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Associate Director of Judicial Clerkships and Advising

University of Chicago · Chicago, IL · $85,000–$93,000 a year · Full time

Posted Sep 10, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Walk me through how you'd advise a student deciding whether to apply for a clerkship at all.

What they are checking: Advising that starts from the student rather than the program

How do you build and maintain relationships with judges and their chambers?

What they are checking: Whether they know how to build lasting trust with judges and chambers, since those relationships often decide which students get hired.

How do you deliver honest feedback to a student whose application materials aren't good enough?

What they are checking: Whether they can tell a student hard truths kindly and specifically, because vague encouragement leaves weak applications unchanged.

What would you do

A strong student isn't getting interviews. How do you help?

What they are checking: Whether they can diagnose why a strong candidate is stalled, looking at materials and strategy, instead of offering empty reassurance.

How do you counsel an alum considering a clerkship years after graduating?

What they are checking: Whether they understand an alum's situation differs from a student's, with a current job, timing and finances to weigh carefully.

The posting names strategic planning and program development alongside individual advising. How do you protect time for the program work when students keep needing you?

What they are checking: Whether they can guard time for program building against constant advising demand, since the long-term work otherwise never gets done.

Students share personal information in career advising. How do you handle that?

What they are checking: Whether they keep personal details private and know when to refer, since students only open up to advisors they can trust.

The posting lists minimum and preferred qualifications. Where do you sit against them, and what would you want to know about the program's current outcomes before you took this?

What they are checking: The stated qualification pair plus whether they diligence the program

About the work

This role supports the Law School's judicial clerkship and internship programs. What do you know about how clerkship hiring actually works?

What they are checking: Specific knowledge of a hiring market with its own rules and timing

The role includes tracking and analyzing data and supporting reporting. What would you measure about a clerkship program?

What they are checking: Whether they would track more than placements, such as application patterns and judge relationships, to actually improve the program over time.

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The full job description

As published by University of Chicago.

Department Law Judicial Clerkship About the Department The University of Chicago Law School occupies a unique niche among this country's premier law schools. Located on a residential campus in one of America's great cities, UChicago Law offers a rigorous and interdisciplinary professional education that blends the study of law with the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Students, faculty, and staff form a small, tightly knit community devoted to the life of the mind. Job Summary The University of Chicago Law School seeks an Associate Director of Judicial Clerkships and Advising to join its team of professionals, providing a comprehensive range of career services to students and alumni of the University of Chicago Law School, with emphasis on advising and judicial clerkships. This position reports to the Director of Judicial Clerkships. Responsibilities • Supports the Director in managing the Law School’s judicial clerkship and internship programs, including strategic planning, program development, and collaboration with judges, faculty, staff, alumni, students, and others. • Plans and delivers a wide range of career counseling, individual coaching and advising, outreach, programming, and support for students and alumni applying for judicial clerkships and judicial internships of all types. • Tracks and analyzes data and supports reporting on judicial clerkship applications, interviews, hiring, and experiences. • Partners with the Director to prepare agendas, materials, and reports for the Faculty Clerkship Committee and for other requests for data that arise. • Creates and updates judicial resources and communications across platforms, including the Job Search Guide, clerkship web pages of the Law School website, and Symplicity. • Develops alumni and other job contacts for students and conducts environmental scanning to identify market trends and job possibilities for students and alumni. • Pursues involvement and education through NALP, including membership in the Judicial Clerkship Section, and represents the Office of Career Services to internal and external audiences. • Contributes to the work and goals of the Office of Career Services generally, including providing career counseling and advising, coaching, and programming services for JD and LLM students. • Maintains records to assist the Career Services team in providing comprehensive services to students and alumni and in fulfilling internal and external reporting obligations. • Conducts job search and career management related large lectures, hands-on workshops, special events, training programs, and one-on-one career coaching sessions. Acts as a resource for and directs students to other career resources as needed. • Analyzes markets and trends as they relate to job searches. Assesses student feedback and evaluations and collaborates with other career services staff members, student organizations, or other staff to determine program offerings and innovations. • Performs other related work as needed. Minimum Qualifications Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline. Certifications: --- Preferred Qualifications Education: • A post baccalaureate degree is strongly preferred, with a preference for a Juris Doctor or master’s degree. Experience: • Minimum experience of two years providing career or recruitment services to law students, lawyers, and others in the legal profession is strongly preferred. • Experience as a federal judicial law clerk strongly preferred. Preferred Competencies • Excellent coaching, organizational, interpersonal, and verbal/written communication skills, including strong public speaking and presentation skills. • Ability to respect the confidentiality of counseling and institutional information. • Ability to interact comfortably and positively with all constituents. • Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines efficiently and with a positive outlook even when under stress. • Ability to work collaboratively within a team and a team approach to interpersonal interactions and problem solving. • Ability to work independently and to exercise considerable judgment and discretion. • Strong attention to detail, including close reading and editing. • Ability to learn and adapt to computer software and applications required. Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint preferred. Familiarity with OSCAR strongly preferred. Working Conditions • This position is available for partially remote work based on business needs of the Law School. • Ability to work occasional evening, weekend, and early morning hours required. • Ability to travel occasionally required. Application Documents • Resume/CV (required) • Cover Letter (required) The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions. When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application. Job Family Student Affairs & Services Role Impact Individual Contributor Scheduled Weekly Hours 37.5 Drug Test Required No Health Screen Required No Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required No Pay Rate Type Salary ​ FLSA Status Exempt ​ Pay Range $85,000.00 - $93,000.00 The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting. Benefits Eligible Yes The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook . Posting Statement The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination. Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form. All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position. The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

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