Salary: JSP 11-14 ($75,431 – $165,162)
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Opening Date: August 28, 2026
Closing Date: September 30, 2026
Start Date: On or after October 5, 2026
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division (DSC), is accepting applications for a career law clerk. A career law clerk to a United States Bankruptcy Judge performs substantive research, writing, and review on matters pending before the Court, and he or she should have knowledge of the Bankruptcy Code, the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, and the practice of law. Applicants must have strong legal research, writing, analytical, and organizational skills. Attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple assignments and deadlines are additional skills that an applicant should possess. There are daily interactions with the judge, members of his judicial staff, and employees of the bankruptcy clerk’s office.
A career law clerk’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Drafting opinions, oral rulings, orders, and other documents;
- Assisting with the preparation of dockets;
- Performing legal research;
- Reviewing schedules, pleadings, and other filings in commercial and consumer bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings;
- Monitoring deadlines, case activity, and the court calendar;
- Attending courtroom proceedings and assisting with case oversight;
- Assisting with the judge’s review and electronic signature of orders;
- Assisting with the Court’s judicial conflict list;
- Assisting with administrative tasks of chambers;
- Drafting continuing legal education materials;
- Working cooperatively with the judge, other members of chambers staff, and employees of the bankruptcy clerk;
- Overseeing the work performed by the term law clerk and intern(s); and
- Performing other duties as assigned by the Court.
For appointment at JSP Grade 11, an applicant must be a law school graduate at the time of appointment (or be certified as having completed all law school studies and requirements and merely awaiting conferment of degree) from a law school of recognized standing, and have one or more of the following attributes:
- 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 law review of such a school;
- Graduation from such a school with an LLM degree; or
- Demonstrated proficiency in legal studies or practice, which in the opinion of the judge, is the equivalent of one of the above.
For appointment at a JSP Grade 12, 13 or 14, an applicant must also be a member of the Bar of a federal, state, or territorial court of general jurisdiction, and must possess the following year(s) of full-time legal work experience after graduation from law school:
- JSP 12 – one year of legal work experience;
- JSP 13 – two years of legal work experience;
- JSP 14 – three years of legal work experience (two of the three required years of legal work experience must have been served in the federal judiciary).
Benefits
Career law clerks are eligible for federal employment benefits, including paid federal holidays, paid leave, health insurance, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, flexible spending benefits, and retirement benefits.
Applicant Information
Interviews will be held remotely via Microsoft TEAMS or locally in Birmingham, Alabama, after the closing date of this Vacancy Announcement. Neither travel expenses nor relocation expenses will be reimbursed. Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position, and only the best-qualified applicants will be selected for interview. As conditions of employment, the applicant selected will be subject to a background check and a subsequent favorable suitability determination. An applicant may be hired provisionally pending successful completion of the necessary background check. A career law clerk is an “at will” employee serving at the discretion and instruction of the judge. Accordingly, a career law clerk’s employment may be terminated “at will” by either the judge or the employee. Law clerks are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees as well as human resource policies of the Judiciary. The Code of Conduct is available at https://www.uscourts.gov/rules-policies/judiciary-policies/code-conduct/codeconduct-judicial-employees. This position is subject to mandatory electronic funds transfer participation for payment of net pay. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this Announcement or to withdraw this Announcement without any prior written notice or other notice.
Application Procedure
To be considered, qualified applicants must submit, and the Court must receive, the following information on or before September 30, 2026:
- A cover letter;
- A current resume;
- One writing sample (10 pages or less);
- Contact information for up to three professional references;
Applicants may email your information to bhamlcresumes@alnb.uscourts.gov; or alternatively, this Announcement will be posted at https://oscar.uscourts.gov/, the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR). Applicants may instead submit your information through the OSCAR website on or before September 30, 2026.
Please reference Vacancy Announcement 2026-05 on your email and cover letter. If selected for this position, additional documents such as Form AO-78 and a copy of your school transcripts will likely be required.
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division, is an Equal Opportunity Employer.