Law Clerks

Judicial Law Clerks play a key role in supporting judges of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court by conducting a variety of legal research writing editing and other support tasks to assist judges in the performance of their judicial roles. Their work helps ensure rulings are well-informed and legally sound contributing to the fair and effective administration of justice across British Columbia. This 12-month term position offers a unique opportunity to work closely with the judiciary develop strong legal writing and analytical skills and gain firsthand insight into the judicial process. A judicial clerkship is recognized by the Law Society of BC as an alternate pathway to licensing and the Judicial Law Clerk program is part of delivering qualified lawyers to BC practice.
The 23 Judicial Law Clerks assigned to the Supreme Court work in Vancouver New Westminster Victoria and Kamloops or Kelowna. The 12 law clerks assigned to the Court of Appeal all work from Vancouver. Law clerks in both courts take part in orientation training and work closely with assigned judges legal counsel and judicial staff in an environment that encourages learning and professional growth. The judicial law clerk program was established in 1973 and offers law clerks a variety of professional development opportunities each year. Judicial law clerks perform a variety of legal research writing editing and other support tasks to assist judges in the performance of their judicial roles. Each judicial law clerk is primarily responsible to assist their principal judge and other judges in the Court they are hired to work for. The judicial law clerk position is a term position. For a full description of accountabilities and qualifications review the attached Judicial Law Clerk Job public service portal questionnaire is the first of three parts of your application. To complete the second and third parts of your application please review the specific requirements and information available on the Judicial Law Clerk Programinformation pages.
The Courts encourage those who self-identify as Indigenous Black or a person of colour people who identify as LGBTQ2S and/or people with disabilities to apply and to self-identify in their cover letters.

Applicants must not be eligible to practice law or enrolled in a program of articles in any jurisdiction at the time of application to the clerkship program.
A degree in law or completion of all requirements for a degree in law from a recognized Canadian university (or for law students trained outside of Canada a degree equivalent to a Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws with sufficient training in Canadian common law such as may be obtained through an exchange program or successful completion of the National Committee on Accreditation exams)to be granted prior to the commencement of the clerkship term (September 7 2027).
A combination of education and experience may be considered for International applicants. For example those called to the bar in jurisdictions outside Canada may be considered if in the earliest stages of their careers.
Significant legal research and writing experience superior legal research and writing skills and a strong academic record.
Experience in conducting legal research including using online legal research sources and tools.
Experience in editing and proofreading.
Experience in using the current suite of MS Office.
Experience in reading writing or speaking the French language. (Substantial research and writing experience in an employment setting or as obtained in the completion of a thesis-based Masters or PhD program.

This is a temporary opportunity until September 01 2028
This position has full time on-site requirements.
Employees of the BC Public Service must be located in BC at the time of employment.
Working for the BC Public Service:
The BC Public Service is committed to creating a diverse workplaceto represent the population we serve and to better meet the needs of our citizens. We are committed to ensuring that reasonable accommodations are available throughout the hiring process including the assessment and selection stages. The Indigenous Applicant Advisory Serviceis available to Indigenous (First Nations status or non-status Inuit or Métis) applicants originating from the land now known as Canada seeking work or already employed in the BC Public Service. Indigenous applicants can contact this service for personalized guidance on the BC Public Service hiring process including job applications and interviews.
Highlight the required qualifications and support them with specific examples such as your responsibilities projects youve worked on or accomplishments. Your cover letter should be addressed to the Judicial Law Clerk Program Assistant 800 Smithe Street Vancouver B.V6Z 2E1 and should be submitted in a single email together with your resume and transcripts following the application process on our website. Specific instructions are available on our website under the Judicial Law Clerk Program
Resume: YES- Your resume should provide detailed information about your education and employment history as it relates to the required job qualifications and should be submitted in a single email along with your cover letter and transcripts following the application process on our website. Specific instructions are available on our website under the Judicial Law Clerk Program TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED: YES- You must provide PDF copies of the official transcripts (including an administrative or unofficial copy of your most recent semester if an official transcript is not available) of your law school undergraduate and postgraduate marks. Transcripts should be scanned into a single PDF and submitted in a single email along with your resume and cover letter following the application process on our website. Specific instructions are available on our website under the Judicial Law Clerk ProgramIf transcripts are not available by the closing date please send them as soon as possible.
YES- You must provide two reference letters from referees who can attest to your academic performance and/or suitability for a clerkship position. At least one of the referees must be a law school professor.
Specific instructions on how to submit letters of reference are availableon our website. YES- The BC Public Service questionnaire will be used for screening required qualifications (education experience etc.)
The online questionnaire is very short and will not take long to complete however it cannot be saved and will time out after 60 minutes. Applications will be accepted until 11:00 am Pacific Time on the closing date of the competition January 19 2026. If you are experiencing technical difficulty applying visit the Technical Assistancepage of MyHR. Only applications submitted in accordance with the application process outlined here and on the Judicial Law Clerk Program website will be accepted. Transcripts and references are an important part of your application package and must be submitted by email by 11:00 am PST January 19 2026as per instructions on our website
If you are experiencing technical issues with the BC Public Service website please email . Only applications submitted in accordance with the application process outlined on the Judicial Law Clerk Program website will be accepted. Transcripts and references are an important part of your application package and must be submitted by email by 11:00 am PST January 19 2026 as per instructions on our website.