The Value of a Judicial Clerkship

By: Caroline Divver*

You may have heard that a post-graduate judicial clerkship is a valuable experience. After interning in two judges’ chambers, I decided to serve as a two-year judicial clerk. Here are four reasons why.

Public Service

I attended law school because I wanted to use my particular skill set in a way that improves the lives of others. As a judicial law clerk, I can do this. First and foremost, judges and clerks are public servants. Working in the judiciary gives clerks a unique opportunity to serve others by ensuring their substantive and procedural rights are meaningfully protected. In diligently handling cases and ensuring that every party is given fair treatment under the law, judges and clerks positively impact people’s lives. Once I realized this was the every-day job of judges and law clerks, I knew I wanted to serve as a judicial clerk.  

Education and Mentorship

Clerks have a unique opportunity to learn first-hand from their judge. As a young attorney, it’s a highly formative experience to learn about the law from those who dutifully adjudicate under it. Personally, I have found that judges teach their clerks more than just black letter law. I’ve been extremely fortunate to intern for judges who became my mentors and advocates.

Clerks also learn from attorneys who appear in court. Clerks have the opportunity to observe and engage with litigants, which teaches clerks what to do and what not to do when practicing law. Learning about the law through active observation fosters young attorneys’ professional development and sets clerks apart from other recent law school graduates.

Skill Development

Judicial clerkships also offer the opportunity to improve legal reasoning, research, and writing skills. Specifically, clerks help judges to research, draft, and edit orders and judicial opinions. Accordingly, clerks must ensure their work product meets the judge’s high standards. Further, clerks constantly review the work product of other attorneys, learning to emulate helpful strategies and avoid common mistakes.

Courtroom Experience

Students interested in litigation ought to specially consider serving as a judicial law clerk. Oftentimes, young associates do not experience courtroom litigation firsthand. A clerkship is one way for young attorneys to familiarize themselves with courtroom litigation. Interested individuals may want to consider the type of litigation they wish to pursue when applying for clerkships. For instance, aspiring trial attorneys may prefer trial-level clerkships, while those interested in appellate litigation may prefer appellate-level clerkships. However, clerking in any court will bolster an attorney’s litigation skills.

If any of these points resonate with you or your professional goals, I recommend exploring the possibility of serving as a judicial clerk. While still in law school, the judicial externship program is an excellent way for UT Law students to discern interest in a post-graduate clerkship.

* Caroline Divver, J.D. Candidate, University of Tennessee College of Law, Class of 2025. Caroline will clerk for the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer, U.S. District Court Judge of the Eastern District of Tennessee, during the August 2025-August 2027 term.