I get it – for most people, clerking is the time when you’re going to earn much less than when you transition over to BigLaw. But for us civil rights folks, clerking is sometimes the most money you will make for a while. And you might want to take that opportunity to save and/or pay down your loans. So how much will you make?
Federal Clerkship Salary
If you clerk on the federal bench, there is a clear chart for how much you should expect to earn. When you just graduate from law school and have no other legal experience, you should be at a Grade 11, Step 1. At least that’s what my grade and step level were when I started my clerkship in January 2014.
If you clerk for a second year, you’ll move up to a Grade 12, step 1. And if you clerk for a third year, you should move up to Grade 13, step 1. From there, if you stay put as a career clerk, I believe you will start moving up in steps, not in grade levels.
How much you get paid depends on where you live, since the rate is set based on the cost of living in your area. Check out the various charts here or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://www.uscourts.gov/careers/compensation/judiciary-salary-plan-pay-rates
State Clerkship Salary
If you clerk for a state court bench, it is likely your pay rate will be lower. However, you will need to look up that information state-by-state and based on which bench you are applying to clerk on. Given that it’s a salary for a public position, the information should be clearly posted somewhere, though if you can’t find it you may want to inquire from past clerks or even the court itself.
Here’s what I found for Colorado Supreme Court clerkships: https://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/Supreme_Court/Applicants.cfm
It seems that for the State Supreme Court, clerks earn $4934 per month, or $59,208 per year.
Strangely, when I tried to find the salary for Colorado Court of Appeals clerks, it was not clearly listed: https://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/Court_Of_Appeals/Applicants.cfm
This is when I would connect with a current or former clerk to ask them how much they earn(ed), or simply contact the administrative clerk of the court to inquire.