Galen Bascom '13 to Clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Breyer

Galen Bascom, a 2013 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, will clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer during the 2015-16 term.

Bascom said she was "both overwhelmed and excited" when she received the news. "But mostly I was overjoyed," she said.

"I know I have been so lucky and that the support I received from my professors was instrumental. It meant a lot to be able to share the news with them."

Bascom is currently clerking for Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In August, she will begin serving as a Bristow Fellow for the Office of the Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice.

"I expect that it will be extremely informative to first work as a Bristow," she said. "I think I will really enjoy working as an advocate and getting to view the court through that lens."

Bascom will follow in the footsteps of Brinton Lucas '11 (also a Bristow Fellow) and Andrew Bentz '12 , who start their Supreme Court clerkships this summer. Virginia is fourth among law schools in contributing the most clerks to the court from 2005-13.

While in law school, Bascom participated in the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic and was involved in drafting the opening petition in Rosemond v. United States, the federal firearms case the clinic won in March. She also received the Margaret G. Hyde Award, which recognizes outstanding student scholarship and involvement, and the Jackson Walker LLP Award, for having the highest grade-point average in her class after four semesters.

After her fellowship and clerkships, Bascom aims to work for a law firm, and perhaps someday in academia.

"Having this opportunity [with the Supreme Court] will be invaluable experience no matter which route I eventually take," she said.

Bascom said she's not planning any significant time off to celebrate her latest news, even though her clerkship with Garland is wrapping up.

"I will take the New York bar and then head to the Solicitor General's Office," she said. "I won't be getting much time in between, but I'll be using it to study."