News and Events

Behind Every Great Judge: Judicial Clerkships

During the 2012-2013 term 19 BYU law students and recent graduates will have the opportunity to serve as judicial clerks. They will work in federal courts of appeal, federal district courts and state supreme courts throughout the country. Never before have so many BYU law students had this outstanding opportunity.
 
“It has truly been a banner year for BYU students on the clerkship front,” Professor Ronell Anderson Jones said. “With a total of 18 students and recent graduates securing clerkships at federal courts or state supreme courts, we are seeing judges all across the country sending a really important signal of confidence in the law school and its students.”
 
A judicial clerkship provides a hands-on experience and a close look into the workings of a courtroom. Students may have the opportunity to participate in drafting opinion papers, researching topics and making pre-trial preparations. The clerkship experience is one that many students look forward to having.
 
“I talked to professors and practitioners, and all of them spoke about their clerkship experiences as one of the best things that they had done in their career,” Randy Boyer (11’) said. “I also viewed a clerkship as a great introduction to the legal profession-- a birds eye view of how the legal system works before I start into it with my own career.”
 
Here at BYU, a committee of faculty members is selected to help students find and secure suitable judicial clerkships. A number of students have commented on how helpful this committee was.  
 
"As soon as I started expressing interest in clerking … Professor Gedicks took me out to breakfast …and talked to me about preliminary steps to take. Professor Jones was especially patient with me during the process," Chris Whittaker (11’) said.  "Between office visits, emails, and letter requests I probably consumed 50 hours of her time.  Professors Fee and Daniels were also extremely helpful. Dean Rasband clerked for Judge Wallace several years ago, and I wouldn't have gotten the interview or the job without his recommendation."   
 
Below is a list of students/graduates hired for the 2012-2013 term:
 
  • Paul Sampson (‘10), Judge Kent Jordan, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • Carla Crandall, Judge Carolyn King, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • Rob Stander, Judge Jeffrey Sutton, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • Jackie Bosshardt, Judge Kenneth Ripple, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • Andrew Law, Judge Clifford Wallace, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • Randy Boyer, Judge Hunt, United States District Court for the District of Nevada.
  • Chris Whittaker, Judge Clifford Wallace, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • James Dunkelberger, Judge Randy Smith, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit  
  • Julie Slater, Judge Jay Bybee, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • Nathaniel Ward, Judge Ted Stewart, District of Utah
  • Jeff Miles, Judge Ted Stewart, District of Utah
  • Mike Cannon, Justice Thomas Lee, Utah Supreme Court
  • Tyler Stoehr, Justice Matthew Durrant, Utah Supreme Court
  • Sara Nielson, Justice Thomas Lee, Utah Supreme Court
  • Hannah Hatch Porter, Justice Robert Brutinel, Arizona Supreme Court
  • Justin Hunter, Vice Chancellor Noble, Delaware Court of Chancery
  • Caleb Frischknecht, Judge David Nuffer, District of Utah
  • Landon Magnusson, Justice Patricia Breckenridge, Missouri Supreme Court
  • Joseph D. Edmonds, Judge Andrew Kleinfeld, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
 
           

Posted:May 29, 2012