Opportunities available to law students to work with The University of Michigan Office of the Vice President & General Counsel
The University of Michigan Office of the Vice President & General Counsel (OVPGC) offers several opportunities for highly qualified law students to work with OVPGC during both the academic year and summer months.
Positions in our programs are generally filled by students from The University of Michigan Law School who, in the case of the summer clerkship program, have just completed their first year of law school, and, for the academic-year clerkship and externship programs, are in their second or third year of law school. While the academic-year programs are limited to The University of Michigan Law School students, we do also consider students from other law schools for our summer program (see application instructions below).
Law clerks accepted into our clerkship or externship programs work closely with seasoned attorneys on practical experiences to learn substantively about the practice of law in an in-house, university-based environment with a world renowned academic medical center. Our clerks receive hands-on training, experience, and mentoring, and they develop unique and practical skills they will carry with them throughout their careers.
Clerkship Programs
Our clerkship programs (summer and academic-year) are unique because they offer rotational exposure to OVPGC’s campus-facing and Michigan Medicine practice areas. When assisting with campus-facing legal issues, our clerks work with our OVPGC team located across the Ann Arbor campus (e.g., in the Ruthven Building, Wolverine Tower, the North Campus Research Complex, Athletics, and the Investment Office) on University legal matters such as: litigation; labor and employment; educational affairs and governance; business and transactions; athletics; charitable giving; and compliance. When working on Michigan Medicine legal matters, our law clerks will assist Michigan Medicine-facing OVPGC attorneys in the North Ingalls Building on matters such as: transactional; regulatory and litigation matters involving clinical services; research; pharmacy; affiliations; real estate; compliance; and procurement.
Applying for our Summer Clerkship Program
Law students from The University of Michigan Law School that are interested in applying for a position in OVPGC’s summer clerkship program should inquire about interviewing through the Winter OCI process conducted by the Office of Career Planning.
Law students from other law schools that are interested in applying for our summer clerkship program should send an introductory email to OGCClerkProgram@umich.edu, including a cover letter detailing your experience and interest in the position as well as a resume. A member of OVPGC will respond to discuss your candidacy and the application process for the upcoming summer.
Applying for our Academic-Year Clerkship Program
Our academic-year clerkship program positions are typically filled by clerks continuing with OVPGC from a previous summer clerk position. However, there are times where we may have additional openings for law students from The University of Michigan Law School. Accordingly, law students from The University of Michigan Law School that are interested in an academic-year law clerk position with OVPGC should send an introductory email to OGCClerkProgram@umich.edu, including a cover letter detailing your experience and interest in the position as well as a resume. A member of OVPGC will respond to discuss your candidacy and the application process for the upcoming academic term.
Externship Programs
On occasion, OVPGC welcomes part-time externs during the academic year. Externs are not paid employees and, instead, receive course credit for the work completed while an extern. When evaluating whether to accept an extern for an upcoming academic term, OVPGC considers whether there are sufficient projects and opportunities available during the academic term to fulfill the requirements of an externship before agreeing to serve as an externship placement. Based on these, and other relevant considerations, OVPGC may decline to serve as an externship placement for an upcoming academic term.
Law students from The University of Michigan Law School that are interested in applying for a part-time externship in OVPGC during the academic year should first inquire about the externship process and commitment through the University of Michigan Law School Externship Office.
If, following the introductory meeting with the University of Michigan Law School Externship Office, law students are still interested in pursuing a possible part-time externship in OVPGC, students should send an introductory email to OGCClerkProgram@umich.edu, including a cover letter detailing your experience and interest in the position as well as a resume. A member of OVPGC will respond to discuss your candidacy and the application process for the upcoming academic term.
