Career Paths: Christian Davis ’26L After graduation, Christian Davis will clerk for Justice D. Garrison Hill on the Supreme Court of South Carolina.

Christian Davis ’26L

Christian Davis ‘26L is from Newberry, South Carolina. He graduated from Yale University in 2023 with a B.A. in ethics, politics, and economics. After law school, he will serve his home state as a judicial clerk for Justice D. Garrison Hill on the Supreme Court of South Carolina. He enjoys running and hiking the many trails of Lexington, playing tennis, reading, and learning increasingly complicated strategy board games. He married his wife just before 1L fall exams, and the two of them welcomed their twin daughters into the world right before his 3L fall exams. In all things, he seeks to reflect and magnify the glory of God.

Did you know coming into law school that you wanted to clerk?

I did not! In fact, when I started law school I was fairly confident that clerking wasn’t for me. By my 2L summer I was working as a summer associate at my dream firm with not a thought in my mind about clerking. It wasn’t until my advanced legal writing professor encouraged me to consider a judicial clerkship that I really began to imagine what that opportunity might look like for me.

Was there anything in your law school or summer job experience that confirmed this career choice?

During my 2L summer associateship, my firm organized a trip to the South Carolina Supreme Court. There, we heard oral argument for the contentious League of Women Voters of South Carolina v. Alexander case, which revolved around alleged partisan gerrymandering by the South Carolina legislature. After the hearing, we met with several of the justices and their clerks. It was only after speaking with them and hearing their experiences that I began applying for clerkships.

What classes do you think are helpful to prepare for this job?

My Advanced Legal Writing class prepared me for this job more so than any other, but several other classes were instrumental in ensuring I was ready to serve as a judicial clerk. I’m sure I would not be nearly competent as a clerk without Legal Research, Constitutional Law, the Appellate Advocacy Practicum, and my experience on W&L Law Review.

Can you describe the job search process?

It was actually a fairly informal process. I knew I wanted to clerk for my state Supreme Court, so I did some research on the current justices and picked two to apply to. There wasn’t any sort of official application process; I just emailed the current clerks, asked what sort of application materials were expected, and then sent over my materials. I had a very conversational interview and was honored, surprised, and delighted to receive an offer just a few weeks later.

What are you most looking forward to about this job?

The opportunity to learn new things about the law and to faithfully serve my home state.