Clerk Program
Overview/Goals
The Chester Willcox & Saxbe, LLP clerkship program (during the summer and school-year) provides law students with an opportunity to become acquainted with all areas of the firm's practice. Clerks receive assignments directly from the attorneys with whom they will be working. Every effort is made to ensure that each clerk has an opportunity to work with as many CWS lawyers on as many different matters as possible. Clerks with interests in specific areas of our practice are encouraged to request assignments in those areas. Examples of projects recently completed by CWS clerks include:
- Initial drafts of requests for admission, interrogatories and document requests in a contract fraud and intentional tort case
- Review and analysis of due diligence for a proposed merger involving a NYSE company
- Participation in a mediation involving a utility/coal burning power plant
- Initial draft of a contract for the construction of an internet web site for a business client
- Assistance in a document production/review for a minority-owned HMO case involving more than a million documents
- Preparation of the first drafts of complaints, answers and substantive motions, including motions for summary judgment and motions to dismiss in various different business and commercial cases
- Attendance at client meetings and court conferences
Training
Upon arrival, clerks receive an orientation and are assigned a mentor. The mentors help ensure each clerk gets exposure to a variety of challenging projects, provide guidance, answer questions, address concerns, and give feedback on projects and progress.
Over the years, the firm has found it to be advantageous, both to clerks and to CWS attorneys, to foster an environment where learning takes places naturally through the process of working on a variety of assignments with a variety of lawyers without a formal rotation or classroom training component. Most matters at the firm are handled by no more than one partner and one or two associates. This structure provides clerks with the opportunity to assume significant responsibility and to work directly with clients shortly after arriving at the firm. It also means that clerk relationships with partners and associates are close and informal, as the experiences and ideas of each are shared on a regular basis. This environment provides an experience more similar to what a first year associate encounters than many typical clerk programs.
Throughout the program, clerks are exposed to a variety of seminars in substantive law and practice development areas as well as some social events.
Formal reviews and progress reports are conducted as part of the program to supplement the routine feedback provided by the lawyers with whom the clerks have worked.
Recruiting
Chester Willcox & Saxbe, LLP is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination based upon race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, color, creed or national origin in the hiring practices of the firm.
Chester Willcox & Saxbe, LLP recruits on-campus at The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law and Capital University Law School. Additionally, resumes are collected at law schools throughout Ohio and leading law schools in the United States. In the past, Chester Willcox & Saxbe, LLP has hired law students from Yale, Case Western Reserve, Michigan, Toledo, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Capital and Ohio State as clerks.
We seek individuals who, in addition to having demonstrated superior academic achievement in college and law school, exhibit ability, initiative, judgment, and character as well as a willingness to work together to preserve the values which have made Chester Willcox & Saxbe's working atmosphere unique. CWS believes that one of its greatest strengths is its commitment to maintain its status as a medium size firm where everyone knows each other on a first name basis. We genuinely care about one another and enjoy working together. As a result, the associates, staff and clerks tend to have a greater involvement in the decision-making process at CWS than is typical at most firms.
Generally, CWS hires three law clerks for the summer, with one of the three positions being reserved for a clerk obtained through the Columbus Bar Association's Minority Clerkship Program. The firm does not typically consider first-year law students for clerkships. Summer associate compensation is competitive with the local market.
Full-time clerk positions are often available during the school year for night students who are looking for full-time employment. In addition to the full-time school-year clerk positions, the firm has a part-time Winter Minority Clerk Program which provides a paid position (up to fifteen hours per week) during winter term.
Recruitment of summer clerks takes place in the fall with hiring decisions completed by late fall. Inquiries from interested law students may be sent to the attention of Ms. Kit Murphy, Chief Operating Officer.
Quotes from Former Law Clerks
"I had a great time working at Chester Willcox & Saxbe, LLP. The environment was very comfortable and all of the attorneys and staff members were remarkable. The mentoring I received was especially meaningful. Many attorneys were eager to help me gain knowledge of the law and gave me advice on how to reach my career goals. I was able to find the areas of law that most interested me by working with associates and partners on projects in different practice areas. Moreover, I gained invaluable knowledge and experience by attending court hearings, conducting detailed research, writing interrogatories, and drafting various motions and memorandums. I found Chester Willcox & Saxbe, LLP to be an outstanding law firm and it was a pleasure to work there."
-- Daryl Jones - former summer clerk
"I have learned so much this summer at CWS. I have gained invaluable experience from working on projects ranging from research memos to motions filed with the court. One of the greatest aspects of CWS is the open atmosphere at the firm, which encourages interaction between summer clerks, associates and even the most senior lawyers."
-- Tracy Genshaft - former summer clerk
"Working at Chester, Willcox & Saxbe has been a very valuable experience for me. I've learned a tremendous amount about the practice of law that simply cannot be taught in a classroom."
-- Michelle Landon - former summer clerk