Career Opportunities - State Court Administrator's Office

The Minnesota Judicial Branch offers three types of clerkships: District Court, Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court each offer unique clerkships. 

• District Court: The almost 1.3 million cases that are processed by the state court system begin at the District Court. The District Courts are located in courthouses in each of the state’s 87 counties, where 295 judges serve. The district courts are organized into 10 judicial districts.
• Court of Appeals: The Court of Appeals reviews District Court decisions if one of the parties feels the case was decided improperly and files an appeal. The 19 Court of Appeals judges sit in three-judge panels to hear oral arguments in St. Paul and in cities across the state.
• Supreme Court: The state’s highest court has seven justices who hear appeals as a group from cases decided by the Court of Appeals, the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals, and the Tax Court. The Supreme Court also automatically reviews all first-degree murder convictions and legislative election disputes.

When participating in a judicial clerkship, you will: 

• develop your skills in legal research, reasoning, strategy, and writing. Putting into practice what you’ve learned in law school!
• engage in challenging and intellectually stimulating work. You will be working in a dynamic environment that is ever evolving and makes an impact on the lives of people.
• receive valuable training and mentoring from judges; connecting with judges and court employees on a day-to-day basis allows for great networking, training, and mentoring opportunities.
• gain exposure to many substantive areas of the law.

Hear previous law clerks talk about the benefits of a clerkship below:

“I have learned so much in the two and a half years I've been employed by the Judicial Branch and my experience has far exceeded expectations. I think I have become a much better writer, legal analyst, and researcher as a result of my time here. I have also become much more organized and learned the best dos and don'ts for practicing law.”

“I learned an immense amount about civil litigation in Minnesota State Courts and was given ample opportunities to improve my writing and research skills.”

For detailed information on health and wellness benefits provided to employees with the Minnesota Judicial Branch, visit the section “Employee Benefits”.

We offer two different types of clerkships for students: those that are entering or currently enrolled in law school (posted as Law Clerk I) and those that have or are in the process of completing law school (posted as Law Clerk). Please view the minimum requirements for each below.

Law Clerk I (students entering/currently attending law school)

• A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and current enrollment in and completion of at least one year of law school training at an accredited law school.

Law Clerk (students who are completing/completed law school)

• ​Graduation from an accredited law school or equivalent.

Some of our clerkships are posted months in advance of their start date. In those instances, apply based on your eligibility on the anticipated start date. For example, if a Court of Appeals Law Clerk with a start date of June is posted in February, and you graduate in May, you are an eligible candidate because you will have graduated law school by the anticipated start date.

Interested in applying? When applying for a clerkship at the Minnesota Judicial Branch, you will be required to provide the following with your application:

• law school transcripts
• a brief writing sample
• cover letter
• resume