Important OSCAR Dates
Access to OSCAR
- Current third-year law students and law school graduates can register for an OSCAR applicant account at any time.
- Students who entered law school in 2021 (graduating class of 2024) gained access to OSCAR to register for an account, upload documents, search for positions, and build applications on January 9, 2023 at 8 am EST.
- Students who entered law school in 2022 (graduating class of 2025) will gain access to OSCAR on January 8, 2024 at 8 am EST.
Application Release
- Finalized clerkship applications from current third-year law students and law school graduates are immediately visible to judges and chambers.
- OSCAR will release applications from students who entered law school in 2021 (graduating class of 2024) on June 12, 2023 at 12 pm EDT.
Note: Students who attend law school part-time or who seek a dual degree may have a later law school graduation date but meet the requirement of having two full years of grades. These students can register for OSCAR as Alternate Graduation Date applicants.
Visit the Hiring Plan page in OSCAR for more information.
Where Should New Applicants Start?
Are you new to OSCAR? Keep reading for information to help you get started.
Complete Your Profile
When you first register for your account, the information you provide becomes part of your OSCAR profile, but this doesn't mean your profile is complete. After you log into OSCAR, you still need to go to the Profile > My Profile page and finish entering your profile information. Remember, judges and staff attorney offices can review your OSCAR profile for information relevant to their hiring process, so make sure it's complete and up to date. We also encourage applicants to voluntarily complete the demographic information in their profile. Demographic data is not provided to hiring judges or staff attorney offices.
Review Employment Resources
Take some time to review the new Employment Resources tab. Here you can find information on the federal courts as well as employment information, such as the duties of federal law clerks; qualifications, salary, and benefits; workplace conduct resources, and a brief video of law clerks and staff attorneys sharing their experiences.
Keep Current
Follow the US Courts LinkedIn and OSCAR LinkedIn pages to get the latest updates on new clerkship and staff attorney positions.
Find Help Resources
We have extensive resources to assist you in your clerkship or staff attorney search, including:
How Do I Apply to Positions in OSCAR?
Applying for clerkship and staff attorney positions through OSCAR is a simple process with four basic steps.
Upload Your Application Documents
Before you apply to a position in OSCAR, you must upload your application materials. This can include a cover letter, resume, writing samples, and unencrypted versions of your transcripts. The Documents tab is your repository for application materials. From there, you can upload PDF or Word versions of your documents, and you can also use OSCAR’s online editor to create cover letters.
Learn more about application documents
Identify Your Recommenders
Most clerkship positions require recommendation letters as part of the application, and OSCAR allows you to request recommendation letters directly from your account. To do this, you need to first identify your recommenders on the Recommendations tab. This creates a pool of recommenders that you can select when you create an online application.
Note: Identifying a recommender in OSCAR does not send a recommendation request. OSCAR only sends recommendation requests when you include the recommender as part of an online clerkship or staff attorney application.
Learn more about recommendation letter requests
Search For Positions
Finding open positions in OSCAR is as easy as visiting the Positions List, which is your centralized source for position information. On the Positions List, you can:
Learn more about the Positions List
Create Your Applications
After completing the first three steps, you’re ready to begin creating online applications. If a position accepts online applications, it will display an Apply Online button. Click this button to begin creating your application. OSCAR walks you through a 4-step process to select the documents to include with your application, choose which recommenders to request recommendation letters from, and review your application as a judge or staff attorney office will see it. OSCAR automatically saves your application as a draft after each step. When you're ready, you can finalize the application, which submits it to the hiring judge or staff attorney office.
Note: If you are subject to the Hiring Plan, OSCAR will hold your finalized clerkship applications until the Hiring Plan release date.
Learn more about creating applications
Resources
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