Judicial Clerkship
- Judge Donald Wilkerson of the United States
Magistrate Court, Southern District of Illinois,
supervises and mentors Judicial Clerkship
students. The judge also teaches
Trial Practice & Procedure at the
School of Law. As a former assistant
United States attorney, he supervised
Government Lawyering Externship students.
Welcome to the Judicial Clerkship of the Washington University School of Law. The Judicial Clerkship is one of twelve clinical courses available to all law students at Washington University School of Law, where every student is guaranteed at least one clinical course.
This externship course offers students a structured, hands-on exposure to civil and criminal litigation from the judicial perspective. Students work as part-time law clerks under the supervision of local, state or federal trial or appellate judges. The enrollment is limited to 14 students. Students observe hearings, trials and other court proceedings; perform extensive legal research; and draft a series of legal memoranda relevant to cases under submission by the courts.
- Judge Catherine Perry, JD ’80, of the United States
District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, works
one-on-one with her Judicial Clerkship externs.
The course provides an opportunity for students to develop advanced legal research and writing skills. To receive 3 credits, students in this externship are required to work approximately 12 hrs/week and produce 3 major legal memoranda or 30 pages of polished research and writing. To receive 4 credits, students are required to work approximately 16 hrs/week and produce 4 major legal memoranda or 40 pages of polished research and writing. Adjunct Professor Charles Bobinette, a former full time faculty member, teaches this clinical course.
Students have regularly scheduled, individual meetings with the course instructor and are required to submit an outline, first draft, and final draft for each legal memorandum. Students will have 15 minute individual bi-weekly meeting with Professor Bobinette on Mondays between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. There is no final exam. This course is graded on a pass/fail basis.
Pre/co-requisites: A course from the ethics curriculum. Note: Some courts require that students have legal writing experience or have demonstrated their scholastic excellence. Students are not required to have Rule 13 certification.
WITHDRAWAL POLICY: ONCE A STUDENT HAS ACCEPTED HIS/HER PLACEMENT, HE/SHE MAY NOT DROP THIS COURSE AND RISKS RECEIVING A FAILING GRADE (65).
For more information about the Judicial Clerkship, please contact Professor Bobinette at cbobinette@ugbblaw.com or (314) 621-9550.