In 1995 the newly created Constitutional Court resolved that the institution it was shaping ought to serve a new South Africa by launching a clerkship programme for young lawyers to support the work of all the judges. It was a first for the South African judiciary—a programme deliberately crafted to nurture a generation of lawyers who are both deeply versed in, and passionately committed to, the Constitution and its role in strengthening and protecting a democratic South Africa.

Today, firmly embedded in what is often described as the collegial culture of the Constitutional Court, the clerkship programme has become a proven incubator of legal talent. Each recruitment cycle draws several hundred applications, and many former clerks remain actively involved in constitutional law across a broad spectrum of roles — from founding or leading impactful public‑interest NGOs, to occupying critical posts in independent state institutions that reinforce constitutional democracy, to emerging as renowned senior counsel, law professors, or legal investigative journalists. Former clerks also serve as senior team members on high‑profile investigations, act as legal counsel in international tribunals, and accept judicial appointments in other African courts.

The Constitutional Court Trust was set up in 1995 to manage donations that would support the newly created Constitutional Court of South Africa, including the pilot ckerkship programme. At its inception, the Trust received a US $1 million endowment from the Norwegian government, some of which was used to fund the fledgling South African clerkship programme. While it has been supported by the national government for almost three decades, the CCT continues to underpin clerkship initiatives at the Constitutional Court by:

• administering fellowships,
• facilitating African law clerk exchanges,,
• recruiting foreign clerks,
• conducting clerk surveys, and
• managing the clerks’ alumni network that keeps former participants connected and active