Court Attorney (Elbow Law Clerk for PROMESA Cases)

Description:

Judge Laura Taylor Swain currently has an opening for a two-year New York-based clerkship commencing in early April 2026 to assist Judge Swain in overseeing the PROMESA debt restructuring proceedings for Puerto Rico. Detailed job description and application procedures for this position are posted on the United States District Court, Southern District of New York's Website .

Requirements:

• Level Minimum Experience Requirements : CL-29 -Two years of specialized experience, including at least one year equivalent to work at CL-28; and Admission to practice before the highest court of a state, territory, commonwealth, or possession of the United States. CL-30 -Three years of specialized experience, including at least one year equivalent to work at CL-29; and Admission to practice before the highest court of a state, territory, commonwealth, or possession of the United States. CL-31 - Four years of specialized experience, including at least one year equivalent to work at CL-30; and Admission to practice before the highest court of a state, territory, commonwealth, or possession of the United States.
• SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE : Progressively responsible experience in the practice of law, in legal research, legal administration, or equivalent experience, gained after graduation from law school. The following may be credited as one year of specialized experience: Graduation in the upper third of class from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law Schools; Membership on the editorial board of a law review of such a school; *Graduation from a law school on the approved list of the American Bar Association or that of the Association of American Law Schools with an advanced degree (LLM or equivalent); or Demonstrated proficiency in legal studies which, in the opinion of the appointing official, is the equivalent of the above.

The applicant must be intellectually curious and have an aptitude and willingness to work with complex procedures and legal and financial concepts. The applicant must possess excellent organizational, collaborative, leadership, and time management skills, sound judgment, and an ability to maintain all chambers work interactions and work product confidential. The applicant must also display strong analytical and research abilities, and exhibit excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate detailed and complex information to others. A thorough knowledge of Adobe Acrobat and MS Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is also required.

Given the time sensitivity and complexity of the workload, the applicant must be capable of working quickly at a high level of sophistication and accuracy, be available to work on a flexible basis, and have a work history reflecting dependability. The ability to work a full-time schedule and additional night and weekend hours on a regular basis as needed is necessary.

Successful candidates are likely to have had substantial prior legal practice and/or clerkship experience. Law review or moot court experience is desirable; knowledge of the Spanish language would be helpful.