Law Clerk Salary in New York: Federal, State, Firm, and Benefits

A law clerk salary in New York runs from roughly $88,000 at the federal entry level to more than $200,000 in large private firms, with state court positions falling between those two poles. Which court you serve, whether the employer is public or private, and where in the state the job sits all move the number. Federal clerks are paid on a national scale adjusted for local cost of living, state clerks are paid through New York’s judicial budget, and private firms compete on their own market terms.

Federal Clerk Pay

Federal law clerks are paid under the Judiciary Salary Plan, which mirrors the executive branch’s General Schedule locality pay. The hiring judge sets the clerk’s grade and step at appointment based on legal experience, bar admission, and academic record.¹

For 2026, in the New York-Newark locality area (a 37.95% locality adjustment), step 1 starting salaries are:²

JSP-11: $88,005, for recent law graduates with strong academics and no post-law-school experience
JSP-12: $105,481, requiring at least one year of post-graduate legal experience and bar membership
JSP-13: $125,431, requiring at least two years of post-graduate legal experience and bar membership
JSP-14: $148,222, requiring three years of post-graduate experience including at least two as a federal clerk or comparable role, plus bar membership

You can start at JSP-11 without bar admission, but every grade above it requires admission to a state, territory, or federal court of general jurisdiction.¹ Each grade has ten steps. Moving between steps takes one year for steps 1 through 4, two years for steps 4 through 7, and three years for steps 7 through 10.³ A clerk who stays long enough to reach JSP-14, step 10 earns considerably more than the step 1 figures above.

Judicial Conference policy caps each chambers at one JSP-14 clerk, so reaching that grade typically means a long-term career clerkship rather than the standard one- or two-year term.¹

State Court Clerk Pay

New York’s Unified Court System uses its own judicial grade scale. A recent New York City posting listed the following base salaries in the law clerk series, each with an additional $4,635 in location pay:⁴

Law Clerk to Judge (JG-24): $84,216 base
Senior Law Clerk (JG-26): $93,782 base
Associate Law Clerk (JG-28): $104,500 base
Principal Law Clerk (JG-31): $122,603 base

The Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, pays at the top of the state scale. Its Central Legal Research Staff listed a 2024 starting salary of no less than $99,490, with a promotion and raise in the second year.⁵ Appellate Division salaries generally fall between trial-level and Court of Appeals figures, with exact numbers varying by department.

The state system also uses a “Court Attorney” title separate from “Law Clerk to Judge.” Court attorneys start at JG-23 and can advance to senior court attorney at JG-26 with two years of experience.⁶ What you’ll actually earn depends on the title you hold and the court you serve, because those set your grade and the grade sets your pay.

Private Firm Pay

Private-sector pay works on a different scale entirely. At the largest New York firms, first-year associate salaries stand at $225,000 as of 2025, and clerks entering from a judicial clerkship typically come in at that level or higher. A former federal appellate clerk is often slotted as a second- or third-year associate rather than a first-year, which pushes the starting number well above the base.

Mid-sized and boutique firms pay less, generally in the $80,000 to $160,000 range depending on practice focus and profitability. Firms doing complex commercial litigation or white-collar defense sit toward the top of that range. Some elite boutiques match or exceed large-firm pay for clerks with prestigious credentials.

Clerkship Bonuses

The big financial pull for private-sector clerks is the signing bonus. Firms recruit former judicial clerks aggressively for the research skills and judicial perspective they bring. Quinn Emanuel offers a $175,000 clerkship bonus for one qualifying federal clerkship and another $25,000 for a second.⁷ Other major firms offer comparable amounts, especially for clerks from federal appellate courts or the U.S. Supreme Court. District court clerkship bonuses are lower but still substantial.

Year-end bonuses add another layer, usually tied to billable hour targets in the 1,900-to-2,100-hour range, though a handful of elite firms set no formal minimum. Between base pay, clerkship bonus, and year-end bonus, a former federal clerk’s first-year total compensation at a top firm can exceed $400,000.

Where You Work Inside New York

Location matters more here than in most states because federal locality pay and private-firm concentration both track geography closely.

Federal clerks in the New York-Newark locality receive a 37.95% adjustment. Clerks in the Albany-Schenectady area receive 20.77%.² A JSP-11 clerk in Manhattan takes home roughly $11,000 more per year than one doing the same work in Albany, before cost of living. The U.S. Courts publish separate JSP tables for New York-Newark, Albany-Schenectady, Buffalo-Cheektowaga, and Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, each with its own locality rate.⁸

State clerk pay also shifts with location, but through a flat location-pay supplement rather than a percentage. New York City postings include a supplement (the JG-24 posting listed $4,635); positions outside the city may receive less or none. An entry-level clerk in Albany typically earns several thousand dollars less than the same grade in Manhattan.

For private practice, the gap is wider still. Large firms cluster in Manhattan; upstate markets support fewer firms at the top of the pay scale. A clerk at a regional firm in Buffalo or Syracuse might earn $60,000 to $90,000, against $225,000 or more at a major Manhattan firm. Long Island and Westchester sit in between.

Benefits That Change the Real Number

Base pay is only part of what a public-sector clerkship is worth.

Federal clerks, including term clerks, are eligible for the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. Retirement coverage is narrower: term clerks qualify for the Federal Employees Retirement System and Thrift Savings Plan only if they transfer from another covered federal position with no break in service longer than three days. If the clerkship is your first federal job, you will not participate in FERS or contribute to the TSP during the term.⁹ Career clerks who stay in the judiciary long-term receive full FERS coverage.

State court clerks get health insurance, a pension through the New York State and Local Retirement System, and paid leave that includes 13 holidays, 13 sick days, and 20 vacation days in the first year, rising to 27 vacation days by the seventh.¹⁰ Pension contributions depend on your tier of membership, which is set by the date you join the retirement system.¹¹

Both federal and state clerkships count as qualifying employment for Public Service Loan Forgiveness because both employers are government entities. Submit an employment certification form annually or when you change employers to stay on track.¹² Even a one- or two-year clerkship adds qualifying payments toward the 120 needed for forgiveness, which meaningfully changes the total value of a public-sector position for anyone carrying heavy law school debt.

1
OSCAR (Online System for Clerkship Application and Review). Qualifications, Salary, and Benefits
2
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Salary Table 2026-NY
3
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Fact Sheet: Within-Grade Increases
4
New York State Unified Court System. Employment Opportunity Announcement 25336
5
New York State Unified Court System. Clerkship Opportunity – Two-Year Clerkship with the Court’s Central Legal Research Staff
6
New York State Unified Court System. Employment Opportunity Announcement 20601
7
Quinn Emanuel. U.S. Compensation and Benefits
8
United States Courts. Judiciary Salary Plan Pay Rates
9
United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Incoming Clerks Benefits Guide
10
New York State Unified Court System. Employee Benefits
11
Office of the New York State Comptroller. Your Membership and Benefits
12
StudentAid.gov. PSLF Infographic