Court Law Clerk

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas is seeking a full-time court law clerk who will work under the supervision of Magistrate Judge Peter Bray.  The appointment is for a one year term (through September 30, 2027) with the possibility for renewal.  The appointment could be located in any divisional office.  Remote work is also available.
 
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas is one of the largest district courts among the country's 94 federal judicial districts. The Southern District of Texas consists of the following seven divisional offices:  Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Houston, Laredo, McAllen and Victoria.
 
 Salary Range:  JSP 11  to JSP 13 , depending on qualifications and/or prior federal judicial law clerk experience.

The court law clerk supports the entire district by reviewing legal submissions, performing legal research, preparing bench memoranda, drafting orders and opinions and generating reports.  The court law clerk's work will focus on cases filed by litigants without lawyers (pro se litigants) and involve various areas of substantive law such as real property foreclosures, civil rights, torts, contracts, and various federal and state statutory causes of action.  The court 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 court law clerk works cooperatively with members of chambers staff across the district, as well as staff in other court units, in order to effectively support the judges of the Southern District of Texas with the pro se litigant case load.

Applicant must attach all of the following:

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

Letters of recommendation 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.

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.

With the exception of JSP grade 11, a bar membership is also required.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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 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.