Title: Judicial Law Clerk
State Role Title: Law Clerk
Hiring Range: Commensurate with Experience
Pay Band:
Agency: Supreme Court
Location: Court of Appeals
Agency Website: WWW.vacourts.gov
Recruitment Type: General Public - G
Job Duties
The Court of Appeals of Virginia is seeking applicants for full-time judicial clerkships, on a term basis, to start in the 2025 and 2026 calendar years for one- and two-year appointments. Selected applicants will complete their clerkship in Virginia, in the location of the selecting Judge’s chambers; however, occasional travel to other locations in Virginia may be required. The Court’s Judges are distributed across four regions, including eastern Virginia (Region 1: Yorktown, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach); central Virginia (Region 2: Richmond, Charlottesville, and Halifax); western Virginia (Region 3: Roanoke); and northern Virginia (Region 4: Manassas, Front Royal, Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington, Leesburg).
The Court encourages applications from candidates with a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, qualities, and skillsets.
Job duties:
• Prepare memoranda and other written products for Court Judges, analyzing and summarizing briefs and case materials, including transcripts, pleadings, and exhibits.
• Draft Court orders and opinions.
• Check citations and quote-check briefs, pleadings, and Court documents.
• Collaborate closely with other clerks and members of the Court, including Judges, to resolve cases.
Minimum Qualifications
Requirements
• Graduation from an ABA accredited law school, or membership in good standing of the bar of the Supreme Court of Virginia or the highest court of another state.
• Working knowledge of trial and appellate court procedures, systems and rules used in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• Highly proficient in legal research.
• Superior analytical and writing skills.
• Ability to handle a high-volume workload while meeting critical deadlines and quickly addressing emergent needs and issues.
• Law review or other journal experience preferred.
• History of academic and/or professional achievement.
• American citizenship or permanent legal residency and a criminal background check (conducted before employment offer extended) required.
Compensation
• Competitive salary with full state employee benefits package, including paid holidays, sick and personal leave, health insurance, retirement, life insurance, deferred compensation, and short- and long-term disability.
Additional Considerations
To apply, please send a cover letter including interested regions in order of preference and term sought (e.g., 2025 and/or 2026, one-year or two-year term), resume, law school transcript, writing sample, and three references, all in a single PDF format document, to CAVclerkship@vacourts.gov.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and considered active until December 1; however, priority consideration will be given to applications received by March 1.
Special Instructions
You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.
Contact Information
Name: Daisy Duitsman
Phone: No Calls
Email: humanresources@vacourts.gov
In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.
Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.