Term Law Clerk to the Hon. Deborah M. Fine

United-States-District-Court; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 78,000 - 171,000; Full time

Job summary

The United States District Court for the District of Arizona seeks a judicial law clerk for Judge Deborah M. Fine. The role involves substantive review, research and writing, and preparing bench memos and orders on matters pending before the judge.

The position requires top law school standing, editor experience, and either a JD/LLM or an equivalent combination. Strong writing and deadline discipline are essential in an intensive, in-person setting.

Qualifications

• Top third law school class or equivalent.
• Editor on law review or similar editorial board.
• LLM degree or equivalent qualifications.
• Equivalence may include publications, high honors, moot court, or prior clerkship.

Responsibilities

• Perform substantive review, research and writing for bench memos and orders.
• Handle a heavy caseload with deadlines while producing high quality legal documents.
• In-person work environment; remote work is not expected.

Skills

Legal research

Legal writing

Deadline-driven

Law review experience

Education

Law degree (JD)

LL.M. degree

Tools

Westlaw

Job description

Position Type: Full Time, Regular

Salary Range: $78,117 - $171,043

(Depending on qualifications and experience)

Job Grade: JSP 11 - 14

Open Date: October 9, 2026

Closing Date: December 17, 2026

Location: Phoenix, AZ

One Year Term beginning August or September 2027

POSITION OVERVIEW

The judicial law clerk to the Honorable Deborah M. Fine will perform substantive review, research and writing, and is responsible for preparing bench memos and orders on matters pending before the judge. The caseload in the jurisdiction is heavy, and deadlines demanding, requiring excellent writing and research skills as well as the ability to work efficiently and diligently to produce high quality legal documents. This is an in-person work environment; remote work should not be expected.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 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 school.
• Graduation from such a school with an LLM degree; or
• Demonstrated proficiency in legal studies, which, 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
• Publication of a noteworthy article in a law school student publication or other scholarly publication;
• Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif;
• Winning of a moot court competition or membership on a moot court team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools;
• Participation in the legal aid or other law school clinical program sanctioned by the law school;* or
• 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 (i.e., working one’s way through college).*

*In order to receive credit, participation and experience could not have been for academic credit.

This list is not all-inclusive; the determination of an acceptable equivalence rests with the appointing judge.

To qualify for the position of law clerk at salary level JSP 12

a person must be a law school graduate, have one year of legal work experience performed after graduation from law school, be a member of the bar of a state, territorial, or federal court of general jurisdiction and have one or more of the attributes listed in the first paragraph under Minimum Qualifications.

To qualify for the position of law clerk at salary level JSP 13

a person must be a law school graduate, have two years of legal work experience performed after graduation from law school, and be a member of the bar of a state, territorial, or federal court of general jurisdiction and have one or more of the attributes listed in the first paragraph under Minimum Qualifications.

To qualify for the position of law clerk at salary level JSP 14

a person must be a law school graduate, have three years of legal work experience performed after graduation from law school, two of which 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.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Preference will be given to those applicants with bar admission and at least one year post-law school experience. Previous clerkship experience is highly preferred. Experience using Westlaw is preferred. An ability to meet deadlines while demonstrating legal writing of the highest quality is required.

Applicants must submit the following

1. Cover letter setting forth the candidate's interest in clerking for Judge Fine
2. Resume
3. Unofficial or Official Law School Transcripts
4. A writing sample of up to fifteen (15) pages in length
5. Three (3) letters of recommendation
6. Up to two (2) references.

Attachments should be submitted only as Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) documents. Other formats are not acceptable.

Applications will be considered complete when the online application and all required attachments (in proper format) are received by the Judge.

Applications and/or attachments received after the closing date may not be considered.

APPLICANT INFORMATION

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or withdraw the announcement, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice. In the event that a position becomes vacant in a similar classification, within a reasonable time of the original announcement, the Court may elect to select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement without posting the position.

Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. Employees of the U.S. District Court serve under “Excepted Appointments” and are considered “at will” employees (except for probation officers who may be removed for cause). Federal Civil Service classifications or regulations do not apply; however, court employees are entitled to substantially the same benefits as other Federal Government employees.

The initial appointment to this position is provisional pending the successful completion of the required background checks and/or investigations.

The U.S. District Court is a drug‑free workplace and the applicant selected will be required to participate in a drug screening test prior to employment.

All information provided by applicants is subject to verification and background investigation. Applicants are advised that false statements or omission of information on any application materials or the inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non‑selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment or dismissal after being employed.

Participation in the interview process will be at the applicant’s own expense and relocation expenses will not be provided.

All promotions are subject to approval of the Judge and by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

The position is subject to the mandatory electronic fund transfer (EFT) participation for payment of net pay (i.e. Direct Deposit).

Non‑citizens may be interviewed and considered for employment, but employment offers will only be made to individuals who qualify under one of the exceptions in 8 U.S.C. §1324b(a)(3)(B). In most cases, this means that an offer of employment cannot be made unless the candidate is a lawful permanent resident who is seeking U.S. citizenship as explained below. Under 8 U.S.C. §1324b(a)(3)(B), a lawful permanent resident seeking citizenship may not apply for citizenship until he or she has been a permanent resident for at least five years (three years if seeking naturalization as a spouse of a citizen), at which point he or she must apply for citizenship within six months of becoming eligible, and must complete the process within two years of applying (unless there is a delay caused by the processors of the application). Non‑citizens who have not been permanent residents for five years will be required to execute an affidavit that they intend to apply for citizenship when they become eligible to do so.

The U.S. District Court, District of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity Employer.