Advanced Commitment Program

The Advanced Commitment Program allows lawyers to begin work as law clerks after graduation and before they pass the bar. The program is designed for third-year law students, LLM and JD/MBA graduates and judicial law clerks. SEC offices that are currently considering Advanced Commitment Program applicants are the Division of Corporation Finance (DC), Division of Investment Management (DC), Division of Trading and Markets (DC) and the Chicago Regional Office. Divisions/Offices not listed here are not considering any Advanced Commitment Program applications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• How do I apply?
• What are the eligibility requirements?
• Which Divisions/Offices hire from the Advanced Commitment Program?
• What do you look for in a candidate?
• How many students do you typically hire?
• Where can I confirm receipt of and check the status of my application?
• Where can I submit additional documentation or update my application?
• What do you look for in a writing sample?
• Who can I contact If I have additional questions?
• What is the current salary range?

How do I apply?

To apply please go fill out our online application on USAJobs. 2010 Advanced Commitment Program Application (Announcement No. 09-289969-ACP).

What are the eligibility requirements?

• Applicants must attend/have attended an accredited law school. See http://www.abanet.org/legaled/approvedlawschools/alpha.html.

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or citizens of allied nations to qualify for paid legal positions. You can find more information about our citizenship requirements at http://www.sec.gov/jobs/
  jobs_attcitizen.shtml.

• Applicants must have completed at least one of the following between December 2009 and September 2010 to be eligible for this position:

  • Last year of law school

  • Last year of an LLM program or

  • Last year of their first judicial clerkship

Which Divisions/Offices hire from the Advanced Commitment Program?

The following Divisions/Offices are considering Advanced Commitment Program applicants. Divisions/Offices not listed here are NOT considering Advanced Commitment Program applicants.

Washington DC Headquarters

• Division of Corporation Finance

• Division of Investment Management

• Division of Trading and Markets

Regional Offices (Enforcement Only)

• Chicago

What do you look for in a candidate?

Students are selected based on merit. Selection criteria include: a demonstrated interest in public service and the SEC's mission; strong academic performance; excellent writing skills; previous employment and internships; law review and other publication work; and extracurricular activities such as moot court competition, legal aid, and clinical experience. Undergraduate securities course work is not a prerequisite.

How many students do you typically hire?

The SEC hires about 10-15 a year nationwide.

Where can I confirm receipt of and check on the status of my application?

For this program, the SEC receives over a thousand applications. Applications can confirm receipt of their application via USAJobs. Applicants will be notified of eligibility or referral to hiring officials via USAJobs. Due to the fact that we have a decentralized review process, final notifications are not sent out until all offices have completed making their selections.

Where can I submit additional documentation or update my application?

All documents need to be submitted as part of your original application. Please review requested documentation carefully prior to finalizing your application.

What do you look for in a writing sample?

Strong writing skills are essential to our work here at the SEC. Your writing sample should demonstrate your ability to analyze complex legal issues and communicate such information clearly and effectively. You may submit a brief, legal memorandum or other document that you wrote for a legal writing class assignment, research project, job, or internship. It should not exceed 10 pages in length. Please submit excerpts from your writing sample if the original document exceeds 10 pages.

Who can I contact if I have additional questions?

Please e-mail any additional questions to recruit@sec.gov. Please note that the SEC receives a high volume of emails, inquiries submitted to this mailbox will be responded to as they are received.

What is the current salary range?

Law clerks come on board at the SK-11 pay level. Salaries may range between approximately $60,000to $90,000.