About OSCAR

What is OSCAR

The Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR) is a web-based system for federal law clerk and appellate staff attorney recruitment. OSCAR allows users to easily manage every aspect of the hiring process. Judges, chambers staff, and staff attorney offices can find the best candidates for their job postings. Applicants can easily apply for federal clerkships and staff attorney positions using OSCAR.

The Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) manages the OSCAR program. The AO established the OSCAR Working Group of federal judges and law school representatives who provide recommendations to the AO on OSCAR program policies, system enhancements, and law clerk hiring best practices.

What types of positions are posted on OSCAR?

Judges, chambers staff, and staff attorney offices post law clerkships and appellate staff attorney positions to OSCAR. Judges may be looking for any of the following types of law clerks:

• Chambers (career, term, or temporary)
• Court
• Pro se
• Death penalty
• Bankruptcy appellate panel

Judges may be looking for permanent, temporary, or term law clerks.

Who uses OSCAR?

The OSCAR Program Office manages OSCAR and creates accounts for Judiciary users such as federal judges, staff attorney offices, and court staff as well as external users such as law schools and recommenders. Law school graduates or students with two years of law school grades can register for an OSCAR account.

Here are some ways in which these groups use OSCAR.

• Judges and chambers staff
  maintain a profile that informs applicants of hiring practices and schedules, post positions online to find law clerks who fit their needs, accept online applications, and communicate with applicants and law schools to advertise clerkship vacancies.
• Staff attorney offices
  maintain a profile that informs applicants of hiring practices and schedules, post positions online to find staff attorneys who fit their needs, accept online applications, and communicate with applicants and law schools to advertise available vacancies.
• Human resources administrators
  help manage the application process for judges and staff attorney offices and run reports to track and manage law clerk and staff attorney hiring.
• Law schools
  stay informed of current law clerk and staff attorney openings and recruitment practices; assist applicants and faculty recommenders on law clerk and staff attorney recruitment; upload letters of recommendation on behalf of faculty to expedite the application process; and utilize unique reports to track and manage applicants, recommenders, and hiring data.
• Applicants
  search for clerkship and staff attorney positions that fit their career goals, research judges, hiring practices and schedules, create and submit applications all in one location, and easily generate electronic requests for recommendations letters with each application.
• Recommenders
  easily submit confidential letters of recommendation for applicants and save templates that automatically update for each judge or staff attorney office that the applicant applies to.