Clerkships provide unparalleled access to the judicial process, creating opportunities to improve advocacy skills and develop a mentorship relationship that can span a career. And Columbia Law School has resources to help alumni obtain these coveted positions.
“Our office is here to answer questions about the application process. We also can take over the process of gathering and submitting letters of recommendation. This saves time for our alumni, who are frequently working full time during the application process,” says Ilene Strauss, the Law School’s executive director of academic advising and judicial programming.
Strauss also points out that, while student applicants may only submit clerkship applications to federal courts on a specified day each year, alumni are free to apply at any point during the year. However, as clerkships are increasingly competitive, she encourages alumni to begin the application process for 2011 clerkships in January.
Judicial clerks perform legal research, prepare bench memoranda, and draft orders and opinions. “These skills are invaluable to anyone practicing law,” says Strauss.
For more on alumni events and news, visit the Alumni Relations website. For more on Columbia Law School in the news, visit our homepage.
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, stands at the forefront of legal education and of the law in a global society. Columbia Law School joins traditional strengths in international and comparative law, constitutional law, administrative law, business law and human rights law with pioneering work in the areas of intellectual property, digital technology, sexuality and gender, criminal, and environmental law.
