Career Development Office » Clerkships and Clerkships for Academic Credit

From an “employability” perspective, clerking is a positive step regardless of the legal career you intend to pursue.  While it is true that any student with an interest in academic work should definitely consider applying for a clerkship, students who intend to practice can also benefit from the experience.

What is Clerking?

Clerking gives you an opportunity to see the “inside” of the judicial decision-making process, to hone your research and writing skills and to gain a “judge’s eye view” of good advocacy.

Clerkships: Federal Court of Appeal Presentation:

FCA-FC_Presentaion-Eng-2020-2021 (2)

How do I get a Clerkship?

Most Law Clerks are recent law school graduates who performed at or near the top of their class.

Successful candidates for all clerkships are usually selected based on a distinguished academic record, academic recommendations, strong research and writing skills and interviews with judges.

Most Canadian courts accept applications for judicial clerkships from graduating law students or experienced lawyers who have already been called to the Bar in Canada or abroad. Most provincial superior and appellate courts hire at least one clerk for each judge. Typically students in their last two years of law school are eligible to apply for these positions, but increasingly, experienced practicing lawyers are also considered for these positions. The term typically lasts a year.