Judicial Law Clerks
Also called: Judicial Assistant, Judicial Clerk, Judicial Law Clerk, Law ClerkAssist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 15 of its 18 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 2.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in government, which employs about 100% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.4.3 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $67,580 | $63,130 to $75,960 | 140 |
| Arizona | $60,170 | $50,650 to $70,970 | 250 |
| Arkansas | $80,150 | $77,340 to $107,330 | 50 |
| California | $79,030 | $65,740 to $82,200 | 1,800 |
| Colorado | $67,230 | $63,380 to $69,250 | 140 |
| Connecticut | $98,670 | $90,220 to $111,890 | 270 |
| Delaware | $64,720 | $64,720 to $64,720 | 100 |
| Florida | $55,180 | $49,210 to $59,740 | 1,300 |
| Georgia | $55,120 | $49,360 to $67,310 | 560 |
| Hawaii | $47,010 | $43,450 to $66,880 | 330 |
| Idaho | $75,540 | $60,060 to $77,540 | 60 |
| Indiana | $57,140 | $44,120 to $81,090 | 70 |
| Iowa | $64,260 | $57,750 to $75,290 | 90 |
| Kansas | $45,720 | $38,870 to $63,160 | 40 |
| Louisiana | $63,180 | $50,740 to $75,540 | 90 |
| Maine | $67,890 | $67,890 to $73,420 | 30 |
| Maryland | $70,110 | $63,110 to $72,800 | 370 |
| Massachusetts | $143,350 | $143,350 to $143,350 | 500 |
| Michigan | $62,260 | $52,190 to $80,330 | 280 |
| Minnesota | $71,070 | $64,980 to $75,110 | 410 |
| Missouri | $66,060 | $62,380 to $68,580 | 100 |
| Montana | $47,320 | $46,310 to $47,900 | 40 |
| Nebraska | $49,570 | $38,350 to $67,180 | 110 |
| Nevada | $69,600 | $59,680 to $83,670 | 70 |
| New Jersey | $58,890 | $58,890 to $63,940 | 530 |
| New York | $133,320 | $86,730 to $163,650 | 850 |
| North Dakota | $85,530 | $79,130 to $107,150 | 40 |
| Ohio | $49,840 | $41,730 to $74,100 | 240 |
| Oklahoma | $44,990 | $31,200 to $115,020 | 130 |
| Oregon | $86,870 | $77,370 to $86,870 | 30 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,590 | $39,330 to $61,960 | 970 |
| South Carolina | $50,330 | $47,040 to $68,710 | 230 |
| Tennessee | $75,190 | $58,420 to $89,300 | 400 |
| Texas | $63,130 | $53,350 to $74,490 | 220 |
| Utah | $51,900 | $47,570 to $60,030 | 630 |
| Virginia | $65,940 | $59,680 to $76,140 | 380 |
| Washington | $80,240 | $66,850 to $103,000 | 580 |
| West Virginia | $52,120 | $52,120 to $67,890 | 260 |
| Wisconsin | $54,250 | $51,280 to $62,020 | 180 |
Nationally: $64,920. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 15 of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with judges concerning legal questions, construction of documents, or granting of orders. | Not published |
| AI + software | Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Review complaints, petitions, motions, or pleadings that have been filed to determine issues involved or basis for relief. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations. | Not published |
| AI + software | Keep abreast of changes in the law and inform judges when cases are affected by such changes. | Not published |
See all 18 tasks
| AI + software | Attend court sessions to hear oral arguments or record necessary case information. | Not published |
| AI + software | Respond to questions from judicial officers or court staff on general legal issues. | Not published |
| AI + software | Review dockets of pending litigation to ensure adequate progress. | Not published |
| AI + software | Communicate with counsel regarding case management or procedural requirements. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in conferences or discussions between trial attorneys and judges. | Not published |
| AI + software | Coordinate judges' meeting and appointment schedules. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare periodic reports on court proceedings, as required. | Not published |
| AI + software | Enter information into computerized court calendar, filing, or case management systems. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Verify that all files, complaints, or other papers are available and in the proper order. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform courtroom duties, including calling calendars, administering oaths, and swearing in jury panels and witnesses. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise law students, volunteers, or other personnel assigned to the court. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain judges' law libraries by assembling or updating appropriate documents. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 18 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 18 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #35 Process digital or online data
- #48 Research laws, precedents, or other legal data
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare legal or regulatory documents | |||
| Discuss legal matters with clients, disputants, or legal professionals or staff | |||
| Record information about legal matters | |||
| Consult legal materials or public records | |||
| Direct legal activities | |||
| Process digital or online data | |||
| Research laws, precedents, or other legal data | |||
| Examine materials or documentation for accuracy or compliance |
Show all 10 activities
| Perform court-related or other legal administrative activities | |||
| Supervise personnel activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report84%
- An analysis or summary5%
- An email or message2%
- An explanation or answer1%
- A plan or strategy0%
How they worked with Claude
82% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for judicial law clerks specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 43,386 moves out
- 1 Lawyers Very high +4.7% 31%
- 2 Paralegals and Legal Assistants High -0.3% 5%
- 3 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 3%
- 5 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 24,926 moves in
- 1 Lawyers Very high +4.7% 9%
- 2 Paralegals and Legal Assistants High -0.3% 8%
- 3 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 7%
- 4 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 6%
- 5 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 7% high school
- 2% postsecondary certificate
- 2% master's
- 17% professional doctorate
- 52% research doctorate
- 20% not published
O*NET marks 20% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 16 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 6% high school
- 12% some college
- 7% associate's
- 20% bachelor's
- 2% master's
- 49% professional degree
- 4% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 272 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Law.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/23-1012.00