We welcome first-year law students attending a Minnesota law school to apply for the 1L Diversity Clerkship.

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2026 Employers

Eleven employers signed up to provide a total of eleven clerkships to students in 2026. Learn more about each employer's practice area, clerkship and candidate requirements.

Brandt Kettwick Defense

Brown and Carlson, PA

Central MN Legal Services

Chestnut Cambronne

Felhaber Larson

Minnesota Judicial Branch - Fourth Judicial District

Hennepin County Adult Representation Services

Hennepin County Attorney's Office

Hennepin County Public Defender

Minnesota Attorney General's Office

Schaefer Halleen LLC

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Application Timeline

• November 10–December 8, 2025: Student Registration  
• January 5–16, 2026: First Round Interviews  
• February 17–February 27, 2026: Employer Interviews  
• March 9, 2026: Matching Preferences Due  
• Week of March 16, 2026: Student-Employer Match Reveals 
• April 2026 (TBD): Summer Orientation 

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Application Process

1. Prepare application materials:

• Resume 
• Personal Statement: Personal statement should be in 12-point Times New Roman font with one-inch margins, and should not exceed two pages. Please address the following topics:
  • How have your identity, background, culture, or life experiences have impacted your journey to law school and/or passion for law?
  • How will your identity, background, culture, and/or or life experiences impact or add value to the legal community in general and the area of law you are interested in practicing?
  • What motivates you to stay and practice law in Minnesota? 
• Undergraduate Transcript with GPA (unofficial transcripts are acceptable). 

Consider contacting your law school's career services office if you have difficulty preparing your application materials.

2. Upload materials and complete application

Upload these materials as PDFs to the application form.

3. Schedule first-round interviews

After you complete your application with date and time preferences, you will be sent a calendar invite with your scheduled interview.

4. Submit Supplemental Materials

Submit a copy of your first semester unofficial transcripts as soon as they are available. A writing sample will be requested for those chosen for second round interviews. 

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What You'll Be Doing

Your participating employer will provide you with legal work, mentoring, frequent performance feedback, and exit interviews during your 8-12 week summer period. In addition, most employers consider their 1L clerkship student(s) an offer to return to work in the future (e.g., school year clerk, 2L summer associate, post-graduation, etc.).  During your clerkship you will conduct legal work including, but not limited to research, writing, analyzing, and engaging in thoughtful analysis in an effort to serve the employer and the employer’s clients. 

In addition to the clerkship, being a part of the 1L Diversity Program will provide you additional opportunities supported by the HCBA and RCBA Diversity Committees including: 

• A summer orientation to help prepare you for your clerkship including support and advice from current and former students and employers, legal writing guidance, and networking with various legal professionals and leaders.
• Summer support includes informal meetups with other 1L Diversity Program clerks, and weekly check-ins and professional advice from 1L Diversity Program Committee members 
• Ongoing resources and opportunities to connect with legal professionals beyond your clerkship 

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