Salary: $74,678.00 - $138,370.00 Annually
Location : Wilmington (Alton Lennon), NC
Job Type: Term Appointment
Job Number: 27-01
Agency: District Court
Opening Date: 10/06/2026
Closing Date: 11/6/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
Position Overview
Robert B. Jones, Jr., United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina, is accepting applications for a law clerk for the 2027-28 term to serve one year commencing September 2027. The position will be in Wilmington and is responsible for providing legal research and writing assistance, preparing bench memos, drafting orders and opinions on a variety of criminal and civil matters, communicating with counsel regarding case management and procedural requirements, assisting the Judge during courtroom proceedings, attending court-hosted ADR, and performing chambers administrative duties.
Qualifications
To qualify for the position, one must be a law school graduate at the time of appointment and have strong academic credentials and superior legal research and writing skills. Preference will be given to applicants with prior judicial clerkship/externship experience and law review or demonstrated research and writing skills.
Salary will be based upon education, legal qualifications, and experience. To qualify for appointment at the JSP 12 level, an applicant must have one year of legal work experience and hold bar membership. Appointment at the JSP 13 level, will require two years of legal work experience and bar membership.
Conditions of Employment
Applicants must be United States citizens or lawful permanent residents actively seeking citizenship. Final candidates are subject to a background check.
Judicial Branch employees are considered "at will" employees and are not subject to the employment regulations of competitive service. Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) for payroll deposit is required.
Application Procedures:
All interested persons should apply online by visiting or OSCAR, and submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, law school transcript, and three letters of recommendation (one of which should be from non-law school faculty).
*If preferred, letters of recommendation not included in the official application packet may be sent directly to Human Resources at
The court provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. All employees are required to adhere to the "Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees" which is available for review upon request. The court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the job announcement, or to fill the position at any time before the closing date, any of which actions may occur without any prior written or other notice. Due to the volume of applications received, only candidates in consideration for this position will be contacted.
Health Insurance
The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) offers employees more than ten (10) health plan options to choose from that provide comprehensive medical benefits including preventative care, doctor's office visits, hospitalization, surgery, and prescription drugs with no pre-existing condition limitations. FEHB has a few plan types with several health carriers in each plan: Fee-for-Service (FSS- equivalent to a PPO), Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Consumer Driven Plans and High-Deductible Plans. On average, the federal government pays 70% of health plan premiums while employees pay the remaining premium through payroll deductions.
Supplemental Dental & Vision Insurance
Employees are eligible to participate in dental and vision coverage through the Federal Employee Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP). The supplemental dental and vision program provides a selection of dental and/or vision plans for federal employees and their families at a group rate. Employees are responsible for the full group rate premium which is paid through pre-tax payroll deductions.
Life Insurance
Life Insurance can provide peace of mind and financial protection for employees and their loved ones. By way of the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program, employees are offered Basic Life Insurance with options to increase coverage and elect coverage for eligible dependents. The federal government pays approximately 1/3 of the Basic Life premium and employees are responsible for paying the remaining 2/3, which is paid via post-tax payroll deductions.
Long Term Care Insurance
Long-term care insurance (LTC) can protect an employee's financial future by helping to pay the high cost of long-term care. Long-term care insurance programs include coverage for nursing home care (all levels received in a licensed facility), community-based care (assisted living facilities, adult daycare and home health services), hospice center, caregiver support and alternative plans of care.
Flexible Benefits Program
The Flexible Benefits Program allows employees to increase their take home pay by using the Judiciary's pre-tax options for health care, dependent care, and health insurance premiums. The program has three key components: the Healthcare Reimbursement Account, the Dependent Care Reimbursement Account and the Premium Payment Plan.
Wellness Program
The Judiciary recognizes that a positive sense of well-being amongst its employees is a key component of a healthy and productive employee. Wellness activities may include on-site fitness facility, wellness challenges and incentives, annual health fair, stress reduction and health eating programs.
Worker's Compensation
Employees are covered by the provisions of the Federal Employees' Compensation Act, 5 U.S.C. a7 8101 et seq., which allows compensation for injuries sustained while in the performance of duty or to employment-related disease.
Employee Assistance Program
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free, confidential benefit that offers professional counseling and referral services that can help employees and their families successfully deal with life's challenges. The program offers assessments, short-term counseling, referral and follow-up for employees confronted with family and marital problems, financial challenges, legal obstacles, or symptoms of stress and other emotional conditions.
