Career Paths: Garrett Rice ’15L

By Peter Jetton
April 30, 2015

Garrett Rice is a 2012 graduate of Lafayette College and is originally from Mercersburg, PA. He is involved in the law school as a Law Review editor and as a member of Omicron Delta Kappa. He spent his 1L and 2L summers working for Steptoe & Johnson PLLC and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, respectively.

Who will you be clerking for, and what will your responsibilities be?

I will be clerking on the Delaware Supreme Court for Chief Justice Leo E. Strine, Jr. I will primarily assist Chief Justice Strine in preparing for oral arguments and drafting opinions. I’m also looking forward to helping with any law review articles or other academic projects that are available.

Why are you interested in clerking after graduation?  

Not only does a clerkship look fantastic on a resume, but it will give me tremendous exposure to substantive law that I might not otherwise get right out of law school. Additionally, I will have the unique opportunity to have a front row seat in seeing how some of the nation’s most important corporate law cases are ultimately decided.

How did you secure this clerkship?  

I began applying for clerkships in February of my 2L year and had my first interview by March. The Office of Career Strategy gave me amazing advice throughout the application process, from helping me choose what clerkships to apply for to ensuring that my recommendation letters were on time and properly addressed. The clerkship committee was another invaluable resource, helping me to evaluate my chances of landing particular clerkships and preparing me via a mock clerkship interview. I also met with a few of my professors regularly to keep them updated on the status of my search and to get their opinions on what judges I might be a good fit with. Finally, I spoke with multiple W&L alumni and 3L students who had worked for courts and judges that I was interested in clerking for. Each of them was really excited to talk with me and gave me tips that I otherwise wouldn’t have considered.

Which W&L classes and/or experiences do you think were most helpful in preparing you for clerking?  

Two experiences have been absolutely crucial in preparing me to clerk at the appellate level. First, I currently extern for Judge Robert B. King on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. By working with Judge King and his clerks, I am getting a true sneak peak at how an appellate chambers operates, as well as what role a law clerk serves. Second, I am taking W&L’s appellate advocacy practicum, which is taught by the Virginia Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Lemons.

How is clerking linked to your career objectives?  

Generally speaking, clerking is closely tied with my goal to be a litigator. But clerking on the Delaware Supreme Court is more specifically linked with my career goal of litigating corporate law cases. The opportunity to clerk for Chief Justice Strine, especially given his former position as Chancellor on the Delaware Court of Chancery, fits perfectly with my ambitions as a practicing attorney.

What are you most looking forward to about this clerkship position?

I’m excited to be a sponge and really soak in both the substantive law and lawyering skills that I’m exposed to. Beyond that, I am looking forward to learning from both Chief Justice Strine and the other justices. I anticipate improving my legal writing skills and my ability to think critically about difficult legal issues.