2024 Diversity Clerkship Program

Looking for some easy and quick ways to be productive over break? Below are three incredible opportunities to further your law school experience and career through the Business Law Section, including opportunities for a clerkship with a stipend, a writing contest with a cash prize, and a resume building leadership opportunity.

1. Apply for the 2024 Diversity Clerkship Program by December 31st. Get those letters of recommendation ready!

The Diversity Clerkship Program is a summer program that provides business law clerkship placements for qualified, diverse second-year law students. Participating clerks receive support and mentoring in the business law field, exposure to business practices, and a $5,000 stipend to cover living expenses. Roles and responsibilities of selected Diversity Clerkship participants include but are not limited to researching cases, drafting memoranda and opinions, observing trials, and networking with local attorneys and judges.

Applicants must be considered diverse in one of the following ways: law student of color; women; law students with disabilities; LGBTQ+ law students; and/or students who have overcome social or economic disadvantages such as a physical disability, financial constraints, or cultural impediments to becoming a law student.

Applicants also must be ABA and Business Law Section Members. All application materials are due December 31st, 2024. For full details and to apply, click here.

2. Submit your outstanding business law papers to the 2024 Mendes Hershman Student Writing Contest. All submission materials are due February 9, 2024.

The winner of the first-place paper will receive a $1,000 cash prize. Outstanding first-place papers may also be included in The Business Lawyer, a quarterly publication that is the premier business law journal in the country. Second and third-place papers are eligible for publication in Business Law Today, the digital platform of curated, peer-reviewed content for the ABA Business Law Section.

All entries must be submitted electronically, on or before midnight CST February 9, 2024. To view complete contest rules and more information click here. We look forward to receiving your submission!

3. Join the Law Student Committee to stay up to date on our law student opportunities, initiatives, and resources, such as the Mendes Hershman Contest and Diversity Clerkship outlined below. Joining the Committee is a must for law students in the Section! If you’re looking for leadership experience, we need a law student to serve as Vice-Chair of the Committee. More information can be found in the Vice-Chair application.

Enjoy the Holidays!