Texas Law’s clerkship program is tops in the nation, with record numbers of graduates landing in the most exclusive chambers, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Art by Beth Goody/The ISpot
A judicial clerkship is one of the most prestigious and competitive jobs a law student can land, and Texas Law graduates seem to be landing more of them than graduates from almost everywhere else.
When it comes to federal clerkships, the school is ranked #7, according to a recent Reuters report. That puts Texas Law in the conversation for the title of “Best for Clerkships” with Chicago, Yale, and Stanford, and ahead of Harvard, Penn, and Duke. Those eye-popping statistics include three recent clerkships on the U.S. Supreme Court: Jeff Quilici ’12, who clerked for Justice Gorsuch; Alejandra Ávila ’14, who clerked for Justice Sotomayor; and Reid Coleman ’21, who clerked for Justice Thomas.
Texas Law is also strong in chambers closer to home. Ten graduates of the Class of 2024 are now clerking at the Texas Supreme Court, including in the chambers of all three justices who are alumnae themselves: Justices Jane Bland ’90, Rebeca Huddle ’99, and Debra Lehrmann ’82.
While the prestige of a clerkship is inescapable, the professional and personal benefits go far beyond the reputational boost from landing one.
“Clerkships provide a kind of variety that other law jobs don’t,” observes Kathleen Overly, director of judicial programs. “Most judges have wide-ranging dockets: they might decide or preside over a contract case this week, a constitutional case next week, then a tort case, and so on,” adds Overly. A law clerk might work on a wider range of matters in a year than another lawyer will see in decades.
For former clerks, the connection made with a lifelong advisor may be the very best part of the experience. Alex Stamm ’17, who clerked for Judge Robert Pitman ’88, of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, says that “the judge continues to be a mentor and friend long after we have left chambers.” For Stamm, now an attorney at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, the connection is deeply personal.
“Judge Pitman is a godfather to our kids, officiates our weddings — including mine! — and we call him for advice when we’re at a crossroads,” adds Stamm. “He treats his clerks like family.”
Remembering his own clerkship with Judge David O. Belew, Jr. ’48 of the Northern District of Texas, Pitman adds, “I never anticipated the degree to which my relationship with Judge Belew would shape the way I practiced law and, now, preside as a judge. I can often hear in my words echoes, albeit inferior, of Judge Belew’s wit and wisdom. I can’t express my profound gratitude for his mentorship.”