Law Clerk Program

Overview

Every year, judges of the Supreme Court of Canada select up to 3 law clerks to assist them in researching points of law, preparing memoranda of law and other tasks related to their work at the Court. They seek recent graduates with strong academic standing and excellent research and writing skills in either or both official languages. If you are passionate about law, like to take initiative, and can occasionally work long hours under tight deadlines, this clerkship may be for you.

The Court hires up to 27 law clerks each year to support its 9 judges. Through this process, a pool of qualified candidates may also be established to staff similar positions.

General information

• Work location : Supreme Court of Canada, 344 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario
• Salary : $85,440 annually; where applicable, a lump sum payment of relocation expenses may be provided
• Duration of employment : 1-year term appointment beginning at the end of July or mid-August, with the possibility to be extended for an additional year
• Application deadline : January 8, 2026 at 11 : 59 PM Pacific Time

Qualifications

Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor from a recognized Canadian university or its equivalent. Completion of the degree is not required at the time of application; however, it must be completed prior to starting at the Court.

Note : Not all law societies recognize experience as a law clerk as fulfilling all or part of their articling requirements. Applicants are responsible for checking articling requirements with the law society of the jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission to the practice of law. Law clerks must devote their full time and attention to their duties and are not permitted to take any time off to attend bar admission courses or examinations during their period of employment.

Who can apply?

You must be a Canadian citizen or have permanent resident status in Canada or a work permit for Canada to apply and indicate in your application the basis on which you are entitled to work in Canada .

Preference will be given to persons residing in Canada, and Canadian citizens and permanent residents abroad. Applications by persons who are not permanent residents or Canadian citizens are accepted; however, if there are sufficient qualified applicants who are permanent residents or Canadian citizens, the selection will be confined to those applicants.

Selection criteria

Proficiency in 1 official language is required. In addition to unilingual positions, bilingual positions requiring proficiency in both official languages are being staffed. The level of proficiency in reading, writing, and oral expression in both official languages must be indicated .

Applicants will be selected for further assessment based on a combination of criteria including :

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. The Supreme Court of Canada is committed to achieving equitable representation of all employment equity designated groups throughout the organization and encourages you to indicate on your application if you belong to any of the groups designated under the Employment Equity Act , S.C.1995, c.44, including women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities.

Additional requirements

Appointment is conditional on a willingness by the applicant to undergo and successfully obtain a security clearance at a Secret level. The Court is responsible for having the security clearance carried out.

Appointment is conditional on a willingness by the applicant to sign and abide by a Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Declaration.

In accordance with the Public Service Employment Act , S.C.2003, Part4, s.54, appointment to the public service is conditional upon the swearing of an oath or the making of a solemn affirmation by the applicant. The text of the Oath or Affirmation can be found in the legislation.

The Supreme Court of Canada is committed to having inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If you are contacted about a job opportunity or interview, you should advise the Court in a timely manner of any accommodation measures you require in order to participate fairly and equitably. Please send all accommodation requests to the Law Clerk Program by email : lcp-paj@scc-csc.ca as soon as possible. Information received about accommodation measures will be treated confidentially.

How to apply

Clerkship applications, including transcripts and letters of reference, must be submitted online and received no later than January 8, 2026, at 11 : 59 PM Pacific Time .

The following documents must be submitted :

A cover letter addressing all requirements stated in this job advertisement

Copies of transcripts for all post-secondary studies, including any post-graduate courses ( include law school unofficial transcript ).

Official law school transcript

Official law school transcript must be sent directly by the university, either by email to lcp-paj@scc-csc.ca or by mail to the following address :

Law Clerk Program

Supreme Court of Canada

301 Wellington Street

Ottawa, ON K1A0J1

Note : Secure digital transcripts issued directly by Electronic Transcript Services (secure online platforms that enable law schools to issue official academic documents) are accepted and should be submitted by email to lcp-paj@scc-csc.ca.

2 writing samples

4 letters of reference

Naming convention

The naming convention outlined in the table below must be used when submitting the completed application form, cover letter, curriculum vitae, copies of transcripts (other than the official law school transcript), writing samples, and letters of reference.

Documents naming convention

Naming conventions

For example, if Alex Smith applies, the documents are named as follows :

Application form LastName, FirstName - Form Smith,Alex - Form

Cover letter LastName, FirstName - Letter Smith,Alex - Letter

Curriculum vitae LastName, FirstName - CV Smith,Alex - CV

Copies of transcripts LastName, FirstName - Transcript 2 (non-official law school transcript if submitted)

Transcript 3, Transcript 4, etc., if there is more than one transcript.

Do not use Transcript 1, as it is reserved for the official law school transcript. Smith, Alex - Transcript 2 (non-official)

Smith, Alex - Transcript 3

Smith, Alex - Transcript 4

Writing samples LastName, FirstName - Writing Sample 1

LastName, FirstName - Writing Sample 2 Smith,Alex - Writing Sample 1

Smith,Alex - Writing Sample 2

Signed letters of reference LastName, FirstName - Reference - Referee’s last name Smith, Alex - Reference - Johnston

Please ensure that the short hyphen (-) is used in the naming convention, rather than the longer dash (–) that may be automatically inserted by AI tools or certain software programs.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their application is complete and that all materials, including the 4 letters of reference , have been received by January 8, 2026. Incomplete applications will not be considered .

We thank all applicants for their interest in the Program. Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted by the judges of the Court via MS Teams during the week of February 23, 2026 , and all hiring will be finalized by March 13, 2026 .

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