Eleven African-American Students and Alumni Nab Prestigious Federal Clerkships

Berkeley Law – By Andrew Cohen

Eleven African-American Berkeley Law students and alumni were chosen for coveted federal judicial clerkships during the recent hiring cycle, the highest number in school history. It is a truly remarkable figure given the jarring lack of racial diversity within America’s judicial chambers.

Just how remarkable? African Americans held only 36 of the 1,168 nationwide federal clerkships taken by Class of 2009 law school graduates, the last time comprehensive figures were made available by the National Association for Law Placement.

“Our success in channeling minority students into clerkships stems from a broader commitment to improve our clerkship program—a commitment that is evident throughout all parts of our institution,” said Professor and recent Interim Dean Melissa Murray. “In the past six years, we’ve made a concerted effort to expand our clerkship program, stepped up efforts to educate first-generation professional students about clerkships, and improved our relationships with a wide range of judges. Faculty, staff, and alumni have done great work in that regard.”

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