law clerk

American

noun

an attorney, usually a recent law school graduate, working as an assistant to a judge or being trained by another attorney.

Etymology

Origin of law clerk

First recorded in 1760–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While Conor has been in prison, he's volunteered as a law clerk, facilitated classes about accountability and restorative justice, and spoken in a video about teen dating violence.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

Among its staff is Erin Hawley, a former law clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts and the wife of Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

She's a law professor at the University of Michigan and once worked as a law clerk for former Justice Anthony Kennedy.

From Salon • May 16, 2025

Ruth, a Massachusetts native, was a former law clerk for the state Supreme Court and a real estate attorney.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2024

She became a law clerk, a teacher, and the superintendent of schools in Mason City, Iowa, before devoting her career to suffrage.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023