Law Clerk (Term) to the Honorable James A. Soto

The One-Year Term Clerkship is expected to begin on approximately January 21, 2025 (with the possibility to extend the term clerkship an additional 6 to 12 months at the discretion of the Judge).
Position Type: Full Time Regular
Salary Range: $73,858 - $105,268
*Salary to be updated for 2025 pay scale once released.
(Depending on qualifications and experience)
Job Grade: JSP 11 - 13
Open Date: 11/15/2024
Closing Date: 12/06/2024
Location: Tucson, AZ

HOW TO APPLY

To be considered for this position, simply EMAIL your Resume to Judge Soto’s Career
Law Clerk:  Kevin Rudh, Kevin_Rudh@azd.uscourts.gov. 

(In the subject line of the email, please state: Application for Judge Soto’s January 2025 Term Clerkship Position)
(Judge Soto only requests a resume; a Cover Letter and Letters of Recommendation are
not requested or required to apply for the Term Clerkship.)

Submissions received after the closing date may not be considered. If called in for an
interview, applicants will be asked to provide an unofficial transcript.

Interviews will be conducted in mid-December and a hiring decision will be made no later
than the end of December.

POSITION OVERVIEW
A Federal Judicial Law Clerk in United States District Judge Soto’s Chambers substantively analyzes evidence and law and drafts binding legal opinions on a plethora of legal matters pending before the Court related to federal civil and criminal law; common areas of dispute often include issues related to civil rights, excessive force, immigration, drugs, environmental law, searches and seizures, and constitutional law. There are numerous hearings and trials, and there is daily interaction with the Judge, the other law clerk, and the rest of the Chambers to resolve matters before the Court; law clerks will gain a large and varied amount of valuable experience over the course of the Federal Clerkship.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
To qualify for the position of law clerk at salary level JSP 11, a person must be a law school graduate 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 a law review of such 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:

o Publication of a noteworthy article in a law school student publication or other scholarly publication;
o Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif;
o Winning of a moot court competition or membership on a moot court team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools;
o Participation in the legal aid or other law school clinical program sanctioned by the law school*; or
o 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.

To qualify for the position of law clerk at salary level JSP 12, a person must be a law school graduate, have one year of legal work experience performed after graduation from law school, be a member of the bar of a state, territorial, or federal court of general jurisdiction and have one or more of the attributes listed in the first paragraph under Minimum Qualifications.

To qualify for the position of law clerk at salary level JSP 13, a person must be a law school graduate, have two years of legal work experience performed after graduation from law school, and be a member of the bar of a state, territorial, or federal court of general jurisdiction and have one or more of the attributes listed in the first paragraph under Minimum Qualifications.

APPLICANT INFORMATION
All promotions are subject to approval of the Judge and by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice. In the event that a position becomes vacant in a similar classification, within a reasonable time of the original announcement, the court may elect to select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement without posting the position.

Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. Employees of the U.S. District Court serve under “Excepted Appointments” and are considered “at will” employees (except for probation officers who may be removed for cause). Federal Civil Service classifications or regulations do not apply; however, court employees are entitled to substantially the same benefits as other Federal Government employees.

The initial appointment to this position is provisional pending the successful completion of the required background checks and/or investigations. The U.S. District Court is a drug-free workplace and the applicant selected will be required to participate in a drug screening test prior to employment.

All information provided by applicants is subject to verification and background investigation. Applicants are advised that false statements or omission of information on any application materials or the inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment or dismissal after being employed.
Participation in the interview process will be at the applicants own expense and relocation expenses will not be provided.

The position is subject to the mandatory electronic fund transfer (EFT) participation for payment of net pay (i.e. Direct Deposit).

Non-citizens may be interviewed and considered for employment, but employment offers will only be made to individuals who qualify under one of the exceptions in 8 U.S.C. §1324b(a)(3)(B). In most cases, this means that an offer of employment cannot be made unless the candidate is a lawful permanent resident who is seeking U.S. citizenship as explained below. Under 8 U.S.C. §1324b(a)(3)(B), a lawful permanent resident seeking citizenship may not apply for citizenship until he or she has been a permanent resident for at least five years (three years if seeking naturalization as a spouse of a citizen), at which point he or she must apply for citizenship within six months of becoming eligible, and must complete the process within two years of applying (unless there is a delay caused by the processors of the application). Non-citizens who have not been permanent residents for five years will be required to execute an affidavit that they intend to apply for citizenship when they become eligible to do so.