Dear Columbia Students and Alumni:
This week, the Administrative Office (“AO”) of the United States Courts posted an update regarding the “Duties of Federal Law Clerks” (“Update”), which includes a link to advisory opinions on ethical issues that often face law clerks. Please take a moment to review here:
https://oscar.uscourts.gov/duties_of_federal_law_clerks
The Office of Judicial Clerkships (“OJC”) encourages you to understand the import of this Update, which states, inter alia, that:
The duties and functions of a federal judicial law clerk are determined by the employing judge. In most chambers, law clerks concentrate on legal research and writing. Typically, the broad range of duties assigned to a law clerk includes conducting legal research, preparing bench memos, drafting orders and opinions, proofreading the judge’s orders and opinions, verifying citations, communicating with counsel regarding case management and procedural requirements, and assisting the judge during courtroom proceedings. Some judges also may assign maintaining the chambers library, and other administrative duties to the law clerk. Because there are a myriad of tasks that may be assigned to a law clerk, the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR) permits a judge to identify any particular duties that are required in the position announcement.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Update, please contact OJC.