PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON DIVERSITY IN THE PROFESSION

A judicial clerkship is a highly regarded credential on any lawyer's resume. Former clerks find that a clerkship opens doors to future career opportunities and often results in "their" judge becoming a lifelong friend and mentor. Nevertheless, the numbers of minority law students who become judicial clerks have remained disproportionately low and judges across the country express their concern about the dearth of minority applicants for clerkships.

Justice Frank Sullivan, Jr., of the Indiana Supreme Court was one of those judges concerned about the lack of minority judicial clerks. Recruiting and mentoring minority law students as law clerks has always been a personal priority for him. So, when Judge Ezra Friedlander of the Indiana Court of Appeals invited him to participate in the ABA Judicial Clerkship Program that was being co-sponsored by the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession and the ABA Judicial Division, Justice Sullivan was intrigued. He saw the program as a means to help minority law students better understand the benefits of clerking.

Students like David P. Avila.

David had recently returned to the United States from an externship with the South African Parliament. The dean of his law school suggested that he consider applying for a clerkship after completing law school. David had a keen interest in the political development of South Africa and was planning on returning to that country to pursue his L.L.M., but the dean's suggestion regarding a clerkship was something he wanted to research further. He didn't want to rule anything out just yet. Besides, David admits that he had been fascinated with the workings and dynamics of the most important court in the nation when he read The Brethren by John Grisham.

The two men met at the Judicial Clerkship Program in San Diego during the 2001 ABA Midyear Meeting. The program's objective -- to foster relationships between judges and minority law students -- is achieved through sessions and activities that simulate the experiences one would have when working for a judge. For Justice Sullivan and David, the 2-½ day program, with its panel presentations and small working groups gave them a number of opportunities to work together on a simulated research assignment while getting to know each other.

David's participation in the Judicial Clerkship Program eventually led to an offer to clerk for Justice Sullivan. David is now in his second year of that clerkship. Justice Sullivan says that the work of the court benefits when judges and clerks from all different backgrounds can bring to the table a wide variety of perspectives to the legal problems we face every day. Working with David and other minority clerks has allowed him to share some of his own experiences but has also afforded him an opportunity to learn a few things from them.

David says that working with Justice Sullivan has been one of the best experiences he could ever have. He describes Justice Sullivan as a decisive thinker who sincerely values the interactions he has with his law clerks, and a man whose solid moral character is a source of inspiration. From the way Justice Sullivan organizes his days and manages the affairs of the court, David says that he has learned several important lessons that have gone beyond the lessons involved in honing one's legal analysis and writing skills. David, is determined to live up to Justice Sullivan's faith and trust in him and his fellow clerks. According to David, clerking for Justice Sullivan has supplied him with more tools for the profession than he ever imagined when he first glimpsed the hallowed chambers of the Indiana Supreme Court, tools that will stand him in good stead, wherever he goes. And likely, with Justice Sullivan as his mentor, David will go far.

Exerpted from 2003 Goal IX Report