Judicial Fellow

State of North Carolina•Wake County, NC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The North Carolina Judicial Fellowship provides independent, confidential, and timely legal support for the judges of the District and Superior Court benches of North Carolina with regard to the matters over which those judges preside. The Fellowship assists judges with a wide variety of research and writing projects in all subject matter areas. Fellows conduct both case-specific and generalized issue research, assist in drafting orders, and attend trials and hearings to provide real-time, in-person support. The Fellowship employs a central intake and assignment process, and Fellows work independently and collaboratively to provide quick, accurate, and comprehensive responses. The Fellowship is comprised of attorneys who demonstrate academic excellence and who represent a broad diversity of experience and subject matter familiarity. Fellows serve staggered two-year terms in order to provide for cross-training, continuity of workflow, and predictability of staffing needs. The Fellowship is based at the North Carolina Judicial Center, but Fellows routinely travel to aid judges in courthouses throughout the state. In September 2026, the North Carolina Judicial Fellowship will hire a fellow that will focus primarily on complex family financial cases and will work closely with the Chief Judge of North Carolina’s Complex Family Financial Court. A Complex Family Financial Court Judge is a special superior court judge appointed to hear and enter orders in complex family financial cases filed in district court.

Requirements

Knowledge of: court rules and procedures; case, statutory, regulatory, and common law; general statutes and their application to the operation of the Judicial Branch; judicial procedures; ethical rules and the practical aspects of trial practice; and electronic legal research methods and procedures.
Ability to: analyze facts, laws, rules, regulations, interpretations, and written documents and apply them to specific legal issues; produce legal interpretations in a timely and responsive manner for court officials; conduct legal research through the use of the general statutes, case law, and other legal research tools; and interact daily in a professional and tactful manner with court officials, attorneys, and members of the general public.
Must possess a valid NC driver's license or ability to obtain one soon after starting employment.
Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school.

Nice To Haves

An active law license is preferred, but not required.

Responsibilities

Assist Complex Family Financial Court judges in evaluating cases filed with the court.
Conduct legal research on a variety of issues.
Analyze legal rules and issues.
Process, research, and advise Complex Family Financial Court judges on emergent motion applications.
Prepare legal memoranda.
Draft and/or proofread (procedurally and substantively) various orders and judgments in cases involving complex or significant issues.
Work with Complex Family Financial Court judges on complex cases involving difficult and/or novel issues of law.
Track current developments in the law.
Assist the Chief Judge of the Complex Family Financial Court with scheduling and other case management functions in complex family financial cases.
Attend status conferences, hearings, and trials throughout the state, both virtually and in-person.