteers, or other personnel assigned to the court.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsUsing relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for OthersTranslating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Analyzing Data or InformationIdentifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
  • Interacting With ComputersUsing computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Processing InformationCompiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Record information from legal proceedings.
  • Direct courtroom activities or procedures.
  • Confer with court staff to clarify information.
  • Prepare legal documents.
  • Prepare documentation of legal proceedings.
  • Meet with individuals involved in legal processes to provide information and clarify issues.
  • Research relevant legal materials to aid decision making.
  • Identify implications for cases from legal precedents or other legal information.
  • Maintain the order of legal documents.
  • Coordinate legal schedules or activities.
  • Administer oaths to court participants.
  • Supervise activities of other legal personnel.

Skills and Abilities for Judicial Law Clerks

  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Inkjet printerse.g. Computer inkjet printers
  • Laser printerse.g. Computer laser printers
  • Scannerse.g. Document scanners
  • Laser fax machinee.g. Laser facsimile machines
  • Personal computerse.g. Personal computers
  • Photocopierse.g. Photocopying equipment
  • Tablet computerse.g. Tablet computers
  • Law and GovernmentKnowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.