Members of the Cumberland School of Law class of 2024 have plans to work in large and small law firms, corporate offices, and district attorneys’ and public defenders’ offices, among other employers. Several graduates will begin their legal careers by serving as law clerks for federal and state court judges.
Judicial clerkships, which are awarded through a highly competitive application process, provide unique opportunities for new lawyers to see litigation from the judges’ side of the bench.
Two graduates will work at the Supreme Court of Alabama. Austin Foss, who was editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy, will clerk for Associate Justice Sarah Stewart. Lauren Lester, who was managing editor of the Cumberland Law Review and a member of moot court competition teams, will clerk for Associate Justice Greg Cook.
Four more graduates will serve as law clerks for federal judges.
Taylor Neill will work for Judge Austin Huffaker of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. During her time at Cumberland, Neill was the research editor of the Cumberland Law Review and a Caruthers Fellow, assisting the legal research and writing program. Neill was one of 36 law students nationwide to participate in the Judicial Clerkship Opinion Writing Conference held at Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.
Courtney Pomeroy, who was editor-in-chief of the Cumberland Law Review, will work for Magistrate Judge Gray Borden of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Pomeroy commented on the clerkship opportunity, “When I first learned about judicial clerkships during my first year, I knew they were something I wanted to pursue. Accordingly, I spent the summer after my first year externing in the Northern District of Alabama, thanks to the help of several of my professors at Cumberland School of Law. My externships only bolstered my desire to apply for a position with the Honorable Gray M. Borden, whom I’ll spend the next two years clerking for. I cannot wait to gain invaluable experience, improve my legal writing and reasoning skills and spend time in chambers with an incredible team. It is not lost on me that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I am grateful to Cumberland School of Law for getting me there.”
Another 2024 graduate, Kynsley Rae Blasingame, will work for a law firm next year before clerking for District Judge Madeline Haikala of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama during the 2025-26 term. Blasingame was the student materials editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
Katie Philyaw will work for Senior District Judge Curtis L. Collier of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Philyaw was the writing and bluebook editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
In addition to these 2024 graduates, two recent Cumberland alumni also will serve as judicial law clerks next year. After completing a clerkship with Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Greg Cook, Haleigh Chambliss, JD ’23, will work for District Judge Anna Manasco of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama during the 2024-25 term. And after completing a two-year clerkship with Magistrate Judge Katherine Nelson of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, Pierce Ostwalt, JD ’22, will work for Associate Justice Shawn LaGrua of the Supreme Court of Georgia during the 2024-25 term. Ostwalt commented on his clerkship experience and said, “Serving as a law clerk is a truly invaluable experience that I would recommend every Cumberland student pursue. Every day presents a new opportunity to learn and see the law in action from a judge’s perspective. I will carry each of the lessons learned in this role with me throughout my career.”
In recent years, Cumberland School of Law graduates have served as law clerks for judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States District Courts for the Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Alabama. Others have worked for judges on the Supreme Court of Alabama and the Court of Civil Appeals, as well as state trial courts in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Tuscaloosa.
Learn more about Cumberland School of Law’s preparation for judicial clerkships.
