About the role
Agency
Administrative Office of the Courts
Division
Administrative Office of the Courts
Job Classification Title
Trial Court Research Assistant (NS)
Position Number
65025743
Grade
32001652
About Us
DO YOUR CAREER JUSTICE! Each and every day, North Carolina's courts help provide safety for our communities, prosperity for our economy, and protection for the rights, liberties, and freedoms that sit at the foundation of our state and federal constitutions. Consider an exciting and rewarding career with us and join the more than 7,000 elected officials and employees who make up our workforce and help us ensure that justice is administrated without favor, denial, or delay.
Description of Work
SALARY RANGE: $71,080.00 - $71,080.00
***Fellows serve a set term.***
***THIS POSITION IS FOR A START DATE OF SEPTEMBER 2026.***
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.
Knowledge Skills and Abilities/Management Preferences
Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- 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.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Competencies
Must possess a valid NC driver's license or ability to obtain one soon after starting employment.
Supplemental and Contact Information:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Applicants must complete an on-line application by clicking the above APPLY link. Mailed or faxed applications will not be accepted.
All NC Judicial Branch agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers.
The North Carolina Judicial Branch participates in E-Verify, an internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from the US Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.
Travis Davis
NC Administrative Office of the Courts
Human Resources Division
http://www.nccourts.gov/about/about-judicial-branch/careers
Minimum Education and Experience
Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See the Education and Experience Equivalency Guide for details.
Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
An active law license is preferred, but not required.
Attach cover letter, résumé, and two writing samples.
Please note: This specific position in the fellowship program will begin in September 2026.
EEO Statement
The State of North Carolina is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and dedicated to providing employees with a work environment free from all forms of unlawful employment discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. The state provides reasonable accommodation to employees and applicants with disabilities; known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; and for religious beliefs, observances, and practices.
Recruiter:
Travis Edward Davis
Email:
HumanResources@nccourts.org
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