2025 Clerkship Hiring Season Underway!
OSCAR Access and Application Release for Class of 2026
The graduating class of 2026 gained access to OSCAR on January 21, 2025, allowing them to register for an account, upload documents, search for positions, and build applications. Keep in mind that OSCAR will release this cohort’s online clerkship applications on June 9, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. EDT.
A reminder that finalized applications for current third-year law students and law school graduates are immediately visible in OSCAR to judges and chambers. For more information, visit the Federal Law Clerk Hiring Plan page in OSCAR.
How Do I Prepare?
The OSCAR Program Office recommends that judges who want to receive clerkship applications take the following steps:
Need Assistance Posting Positions in OSCAR?
Leverage Your Support Staff
If you are particularly busy this hiring season, remember that many courts have human resources (HR) administrator account holders (formerly court unit administrator) who can help by posting new clerkship positions in OSCAR on your behalf. You can also create accounts for your judicial assistants and law clerks so that they can assist in the clerkship hiring process.
Seek Training
If you or your staff needs training to post positions in OSCAR, please reach out to the OSCAR Program Office at 866-666-2120. Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can also send an email to oscar-support@ao.uscourts.gov or submit a training request via our online form.
Review Our Resources
The OSCAR Program Office maintains extensive help and training resources for our users. Go to the Resources page in your OSCAR account to find video tutorials, quick references guides, and more.
Spring Cleaning - Check for Expired Positions
When positions expire in OSCAR, it creates uncertainty throughout the law clerk hiring process. Law schools and applicants can't tell if judges or staff attorney offices have completed hiring or if positions are still available. This can lead to unnecessary applications and confusion about hiring status. Also, expired positions leave stale data in the system that doesn't accurately reflect current hiring needs. For more on how to spring clean your profile and help keep your law clerkship hiring efficient, read our blog with step-by-step instructions.
OSCAR Software Updates
Version 5.5 - Coming April 2025
Our next series of OSCAR software upgrades is set for release on April 28, 2025. Please account for an hour of down time in OSCAR on release day. Among the changes included in the release are:
- Ability to sort the applications by last updated date
- Restrictions on the number of letters of recommendation an applicant can request
- Minor changes to the clerkship and staff attorney position posting forms
- Rebranding the Court Unit Administrator (CUA) interface as HR Administrator
More detail on these changes will be provided as the release date nears.
User Feedback
We Want to Hear From Our OSCAR Users!
Do you like using OSCAR? Is it easy to learn and navigate? Are there changes or new features you're interested in? Your feedback is crucial to our mission – that is, to create the most efficient, effective, and user-friendly online recruitment system.
And if you have any stories to share about how OSCAR made the process better – or worse – for you, please share them with us so we can include your experiences in our next newsletter. Email your feedback and experience to the OSCAR Program Office at oscar-support@ao.uscourts.gov. Or click the Feedback! button below.
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Resources
Training
Are you a law school administrator who is new to OSCAR or in need of a refresher on using the system? The OSCAR Program Office offers one-on-one or group training sessions to help users become familiar with the system. If you would like to set up a training session, click the Request a training session option on your homepage and fill out the request form in the OSCAR Training Portal. Our trainer will respond quickly and work with you to schedule a session.
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