Job Details for Term Law Clerk

Court Name/Organization

Missouri Eastern District Court

Overview of the Position

This Term Law Clerk position is a shared position supporting United States Sr. District Judge Catherine D. Perry and U.S. Sr. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel. This position’s duration is a one year and one day appointment with possibility of extension, and the term will begin as soon as possible.

Location

St. Louis, MO, MO

Opening and Closing Dates

09/08/2026 - Open Until Filled

Appointment Type

Permanent

Classification Level/Grade

JSP 11 - JSP 13

Salary

Not specified

Announcement Number

TLCPS 0926

Position Description

Principal duties of the position include:

• Research substantive issues of federal and state law
• Draft legal memoranda, opinions and orders
• Prepare the Judges for hearings, trials or mediations
• Assist the Judges with case management
• Generally, provide legal counsel and support to the judges
• Exhibit the highest standards of excellence and integrity

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of term law clerk, an individual 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 accredited by the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law Schools, and have demonstrated one of the following accomplishments or proficiencies:

• Standing within the upper third of the law school class from a law school of the approved list of either the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law Schools.

• Experience on the editorial board of a law review of such a school.

• Graduation from such a school with an LLM degree.

• Proficiency in legal studies that, in the opinion of the appointing Judge, is the equivalency of one of the above. Some examples of criteria that are considered to be acceptable as equivalent include

  • Publication of a noteworthy article in a law school student publication or other scholarly publication.
  • Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif.
  • Winning of a moot court competition or membership on a moot court team that represented the law school in competition with other law schools.

This list is not all-inclusive; the determination of an acceptable equivalence rests with the appointing Judge. One or more years of practice experience as a litigation attorney is preferred.

The number of years of legal work experience possessed, as well as bar membership, impacts salary. Legal work experience is progressively responsible experience in the practice of law, in legal research, legal administration, or equivalent experience received after graduation from law school.

Employee Benefits

In addition to paid federal holidays, benefits for this position include federal employees’ group health, dental, vision and commuter or parking subsidy. Judiciary employees serve under excepted appointments (not civil service). Excepted appointments are at will and can be terminated with or without cause.

Miscellaneous

The selectee considered for this position is required to undergo an FBI Background Check and/or Investigation and social media inquiry as a condition of employment. The selectee may be appointed provisionally, and retention will depend upon favorable suitability determination of the background investigation.

Application Info

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible to work in the United States. Appointment is contingent upon providing proof of U.S. citizenship, please see requirements . Applicants selected for interviews must travel at their own expense and relocation expenses will not be reimbursed. Judiciary employees serve under excepted appointments (not civil service). Excepted appointments are at will and can be terminated with or without cause.

Qualified persons are invited to submit current resume and cover letter. Candidates may, but are not required to, submit a writing sample, letters of recommendations; two or more professional or academic references, undergraduate transcripts, and law school academic transcripts. Please note that if selected for an interview candidates are required to complete an application for judicial branch employment, form AO-78 , undergraduate academic transcripts, and law school academic transcripts.

Application materials may be e-mailed to MOED_[email protected] with TLCPS-0926 in the subject line.

Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement or to withdraw the announcement without prior notice, written or otherwise. If another position becomes vacant in a similar classification within a reasonable time of the original announcement, the appointing judge(s) may select a candidate from the applicants for either position without re-posting any position. Employees are required to adhere to a Code of Ethics and Conduct, which is available to applicants for review upon request.

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.