Judicial Externships & Clerkships

Judicial Externships

Working for a judge is one of the best ways to enrich one's education as a law student.  Not only are judicial externships well-regarded by practitioners in every practice area, but they provide a valuable opportunity to strengthen legal research and writing skills, witness our judicial system in action, and connect with judges, chambers and court staff, and fellow externs. Judicial externship opportunities are available during the summer as well as during the school year of a student’s second or third year of law school.

Judicial Clerkships

A judicial clerkship is a paid post-graduate opportunity and an excellent way to transition from law school to practicing law. In addition to providing a focused environment with a mentor heavily invested in your professional development, a clerkship affords many benefits that make it one of the most coveted job opportunities for graduates. Students typically begin applying for judicial clerkships in their second year of law school.

Career Development Office 

The CDO works closely with Pepperdine’s JD students in providing resources and counseling on judicial externships and clerkships and their respective application processes. For students interested in pursuing judicial clerkships, in addition to the resources available through the CDO, the Faculty Clerkship Committee works closely together and is committed to providing support to students pursuing judicial clerkships throughout the entire application process. 

Current students looking for more information should visit Law CDO on Courses.

For more information on the Judicial Clerkship Institute and JD Externships, visit the links below: