Term Law Clerk to District Judge Arthur R. Jones

United States District Judge Arthur R. Jones of the Southern District of Texas, McAllen Division, is currently seeking to hire two full-time term judicial law clerks.  Appointment would be for a minimum of one term from approximately September 2026 to September 2027, with potential for another 12-15 month term.

Of the country’s 94 federal judicial districts, the Southern District of Texas is one of the country’s largest and busiest, and the McAllen Division by itself has one of the highest volume criminal dockets in the United States. The Southern District of Texas consists of seven divisional offices in the following locations: Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Houston, Laredo, McAllen and Victoria.  

The current grade and salary range for the advertised positions is the following: JSP 11 ($74,678) to JSP 14 ($163,514), depending on qualifications and/or prior federal judicial law clerk experience.

The law clerk reviews legal submissions, performs legal research, prepares bench memoranda, and drafts orders and opinions addressing a wide assortment of issues arising in civil and criminal litigation. The law clerk may also perform case management duties through the Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF) system as well as administrative office functions such as editing, proofreading, telephone communications, written correspondence, and scheduling as needed. The law clerk works cooperatively with other members of the judge's staff, as well as staff in other chambers and other court units, in order to effectively support the judge in fulfilling his judicial responsibilities.

Applicant must attach all of the following:

• Cover letter;
• Current resume;
• At least one writing sample;
• No fewer than three letters of recommendation; and
• Undergraduate and law school transcripts.

Application packages may be mailed or delivered to:
Minimum Qualifications

The law clerk must be a law school graduate (or be certified as having completed all law school studies and requirements and merely awaiting conferment of degree) from a law school approved by either the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law Schools and have demonstrated one or more of the following accomplishments or proficiencies:

• Standing within the upper 33% of the law school class;
• Experience on the editorial board of a law review of such a school or a moot court participant;
• Graduation from such a school with an LLM degree; or
• Proficiency in legal studies which, in the opinion of the judge, is the equivalent of one of the above.

To qualify for JSP grade 12, one year of legal work experience following law school graduation is required. To qualify for JSP grade 13, two years of legal work experience following law school graduation is required. To qualify for JSP grade 14, three years of legal work experience following law school graduation is required, and two of the three required years must have been served as a law clerk in the federal judiciary. With the exception of JSP grade 11, a bar membership in at lease one U.S. state is also required.

Preferred Qualifications

The ideal candidate will meet several of the requirements below:

• Excellent academic credentials, as well as superior research and writing skills. Proficiency with Westlaw and/or Lexis.
• Exceptional ability to communicate, articulate, and relate to coworkers and others with professionalism and integrity.
• Self motivated, able to manage multiple tasks and meet competing deadlines.
• Detail oriented, reliable and able to work independently and with minimum supervision.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and keen analytical skills.
• An understanding of court processes and procedures.
• Familiarity with the federal judicial system's electronic case filing system, experience with prisoner civil rights litigation, and prior experience as a judicial clerk (state or federal). 

Familiarity with the federal judicial system's electronic case filing system, experience with prisoner civil rights litigation, and prior experience as a judicial clerk are preferred but not required.Participation in the interview process is at the applicant's own expense and may include a short writing assignment. The judge will only communicate with those qualified applicants who are selected for an interview.  If you are not notified, another applicant was selected.

Employees of the United States Courts are not included in the government's Civil Service classification.  They are, however, entitled to some of the same benefits as other federal government employees, such as medical, dental, vision, and life insurance and flexible spending accounts.  Employees who work for the Court are considered "at will" and work at the pleasure of the judge.  As a condition of employment, successful applicants will be subject to a background check, credit check and/or records check with law enforcement agencies.  Also, this position is subject to mandatory electronic funds transfer participation for payment of net pay. 

Applicants must be United States citizens or able to prove that they are actively seeking citizenship. Go to www.uscourts.gov for more information on the citizenship requirement.

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this announcement, withdraw the announcement, or fill the position at any time before the closing date, any of which may occur without prior written notice.

Please direct any questions you may have about the position or application process to Judge Jones’ Judicial Assistant, Kathryn Nelson, at [email protected].