The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is now accepting applications for a full-time, career law clerk position for United States District Judge Karin J. Immergut. This is a career position located in Portland, Oregon. The career law clerk’s duties include reviewing briefs and other case filings, performing legal research, writing bench memoranda, and drafting orders and opinions in a wide variety of civil and criminal cases. Administrative duties include service as principal administrative manager for chambers, as well as training and assisting the term law clerks and externs. This position is available starting June 2024.

Representative Duties

Responsibilities of this position may include but are not limited to the following:

• Reviews legal submissions and performs legal research.
• Prepares bench memoranda and drafts orders and opinions addressing a wide assortment of issues arising in civil and criminal litigation.
• Performs case management through the Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF) system.
• Performs administrative office functions such as editing, proofreading, telephone communications, written correspondence, and general chambers management.
• Trains and assists the annual term law clerks, as required.
• Works cooperatively with other members of the Judge’s staff to effectively support the Judge in fulfilling her judicial responsibilities.
• Performs other miscellaneous administrative duties as assigned by the Judge and as necessary for the efficient operations of chambers.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

To qualify for the position of law clerk on the personal staff of a federal judge, a person must be a law school graduate (or be certified as having completed all law school studies and requirements and merely awaiting conferment of degree) from a law school of recognized standing, and have demonstrated one or more of the following proficiencies:

• Standing within the upper third of the law school class from a law school on the approved list of either the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law Schools;
• Experience on the editorial board of a law review of such a school;
• Graduation from such a school with an LLM degree; or
• Proficiency in legal studies that, in the opinion of the Judge, is the equivalent of one of the above. Some examples of criteria which are considered to be acceptable as equivalent include:
  1. Publication of a noteworthy article in a law school student publication or other scholarly publication;
  2. Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif;
  3. Winning of a moot court competition or membership on a moot court team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools;
  4. Participation in the legal aid or other law school clinical program sanctioned by the law school; or
  5. Summer experience as a law clerk to a state or local judge or law clerk experience on a continuing basis in a private firm while attending school.

Note that appointment to JSP-12 or above requires that the candidate be a member of the bar of a state, territory, or federal court of general jurisdiction.

JSP GRADE LEVEL	YEARS OF LEGAL WORK EXPERIENCE	BAR MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED
11	0	No
12	1	Yes
13	2	Yes
14	3*	Yes

 *For JSP-14, two of the three required years of legal work experience must have been served in the federal judiciary. Qualifying legal work experience is experience in a court unit or federal public defender organization within the federal judiciary for which a Juris Doctor and membership of the bar of a state, territory, or federal court of general jurisdiction is a minimum qualification requirement, or as a Supreme Court Fellow.

Legal work experience is progressively responsible experience in the practice of law, in legal research, legal administration, or equivalent experience received after graduation from law school. Major or substantial legal activities while on military duty may be credited on a month-for-month basis whether before or after graduation, but not to exceed one year if before graduation from law school.

Desired Qualifications

Exemplary academic credentials, as well as superior research and writing skills. Proficiency with Westlaw and/or Lexis. Prior post-graduate civil litigation work experience and/or experience as a federal law clerk are highly preferred. Candidates should have exceptional writing skills and a strong interest in civil and criminal litigation. Because the case load is high and the subject matter is complex, Judge Immergut seeks candidates who are hard-working, organized, efficient, and pursue resources and information with minimal supervision.

Candidates must also demonstrate:

• A consistent past employment record;
• Experience in dealing with routine and complex assignments;
• Excellent typing and proofreading skills;
• A demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret written communications;
• Ability to prioritize tasks and work assignments;
• Superior oral and written communication skills; and
• Strong interpersonal skills.

Salary Range

This position is classified at JSP 11-14 ($74,137 - $124,865 per annum) depending upon the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

Pay is only part of the total compensation package you will receive while working for the federal Judiciary. We offer employees a diverse group of benefit programs and family friendly flexibilities to meet the needs of you and your family. Please check out our comprehensive Employee Benefits that includes extensive health insurance plans to choose from, a defined contribution retirement savings plan with up to 5% matching, Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) pension, generous paid time off, and much more.

Application Process

To apply, submit the following:

1. Resume;
2. Cover Letter;
3. Writing Sample and declaration the writing sample is substantially your own work with limited, if any, editing by third parties;
4. Law Transcript; and
5. Three professional references and three recommendation letters.

Candidates should avoid submitting generic cover letters and instead explain why they are interested in this particular clerkship.

Send electronically to in PDF form or mail to the address below. Electronic submissions should be combined in one PDF document. This position is open until filled, with a preference given to application packets received by May 17, 2023. Incomplete packets will not be considered. Verification of education, and reference checks will be made prior to any offer of employment.

Career Law Clerk
Judge Immergut’s Chambers
United States District Court, District of Oregon
1000 SW Third Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97204

The Court provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please notify the Human Resources Division of the Clerk's Office at 503-326-8165. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

The appointing officer reserves the right to modify the conditions of posted job announcements or to withdraw an announcement entirely, either of which may occur without prior written or other notice.

Conditions of Employment

• Applicants must be United States citizens or lawful permanent residents currently seeking citizenship or intending to become a citizen after meeting the eligibility requirement as outlined in 8 U.S.C § 1324b(a)(3)(B).
• False statements or omissions of information on any application materials or the inability to meet conditions of employment may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
• All information is subject to verification and background investigation.
• An FBI background check is required for all individuals appointed to positions in the U.S. Courts.  New employees are considered "provisional hires" pending the successful completion of the FBI background check. 
• Employees of the United States Courts serve under “Excepted Appointments” and are considered “at will” employees.  As such, employment can be terminated at any time.  Furthermore, Federal Civil Service classifications do not apply.
• Duty station assignments are at the sole discretion of the appointing officer.
• Employees are subject to mandatory participation in electronic funds transfer (EFT) for payment of net pay (i.e., Direct Deposit). (Limited exceptions are available upon request.) 
• The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of posted job announcements or to withdraw an announcement entirely, either of which may occur without prior written or other notice.
• In the event a position becomes vacant in a similar classification within a reasonable time from the original announcement, the appointing officer may select an appointee from the candidates who responded to the initial announcement without posting the vacancy.

For Further Information

• Learn more about the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.
• Employee Benefits