Number of Alumni Clerking at Federal Appellate Courts Breaks Record
Over 100 Graduates Working as Clerks for Fifth Year in a Row
This story was updated Oct. 9 to reflect additional clerkships.
A record number of University of Virginia School of Law alumni are clerking for federal appellate courts, and more than 100 are clerking across the country for the fifth straight year.
In the 2023 term, 45 alumni are clerking in federal appellate courts, 58 are clerking at federal District Courts and other federal courts, two are clerking at the U.S. Supreme Court, and 10 are clerking for state appellate courts and other local courts — for a total of 115.
“We’ve seen a surge in alumni clerking at the federal appellate level after a year or two of postgraduate legal experience,” said Ruth Payne ’02, senior director of judicial clerkships. “I hope that this reflects a greater understanding among our applicants that these clerkships really are accessible to a wide range of candidates.”
A large portion of the clerks are members of the Class of 2023. Out of 327 J.D. graduates in the class, 45 are clerking, including 12 in federal appellate courts.
When clerkships for future terms are included, 53 members of the Class of 2023 have accepted a total of 68 clerkships. Twenty-three graduates have accepted clerkships for a later term, and 15 have already accepted a second clerkship for 2024 or 2025.
At the U.S. Supreme Court, Avery Rasmussen ’21 is clerking for Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Nathaniel Sutton ’21 is clerking for Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The Law School is fifth after Harvard, Yale, Stanford and Chicago in placing clerks on the U.S. Supreme Court from the 2007 through 2023 terms.
The Law School is No. 4 in the percentage of graduates from the classes of 2020-22 going directly to federal clerkships after law school, according to American Bar Association data.
Alumni Clerkships for the 2023 Term
U.S. Supreme Court (2)
Federal Appellate Courts
1st Circuit (3)
2nd Circuit
3rd Circuit (6)
4th Circuit (7)
5th Circuit (4)
6th Circuit (10)
7th Circuit
9th Circuit (2)
10th Circuit (3)
11th Circuit (3)
D.C. Circuit (4)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Federal District Courts and Other Federal Courts
Middle District of Alabama
Northern District of Alabama
Northern District of California
Southern District of California (2)
District of Columbia (4)
District of Connecticut (2)
District of Delaware
Northern District of Florida
Northern District of Georgia
District of Kansas
Eastern District of Kentucky
Western District of Kentucky
District of Maryland
Eastern District of Michigan
District of Nevada
District of New Hampshire (2)
District of New Jersey
District of New Mexico (2)
Eastern District of New York
Northern District of New York
Southern District of New York
Eastern District of North Carolina (2)
Middle District of North Carolina (2)
District of North Dakota
Northern District of Ohio
District of Puerto Rico (2)
Eastern District of Texas
Western District of Texas (2)
District of Utah
Eastern District of Virginia (11)
Western District of Virginia (3)
District of Wyoming
U.S. Court of Federal Claims (3)
State Appellate Courts and Other Local Courts
Alexandria (Va.) Circuit Court
Colorado Supreme Court
District of Columbia Superior Court (2)
New Jersey Superior Court
Oregon Court of Appeals
Supreme Court of Alabama
Supreme Court of Virginia (2)
Virginia Court of Appeals
Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.
