The Court has posted some information about applying to be a law clerk at the Texas Supreme Court. These clerkships will begin in August 2010. (A color brochure with the same information was also posted.)
I’ve written before about my experience as a law clerk at the Texas Supreme Court. The Court notes two of the unusual features of this clerkship:
Unlike most appellate courts, the Texas Supreme Court has discretionary review only of civil cases and almost exclusively among appellate courts permits law clerks to sit in conference for deliberations. [emphasis in original]
Each of the Court’s nine Justices has two law clerks, as well as a career staff attorney. The law clerks positions are typically one year, although some Justices may offer two-year positions.
Applications should be sent to each Justice to whom you are applying.
The posting indicates that applications will be welcomed beginning September 8, 2009 — the same official starting gun after which federal courts, in theory, also begin their hiring process for law clerks. (( Some federal judges treat that deadline with about as much reverence as the highway speed limit. Most of them stay near that schedule, but those who scrupulously adhere to the rule out of principle seem to get left behind. ))