staff attorneys at all levels of the judiciary; a few judges do use law clerks, but they are quite rare. For example, the Supreme Court of California has over 85 staff attorneys, of whom about half are attached to particular justices and the rest are shared as a central staff. The California system has been heavily criticized for denying young attorneys the chance to gain experience, and low turnover has resulted in a lack of ethnic and gender diversity among the staff attorneys. But most California judges prefer staff attorneys because it reduces the problem of having to bring new law clerks up to speed on pending complex cases, particularly those involving the death penalty. References Further reading Strauss, Debra M. (2017). Behind the Bench: The Guide to Judicial Clerkships, Second Edition. St. Paul, MN: West Academic Publishing. . External links Federal Judicial Center page on Law Clerks Searchable site for US federal law clerk vacancies Openings for Law Clerks with the Los Angeles Superior Court Description of available clerkships in Canada Legal professions