About Law Clerk Positions at the Oregon DOJ

Our law clerks are assigned by Attorneys in Charge or designated law clerk supervisors to work with individual attorneys on a case-by-case basis.

Responsibilities

Assignments range from finding a single citation to working on a project for weeks or even months. As a law clerk, you may be working on several projects for several attorneys simultaneously.

For example, as an Appellate Division law clerk, you would write briefs, with supervision, which are filed in the Court of Appeals. If you have completed your second year of law school and are certified, your name would appear on the briefs. You may also appear and argue before the Court of Appeals.

Compensation

Compensation is based on an hourly rate and does not include benefits, except as required by law.

Employment Terms

Some law clerk positions may be renewed, but they can also be terminated at any time without cause. It is our hope that our summer law clerks will continue to work with us during the succeeding school year, but that may depend on a case by case basis.

Summer Terms

• Three months
• 40 hour weeks

Arrangements can be made to allow a vacation, but we expect a minimum commitment of at least ten weeks during the summer.

School Year Terms

• Nine months
• Up to 20 hours per week

Time off is allowed during finals, and those who remain local during vacations can work full-time.

How to Apply

We begin law clerk recruitment in December of each year. Specific dates will be announced here. We hope you will check back with us if the dates for this year are not currently posted.

The 2025 Law Clerk Program recruitment is open for applications December 2, 2024 — January 6, 2025, apply here.

To apply, the following material is required:

• Online application
• One-page cover letter explaining: 1) Why you are interested in working for the Oregon Department of Justice, and (2) your experience that makes you a good candidate.
• Resume (1-2 pages)
• Writing sample
• Law school transcript (when available)

Questions

Please email us at DOJ.Recruitment@doj.oregon.gov if you have any questions, and we will be happy to tell you more. Also include in the email if there are particular areas of the Oregon DOJ that interest you, and we will direct your question to that section.