Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Judicial Law Clerk is a professional role in the Legal job family, focused on Judicial Law Clerk work. Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Judicial Law Clerks do
Typical education: Doctoral Degree
Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations.
Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court.
Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations.
Confer with judges concerning legal questions, construction of documents, or granting of orders.
Review complaints, petitions, motions, or pleadings that have been filed to determine issues involved or basis for relief.
Top skills:Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive ListeningWritingSpeakingActive Learning
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Judicial Law Clerk pay by experience level
Entry level$48,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$54,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$67,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior$83,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$117,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+2.5%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
1,000
projected openings per year
Growing slower than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Judicial Law Clerk salary by industry
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
13,270 workers
$75,500
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
7,570 workers
$82,000
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
5,710 workers
$66,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Judicial Law Clerk pays 44% below the average across 1,680 roles in the Legal job family (family average $135,500).
