Will AI replace law clerks?
Law clerks face high risk because much of their work involves legal research and document drafting, which are strengths of Large Language Models. While clerks for judges remain safer due to the prestige and mentorship of the role, private-sector clerks will see their tasks heavily automated.
Why AI struggles to replace this job
- Understanding the specific judicial philosophy of a particular judge is difficult for a general AI model.
- Handling highly sensitive, non-public case information requires strict human security clearances.
- Participating in strategic 'war room' sessions for litigation involves creative collaboration.
- Synthesizing new laws that haven't yet been included in an AI's training data requires manual research.
Tasks AI could automate
- Finding relevant precedents and statutes for a specific legal issue.
- Drafting initial versions of legal memos and briefs based on set facts.
- Checking citations against the Bluebook or other legal style guides.
- Summarizing depositions and trial transcripts for senior attorneys.
The 10-year outlook
The number of clerks per attorney is likely to decrease as AI handles more of the research load. The role will become more competitive, requiring clerks to act more like junior associates who oversee AI-generated outputs.
Common questions
Will AI replace law clerks?
Law clerks face high risk because much of their work involves legal research and document drafting, which are strengths of Large Language Models. While clerks for judges remain safer due to the prestige and mentorship of the role, private-sector clerks will see their tasks heavily automated.
What is the AI replacement risk for law clerks?
Law Clerk scores 62/100 — Parts of this job will change — adaptation matters. Roughly 75% of the tasks in this role could be automated with current and near-future AI.
How much do law clerks earn?
The US median salary for a law clerk is about $59,150 per year, with projected employment growth of +1.5% over the next decade (about average).