The M. Catherine Richardson (1L Diversity) Clerkship Program
Bond, Schoeneck & King offers The M. Catherine Richardson Clerkship Program, open to 1L law student applicants. The purpose of The M. Catherine Richardson Clerkship Program is to provide meaningful law firm experience to aspiring law students from historically excluded communities who bring diversity to the legal profession. To learn more about Bond’s diversity initiatives, please visit www.bsk.com/our-firm/diversity.
The clerkship runs for ten to twelve weeks. At least one applicant will be selected for each year. For the 2023 program, those interested in working out of the Syracuse or Albany, NY office will receive priority. However, other New York offices may be considered. It is anticipated that the clerkship will require approximately 40 hours per week. This is a paid position.
Eligibility Criteria
- The applicant must be a full-time student in good standing in their first year of law school at an ABA accredited law school.
- The applicant must be a member of a historically excluded group.
- The applicant must have demonstrated solid academic performance.
Application Details
- The 2023 application is now open. The deadline to apply is January 30, 2023. There is no benefit to applying before this date as all applications will be reviewed after the deadline.
- We partner with many New York law schools. Students are encouraged to apply through the law school placement office when possible.
- If we do not partner with your law school, write-in applications can be submitted by sending required application materials to our Recruiting Coordinator, Jesse Pardee, jpardee@bsk.com.
- Required Application Materials:
- Official first-year law school transcript (which may be only the fall semester). If applicant’s grades are not available by January 30, 2023, they may be submitted later.
- Current resume (which must include undergraduate GPA or class standing).
- A typed personal statement of 1,000 words or less. The statement should include an explanation of all the following: (1) your professional aspirations as a lawyer; (2) the way(s) in which you meet the eligibility requirements, which can include personal experiences, ways you have worked to effect change and your thoughts on the importance of diversity within the legal profession; and (3) your office location(s) of interest as well as articulate any connection to the area(s).
Selection Criteria
Bond will review applications, conduct interviews, and select the successful applicant. In addition to academic performance and community involvement, an important factor on which selection decisions will be based is the student’s interest in working at Bond. Immediate family or household members of Bond, Schoeneck & King members and employees are ineligible. Please note that the student will be responsible for providing their own lodging for the duration of the clerkship.
About Bond
Bond is a firm of 285 attorneys serving private and public sector clients and individuals in a broad range of practice areas. Bond has offices across New York State, including New York City, White Plains, Garden City and Melville; Naples and West Palm Beach, Florida; Red Bank, New Jersey and Kansas City. We represent clients from across the nation in a variety of practice areas including employee benefits, intellectual property, labor, higher education, business, litigation and NCAA compliance.
Future Employment with Bond
The M. Catherine Richardson Clerkship Program is entirely separate and apart from Bond’s 2L summer law clerk hiring process. A student selected for The M. Catherine Richardson Clerkship Program is not guaranteed future employment with Bond, Schoeneck & King, nor employment with us as a 2L summer clerk. However, one of our goals is to become acquainted with eligible law students who may be interested in applying for our 2L summer clerk program or employment with us after graduation. Therefore, we encourage clerkship applicants, whether selected for the M. Catherine Richardson Clerkship or not, to apply for our 2L summer clerk program. Please be advised that our 2L summer clerk program has a separate application process. An application for the M. Catherine Richardson Clerkship Program is not considered an application for our 2L summer clerk program or any other employment with Bond, Schoeneck & King.
