Grads Have Success Securing Federal and State Clerkships

A recent round-up compiled by the Office of Career Services illustrates our graduates’ success in securing judicial clerkships.

“Clerking for a judge is a marvelous experience for a law school graduate. Not surprisingly judicial clerkships are much sought after opportunities," said Dean Davison M. Douglas. “I am delighted that so many of our graduates secure judicial clerkships each year with both federal and state court judges.”

William & Mary came in 14th among U.S. law schools in percentage of Class of 2017 graduates who secured full-time, long-term federal judicial clerkships. This information is based on the nationwide Class of 2017 employment data released in April 2018 by the American Bar Association. Our Class of 2018 employment data will be reported to the ABA on April 5, 2019 and will show that approximately 9% of that class secured federal clerkships, representing a slight increase from the Class of 2017. National data for the Class of 2018 will be released in late April.

Since 2016, William & Mary Law students and graduates have obtained approximately 200 federal and state clerkships in 29 states, DC and Puerto Rico.

These graduates and students have clerked or will clerk in the following locations.

Federal appellate clerkships in the U.S. Court of Appeals:
3rd Circuit (Philadelphia, PA)
4th Circuit (Spartanburg, SC: Alexandria and Roanoke, VA and Charleston, WV)
5th Circuit (Jackson, MS)
6th Circuit (London, KY)
7th Circuit (Lafayette and South Bend, IN)
10th Circuit (Lawrence, KS and Salt Lake City, UT)
11th Circuit (Montgomery, AL and Atlanta, GA)

U.S. Court of Federal Claims

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

Staff attorney offices in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 4th (Richmond, VA) and 11th (Atlanta, GA) Circuits

U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office of Immigration Review (Los Angeles, CA; Newark, NJ; El Paso, TX; and San Antonio, TX)

U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Administrative Law Judges (Washington, DC and Newport News, VA)

Clerkships with federal district court judges, federal magistrate judges, and federal bankruptcy judges in:
Arkansas (Western District, Ft. Smith)
California (Southern District, San Diego)
Florida (Middle District, Orlando; Northern District, Tallahassee)
Indiana (Northern District, South Bend)
Kentucky (Eastern District, Lexington; Western District, Louisville)
Maryland (District of Maryland, Baltimore)
New York (Southern District, White Plains)
North Carolina (Middle District, Winston-Salem)
Pennsylvania (Eastern District, Allentown and Philadelphia; Middle District, Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre)
Puerto Rico (District of Puerto Rico, San Juan)
South Carolina (District of South Carolina, Greenville and Charleston)
Tennessee (Eastern District, Greeneville)
Texas (Eastern District, Sherman; Southern District, Houston and Laredo)
Virginia (Eastern District, Alexandria, Norfolk, and Richmond; Western District, Roanoke)
West Virginia (Southern District, Charleston and Huntington)

Clerkships with state appellate court judges:
Virginia Supreme Court
Court of Appeals of Virginia
Colorado Court of Appeals
Delaware Supreme Court
Kentucky Court of Appeals
Maryland Court of Special Appeals
Michigan Supreme Court
Montana Supreme Court
Nebraska Court of Appeals
West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals

About William & Mary Law School

Thomas Jefferson founded William & Mary Law School in 1779 to train leaders for the new nation. Now in its third century, America's oldest law school continues its historic mission of educating citizen lawyers who are prepared both to lead and to serve.