Occupation · SOC 23-1012.00
Assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents.
Also called: Judicial Assistant · Judicial Clerk · Judicial Law Clerk · Law Clerk · Appellate Law Clerk · Career Judicial Law Clerk · Career Law Clerk · Law Researcher · Pro Se Law Clerk · Term Law Clerk · Attorney Law Clerk · Chancery Clerk
Job family: Legal Occupations
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/roles/role-23-1012-00/context.md directly.
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
66th-percentile task overlap — yet about 1,000 openings a year (+2.5% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 4060% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High | 99th | 1.5 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 78th | 0.9 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 20th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.9). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.4 · 44th percentile among occupations · Moderate
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations. | 2.5% | |
| Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court. | 1.4% | |
| Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations. | 1.2% | |
| Respond to questions from judicial officers or court staff on general legal issues. | 0.8% | |
| Review complaints, petitions, motions, or pleadings that have been filed to determine issues involved or basis for relief. | 0.3% |
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +2.5% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 1,000 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 14,500 → 14,900 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Legal and Related Associate Professionals · 3411 | 39% | Gradient 1 |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 40.6% working with AI · 45.1% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction |
| Typical AI autonomy | 3.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 74.4% |
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations. | Directive | 1.1% |
| Review complaints, petitions, motions, or pleadings that have been filed to determine issues involved or basis for relief. | Directive | 0.6% |
| Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations. | Directive | 0.5% |
| Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court. | Directive | 0.5% |
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Review complaints, petitions, motions, or pleadings that have been filed to determine issues involved or basis for relief. | 98.3% | |
| Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court. | 98.0% | |
| Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations. | 95.9% | |
| Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations. | 85.2% |
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
Help me prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations. From: Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations. · 1.1% of measured AI use · directive
Help me review complaints, petitions, motions, or pleadings that have been filed to determine issues involved or basis for relief. From: Review complaints, petitions, motions, or pleadings that have been filed to determine issues involved or basis for relief. · 0.6% of measured AI use · directive
Help me draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations. From: Draft or proofread judicial opinions, decisions, or citations. · 0.5% of measured AI use · directive
Help me research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court. From: Research laws, court decisions, documents, opinions, briefs, or other information related to cases before the court. · 0.5% of measured AI use · directive
All 19 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
| Law and Government | 4.9 | |
| English Language | 4.5 | |
| Administrative | 3.5 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.9 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.7 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.5 | |
| Active Listening | 4.3 | |
| Critical Thinking | 4.3 | |
| Writing | 4.1 | |
| Speaking | 4.0 | |
| Active Learning | 3.8 | |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.5 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.3 | |
| Written Expression | 4.3 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.1 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.9 | |
| Near Vision | 3.9 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.9 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.9 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.8 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.8 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.5 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.0 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.0 | |
| Far Vision | 2.9 | |
| Originality | 2.8 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.8 | |
| Memorization | 2.6 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.5 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 | |
| Time Management | 3.3 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Persuasion | 2.8 | |
| Negotiation | 2.8 | |
| Instructing | 2.6 | |
| Service Orientation | 2.6 |
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 41.
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
What to study: Legal Professions and Studies . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Doctoral Degree | 51.9% | |
| First Professional Degree | 16.5% | |
| High School Diploma | 7.2% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 2.2% | |
| Master's Degree | 2.0% |
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
| Law | 6.5 | |
| Office Work | 4.4 | |
| Management/Administration | 2.5 | |
| Humanities | 2.3 | |
| Social Science | 2.2 | |
| Politics | 2.1 |
| Dependability | 6.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 5.0 | |
| Integrity | 4.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 3.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 2.4 | |
| Achievement Orientation | 2.1 |
| Conventional | 5.1 | |
| Enterprising | 4.5 | |
| Investigative | 4.0 | |
| Social | 3.4 |
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $42,000 |
| 25th percentile | $49,840 |
| Median (50th) | $60,400 |
| 75th percentile | $78,060 |
| 90th percentile | $113,150 |
| People employed | 13,220 |
Part of the Public Service & Safety career cluster.
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
Options the data surfaces for Judicial Law Clerks — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
How people typically prepare for this work.
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 76th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Judicial Law Clerks show 66th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,000 annual U.S. openings
Judicial Law Clerks show 66th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,000 annual U.S. openings • Judicial Law Clerks rank in the 66th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 1,000 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+2.5%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $60,400, across about 13,220 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 41% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Judicial Law Clerks". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-23-1012-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Singulariki. "Judicial Law Clerks." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-23-1012-00
Singulariki. (2026). Judicial Law Clerks. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-23-1012-00
@misc{singulariki-role-23-1012-00,
title = {Judicial Law Clerks},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-23-1012-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.