Diversity Clerkship Program

Background and Mission

The American Bar Association Business Law Section is committed to encouraging diversity in the Section by fostering a welcoming environment for all lawyers and promoting full and equal participation by all lawyers, including lawyers of color, women lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities ("Diverse Lawyers").

To further this mission, the Business Law Section sponsors the Diversity Clerkship Program. This summer program provides business law clerkship placements for four qualified diverse first or second year law students.  Participating clerks will receive support and mentoring in the business law field and exposure to business practices that many of them lack.

The Business Law Section Diversity Clerkship Program focus is on judicial clerkships, where diversity among judicial clerks remains disproportionately low. For law students, serving as a judicial law clerk is a mark of distinction and honor that will advance their future career opportunities in law practice, and academia, in government as high-level appointees, and in securing appointments to the bench. Clerkships in business law courts provide another unique and highly important benefit to law students: the ability to see a microcosm of business practice, and allow the student to become familiar with business issues. Such a background will prove invaluable to a career in business law, whether it be litigation or transactional work.

A Special Thank You

to the American College of Business Court Judges (ACBCJ) whose generosity provided an additional funding for the 2024 Diversity Clerkship Program. The Section is pleased to support this program, and, on behalf of the Section Officers, we thank the ACBCJ for their generous contribution.  Contact staff for more information.

About the Program

Program Objectives

• To encourage more diverse law students to apply for clerkship positions.
• To foster relationships between business court judges and diverse law students.
• To provide students with a foundation in various aspects of business law.
• To provide opportunities for students to meet a wide variety of lawyers who are active in the practice of business law and are members of the Business Law Section.
• To establish a support system for diverse students who are pursuing business court clerkship positions and a possible career in business law.

Clerk Roles and Responsibilities

The purpose of the Diversity Clerkship Program is to provide hands-on experience and exposure in Business Law to law students. Roles and responsibilities of selected Diversity Clerkship participants include but are not limited to the following:

1. Researching cases
2. Drafting memoranda and opinions
3. Observing trials
4. Networking with local attorneys and judges

Possible Locations

Clerkship locations will be determined after clerks are selected based on the needs of Business Court Judges in various locations. Placements in recent years have included the following locations:

• Chicago, IL
• Columbia, SC
• Dover, DE
• Las Vegas, NV

Please note that the Business Law Section will do its best to accommodate recipients’ location preferences but cannot accommodate all requests. 

In the event that your assigned court is not open for in-person activities at the time of the clerkship or travel is prohibited due to Covid-19, we will work with you and the court to arrange a virtual experience. 

Compensation

Participants in the Diversity Clerkship will receive a $5,000 stipend to cover living expenses upon the start of their Clerkship.

Application Process

Applicant Criteria

• Applicants must be current first or second year law students attending an ABA-approved law school.
• Applicants must be considered diverse in one of the following ways:
  • Law student of color
  • Women
  • Law students with disabilities
  • LGBTQ+ law students
  • Students who have overcome social or economic disadvantages such as a physical disability, financial constraints, or cultural impediments to becoming a law student
• Applicants must demonstrate financial need.
• Applicants must be ABA Law Student Division and Business Law Section members.

Application Components and Deadline

Applications for the 2025 Diversity Clerkship Program will open in the Fall of 2025. The application consists of six primary parts:

• Completed Diversity Clerkship Application
• Application Essay (essay details are listed on the application)
• Resume
• Writing Sample from law school
• Law school transcript* and undergraduate transcript.
  • Acceptable documentation includes:
    • A scanned copy of a transcript or an academic record from the institution’s Student Information System (SIS) Portal.
    • An “issued to student” transcript.
    • An electronic transcript in PDF form. (Please make sure no additional authentication is needed)
  • Upon selection, accepted applicants will be required to provide official undergraduate and law school transcripts prior to receiving their clerkship assignment.
• Two (2) letters of recommendation

Current Diversity Clerk

2024 Diversity Clerks

• Ariane Barboza, Howard University
  Clerking with Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher Hill in Baltimore, MD
• Damonja Hilton, University of South Caroline Joseph F. Rice School of Law
  Clerking with Judge Jocelyn Newman in Columbia, SC
• Samuel Johnson, Temple Law
  Clerking with Judge Paula Patrick in Philadelphia, PA
• Peace Scott, Southern University Law Center
  Clerking with Judge Denise Owens in Jackson, MS

Former Diversity Clerks

2023 Diversity Clerks

• Kyle Allen, Jr., Rutgers Law School
  clerked with Justices Joel Cohen, Melissa Crane, and Gerald Lebovits in New York, NY
• Jose Cruz Araujo-Lino, University of Idaho College of Law
  clerked with Judge Nancy Allf in Las Vegas, NV
• Ashisha Vijay, University of Arizona College of Law
  clerked with Judge Mark Denton in Las Vegas, NV

2022 Diversity Clerks

• Isabella Olczak, Roger Williams University School of Law
  clerked with Judge Richard Licht in Providence, RI.
• Veta Bustos, University of Idaho College of Law
  clerked with Judge Nancy Allf in Las Vegas, NV.
• Timea Soos, Seattle University School of Law
  clerked with Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves in Wilmington, DE.
• Wayne Grant, Souther University Law Center
  clerked with Judge Denise Owens in Jackson, MS.

2021 Diversity Clerks

• Julie Joseph, University of California at Davis
  clerked with Judge Nancy Allf in Las Vegas, NV.
• Tresina Dickens, Roger Williams University School of Law
  clerked with Judge Brian Stern in Providence, RI.
• Gabriella Garofalo, Roger Williams University School of Law
  clerked with Judge Richard Licht in Providence, RI.
• Abigail Cabanin, Northern Illinois University College of Law
  clerked with Judge James Snyder in Chicago, IL.
• Victoria Robinson, University of Detroit Mercy
  clerked with Judge Christopher Yates in Grand Rapids, MI.
• Lilas Abuelhawa, Santa Clara University School of Law
  clerked with Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez in Las Vegas, NV.

2020 Diversity Clerks

• Anthony Curry, Thurgood Marshall School of Law 
  clerked with Judge Nancy Allf in Las Vegas, NV.
• Diamond Griffith, Vermont Law School 
  clerked with Judge James L. Gale in Greensboro, NC.
• TKisheuna Stewart, Southern University Law Center
  clerked withVice Chancellor Morgan T. Zurn in Wilmington, DE.
• Lourdes Vazquez, American University Washington College of Law
  clerked with Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher-Hill in Baltimore, MD.

Articles

• Letter from Diversity Clerk to Business Law Section (BLT Nov/Dec 2008)
• Reflections on the BCLC Diversity Clerkship Program: A Judge's Perspective (2017) 
• 2017 Clerks Reflect on the Diversity Clerkship Program