Application for Clerkships with the Supreme Court of Connecticut

NOTICE TO STUDENTS GRADUATING LAW SCHOOL IN 2024
APPLICATION FOR CLERKSHIPS WITH THE CONNECTICUT SUPREME COURT

The Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court each appoint a law clerk for the 2024-2025 court year. Please refer to the Judicial Branch website for information about the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court Justices.
 
The annual salary of each law clerk is $72,818.81, to be paid semi-monthly, and the term of service is for a period of twelve working months. The law clerks start work on Friday, May 31, 2024 and continue through Friday, June 28, 2024. After June, the new clerks will not report for work again until Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Law clerks may take four personal leave days with pay during their term of service and have a bank of twelve sick days. Otherwise, there are no paid vacation days. Employment will terminate Thursday, July 31, 2025.
 
No applications should be submitted before Monday, April 24, 2023. Interested persons are encouraged to apply as soon after that date as feasible, and are expected to supplement their applications with subsequently-received grades, class standings, and reference letters. All applications must be received no later than Friday, May 26, 2023, at 3:00 PM. Interviews will be scheduled by each individual Justice and selections will be made no later than Friday, June 16, 2023. Each of the Justices endorses the principle of affording equal employment opportunity to qualified applicants. It must be emphasized, however, that each Justice, in selecting a law clerk, will be making an individual decision after weighing the credentials that are felt to be most relevant.
 
Law clerks generally perform research, write memoranda, review draft opinions and assist in preparing preliminary draft opinions, but each Justice determines what tasks to assign to his or her law clerk. Applicants should normally expect to graduate in the first quarter of their class and have demonstrated a substantial proficiency in legal research and writing. Law Review experience, or its equivalent, is highly desirable.
 
To apply for a clerkship, please e-mail the following application materials to the following address: SCLawclerkApplication@connapp.jud.ct.gov.
1.  A cover letter;
2.  A resume;
3.  A certified transcript of all grades achieved in law school, including, if available, information about class standing. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted prior to the receipt of the applicant's final grades. Candidates are expected to submit updated transcripts to reflect changes, such as the issuance of new grades and class standing, which takes place during the pendency of their clerkship application;
4.  A writing sample (e.g., brief, memorandum of law, draft judicial opinion, or scholarly piece such as a law journal note). Excerpts from more voluminous samples are welcome;
5.  At least two letters of recommendation. The letters may be from a faculty member with whom the student has studied, from a clerkship committee or from a recent employer. Letters of recommendation may be sent separately from the application;

The e-mail should list each Justice to whom the applicant wishes to apply; applicants are encouraged to apply as many Justices as they desire. Transcripts and letters of recommendation may be e-mailed separately from the other application materials.
 
After the Justices review the letters and resumes, a reasonable number of candidates will be selected for personal interview in Hartford at the applicant’s expense. Clerkship candidates should understand that although they are hired by individual Justices, if such Justice becomes unavailable due to illness, retirement, or movement to another court, the clerk will be assigned to work for another Justice during the term of their clerkship.
 
  Applicants usually take the Connecticut bar examination during the month of July after they commence their clerkships. This practice is for the convenience of the law clerks. Law clerks are not required to be members of the Bar of Connecticut or any other state.
 
Clerkships with the Connecticut Supreme Court Booklet

Application for Clerkships with the Connecticut Appellate Court

Notice: The Appellate Court does not offer summer internships. If you are interested in pursuing a clerkship with the Appellate Court upon graduation, please follow the instructions below.

NOTICE TO STUDENTS GRADUATING IN 2024
APPLICATION FOR CLERKSHIPS WITH THE CONNECTICUT APPELLATE COURT

Nine law clerks will be appointed for the 2024-2025 court year for the Connecticut Appellate Court, which sits as an intermediate appellate court.

The annual salary of each law clerk is $68,979.81, to be paid semi-monthly. The term of service is for a period of twelve working months starting on Friday, May 31, 2024. During June, the new law clerks will be working with the clerks whose places they will be taking for the next court year. After their service in June, the new clerks will not report for work again until Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Law clerks may take four personal leave days with pay during their term of service and they will have a bank of twelve sick days. Otherwise, there are no paid vacation days. Employment will terminate on Thursday, July 31, 2025.

No application should be submitted before Monday, April 24, 2023. Interested persons are encouraged to apply as soon after that date as possible and are expected to supplement their applications with subsequently received grades, class standings and reference letters. All applications must be received no later than Friday, May 26, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. The judges will review the applications and decide which candidates will be selected for personal interview in Hartford at the applicant's expense. Interviews will take place on Monday, June 26, 2023, and Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

The judges endorse the principle of affording equal employment opportunities to qualified applicants. The basic qualifications for the position of law clerk are set forth in this notice. It must be emphasized, however, that each judge, in selecting a law clerk, will make an individual decision weighing those credentials that are felt to be most relevant.

Each of the judges determines what tasks to assign to his or her law clerks. Law clerks are generally expected to do research, write memoranda, review draft opinions and assist in preparing preliminary draft opinions.

Applications should be addressed to the Honorable William H. Bright, Jr., Chief Judge of the Appellate Court, and emailed to ACLawclerkApplication@connapp.jud.ct.gov.

1. A cover letter;
2. A resume;
3. A certified transcript of all grades achieved in law school, including, if available, information about class standing. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted prior to the receipt of the applicant's final grades. Candidates are expected to submit updated transcripts to reflect changes, such as the issuance of new grades and class standing, which take place during the pendency of their clerkship application;
4. A writing sample (e.g., brief, memorandum of law, draft judicial opinion, or scholarly piece such as a law journal note). Excerpts from more voluminous samples are welcome;
5. At least two letters of recommendation. The letters may be from a faculty member with whom the student has studied, from a Clerkship Committee or from a recent employer. Letters of recommendation may be sent separately from the letter of application.

Applicants should expect to graduate in the first third of their class and have demonstrated proficiency in legal research and writing. Law Review experience, or its equivalent, is highly desirable.

Applicants usually plan to take the Connecticut bar examination during the July after they commence their clerkships. Law clerks are not required to be members of the Bar of Connecticut or of any other state.

Candidates for clerkships should understand that although they are hired by individual judges, if such judge becomes unavailable due to illness, retirement, or elevation to another court, the clerk will be assigned to work for another judge or judges during the term of their clerkship.

Clerkships with the Connecticut Appellate Court Booklet

Application for Clerkships with the Connecticut Superior Court

NOTICE TO STUDENTS GRADUATING LAW SCHOOL IN 2025
APPLICATION FOR CLERKSHIPS WITH THE CONNECTICUT SUPERIOR COURT

Law clerks provide legal research and writing assistance to Connecticut trial level judges on pending matters and are assigned to work for the Legal Research Office in courthouses throughout the state.

Appointment
The appointment as a law clerk to the Superior Court is for a period of 52 weeks. Most clerkship terms will begin in August and September of 2025. Students graduating in 2025, or before, may apply for these positions after September 1, 2024. Hiring decisions should be finalized no later than March of 2025.

Salary
The salary for the 2025-2026 term is the biweekly equivalent of an annual salary of $63,436.67.

Qualifications
Applicants should expect to graduate with high academic standing from a law school approved by the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee and should have a demonstrated interest and proficiency in legal research and writing. Law clerks are not required to be members of the Bar of Connecticut or of any other state.

I. Applicants who attend law schools that participate in campus, consortium, or video interview programs with this office must contact their Career Services Offices for further instructions and interview dates.

They should submit the following items through Career Services:

1. A copy of grades achieved in law school, including, if available, class standing;
2. A resume;
3. A cover letter.

After the initial interview, the following items should be emailed, by the applicant, directly to the Legal Research Office:

4. A brief writing sample that has not been edited by anyone other than the applicant;
5. Two letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to the applicant’s research and writing abilities;
6. An official undergraduate transcript;
7. An official law school transcript.

II. Applicants who attend law schools that do not participate in interview programs with this office, as well as individuals who have already graduated from law school, may email applications directly to the Legal Research Office, between September 1 and October 31, 2024.

These applications should include items 2-7, as listed above.

Interviews will begin in the fall of 2024. One component of the application process is a writing exercise, administered to all applicants.

Additionally, as vacancies can occur at any time during a term, qualified law school graduates available for immediate employment may email applications, to include items 2-7, directly to the Legal Research Office at any time.

Applications should be addressed to Attorney Cheryl Halford, Deputy Director of Legal Research, and emailed to: SuperiorCourt.Clerkship@jud.ct.gov. If official transcripts are not available electronically, they may be mailed directly to Legal Research, 121 Elm Street, New Haven, CT 06510.

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