Job Announcement - Term Law Clerk Thursday, March 10, 2022

UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT

 DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA

POSITION OVERVIEW: 

This position will be a Term Law Clerk for the Honorable Shon Hastings, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of North Dakota.  The incumbent will serve as one of two law clerks supporting the work of the Judge and the Court.  The position is for a two-year term beginning August 2023.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES:

Duties include performing extensive legal research and preparing legal documents such as draft orders, memoranda and opinions; assisting with case management responsibilities including preparation for pretrial conferences, status conferences and general docket management tasks; attending court hearings and trials; and performing miscellaneous administrative duties and other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The successful candidate must be a law school graduate (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 writing for a law review of such a school;
• Graduation from such a school with an LLM degree; or
• Demonstrated proficiency in legal studies, which in the opinion of the judge, is the equivalent of one of the above.

Some examples of criteria which are considered to be acceptable as equivalent include:

• Publication of a noteworthy article in a law school student publication or other scholarly publication;
• Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif;
• Winning a moot court or trial advocacy team competition or membership on a moot court or trial advocacy team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools;
• Participation in the legal aid or other law school clinical program sanctioned by the law school;* or
• Summer experience as a law clerk to a state or local judge or law clerk experience on a continuing basis in a private firm while attending school (i.e., working one's way through college).*

* In order to receive credit, participation and experience could not have been for academic credit.

This list is not all-inclusive; the determination of an acceptable equivalence rests with the appointing judge.

BENEFITS:

The position falls within the Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government and includes most federal benefits.  Term Law Clerks are not eligible to participate in the Federal Employee Retirement System or the Thrift Savings Plan.

Employees are not classified under Civil Service, but are entitled to similar benefits as other Federal employees. These benefits include:

• 11 Paid Holidays
• Subsidized medical coverage with pre-tax employee premiums
• Group life insurance and long-term care options
• Flexible Benefits Program (pre-tax flexible spending for health care, dependents)
• Optional Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI)

HOW TO APPLY:

Persons interested in this position should send applications and a writing sample to: U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Attn:

MaryBeth Hegstad, Quentin N. Burdick United States Courthouse,   655 1^st Ave. No., Suite 350, Fargo, ND 58102 or email to marybeth_hegstad@ndb.uscourts.gov. For further information contact MaryBeth Hegstad at (701) 297-7143 or marybeth_hegstad@ndb.uscourts.gov. 

DISCLOSURES:

• Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. Relocation expenses will not be reimbursed. Applicants selected for interviews must travel at their own expense.
• The successful candidate for this position is subject to a full National Crime Information Center (NCIC) background records check, and a mandatory electronic direct deposit of salary payment. All court employees are at-will employees, and therefore the appointee may be removed from this position at any time.
• Travel may be required.
• The court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement or to withdraw the job announcement without any prior written or other notice.
• The United States Bankruptcy Court is an at-will employer. Employees must adhere to a Code of Ethics and Conduct which is available to applicants for review upon request.
• The United States Bankruptcy Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer.