Looking for a Federal Law Clerkship? Look On-Line.

     Finding a law clerk position with a federal judge has often depended on luck and good timing. Good timing because vacancies filled swiftly and luck because identifying every judge with an opening was nearly impossible. But the search just got easier. The Federal Law Clerk Information System (FLCIS), a new database accessible through the Internet and launched this month, allows prospective applicants to locate opportunities on-line through the federal Judiciary's website at www.uscourts.gov.

     "Federal judicial law clerk positions are highly coveted," said Leonidas Ralph Mecham, Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the federal agency that developed FLCIS. "This new web site should meet the needs of both judges and law students since it creates a level playing field by giving all interested parties equal access to the same information. It also opens up the selection process to a potentially broader range of candidates from different law schools and parts of the country."

     Within days of FLCIS going live, over 300 positions had been entered by federal judges at both the district court and court of appeals levels. To review the law clerk vacancy announcements, potential applicants go to www.uscourts.gov, and click on Federal Law Clerk Information System. No password is needed and no fee is charged for public, read-only access to the database. Applicants can search for vacancies by location, a specific court, or an individual judge.

     FLCIS was created at the suggestion of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policy-making body of the federal Judiciary. FLCIS allows staff in judges' chambers to post information about upcoming or existing law clerk vacancies and information on judges' hiring practices that can be accessed by prospective applicants. FLCIS also tells judges which applicants already have accepted another position or otherwise taken themselves out of consideration for an unfilled clerkship.

     Judge Ralph Winter, former chairman of the Executive Committee said, "This web site should bring some civility to what has been a frantic law clerk hiring season. I believe it will be a tremendously useful tool for both judges and law clerk applicants."

     In recent weeks, federal judges throughout the country received detailed instructions on entering their law clerk vacancy announcements. These announcements can include the court's address, a contact person, how applications should be submitted, and when interviews will take place. Special requirements also may be noted, such as fluency in a particular language. Law schools also have been notified of the new FLCIS site and encouraged to make use of it in their placement efforts.

###