Securing a clerkship at the U.S. Supreme Court is one of the most prestigious opportunities available to a recent law school graduate.
This year, University of Chicago Law School alumni have achieved a remarkable milestone: Our graduates are clerking for seven of the Court’s nine justices during the October 2025-26 term.
The seven alumni serve under Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and associate justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
While not an all-time record—UChicago Law had nine alumni clerking in the October 2021-22 term—this is a significant achievement that underscores the Law School’s position as a pipeline for top-level federal clerkships. UChicago Law has had at least one graduate clerking at the Supreme Court in 52 of the past 53 terms, with multiple clerks in 41 of those years.
“The fact that seven of our graduates have landed Supreme Court clerkships—just a few years after a record-setting year with nine clerks—speaks to the exceptional caliber of lawyers emerging from UChicago Law,” said Jonathan S. Masur, co-chair of the Law School’s Clerkship Committee.
Masur, the John P. Wilson Professor of Law, also highlighted the significance of the breadth of placements.
“We are especially proud that our graduates clerk for seven different justices, including our first-ever clerks for Justices Sotomayor and Jackson,” he said. “This reflects the wide range of students who thrive at UChicago and go on to make a profound impact in the legal world.”
Thomas J. Miles, former dean and the Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law and Economics, echoed this. He also emphasized the role of rigorous intellectual training in preparing students for such elite positions.
“At the Law School, we challenge our students to think deeply, reason rigorously, and engage in the most complex legal questions of our time,” Miles said. “These clerkship placements are a testament to their hard work and to the faculty’s commitment to fostering excellence. We are incredibly proud of these alumni and look forward to the contributions they will make to the legal profession.”
The following are the seven alumni who are clerking for Supreme Court justices.
Gabrielle Dohmen, JD’23: Clerk for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
Before her current position, Dohmen had clerked for Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. She also previously clerked for Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. At the Law School, she was a Rubenstein Scholar, a Kirkland & Ellis Scholar and the executive articles editor of the Law Review.
She received the Ann Watson Barber Outstanding Service Award and the Herbert L. Caplan Prize for Reform in Public & Constitutional Law. She graduated with high honors and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
“I think UChicago does a great job of teaching students how to conduct a rigorous legal inquiry and, more generally, how to think about legal issues,” Dohmen said. “What I’ve found most helpful in my clerkships so far, and what I hope holds true for my clerkship with Justice Jackson, is that my time at UChicago Law gave me an instinct for how to drill down on a case until I really understood every aspect. Those instincts have been invaluable when it comes to giving recommendations on how to decide a case.”
Dohmen credits her path to the Supreme Court to the unwavering support of professors including Lior J. Strahilevitz, Jonathan S. Masur, Geoffrey R. Stone, JD’71, William H. J. Hubbard, JD’00, William Baude, Bridget Fahey, John Rappaport and Craig Futterman.
“I would not have this amazing opportunity without them,” Dohmen said.
Caitlin Fennelly Ferguson, JD’24: Clerk for Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Previously clerking for Judge Amul Thapar on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Ferguson was a Kirkland & Ellis Scholar and a member of the Law Review and Federalist Society. She graduated with high honors and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
“Clerking at the Supreme Court has been a dream of mine since I started at UChicago,” she said. “At the Law School, my professors and peers pushed me to think deeply about the law, and my mentors were instrumental in encouraging me to pursue this path.”
She found courses in civil procedure, evidence, habeas and federal courts particularly formative in her quest for a clerkship.
Ferguson is delighted to have six other UChicago Law graduates joining her as Supreme Court clerks this fall.
“I’m excited to meet the alums I haven’t already met, and reconnect with the ones I have,” she said. “It's a testament to the quality of the instruction at UChicago that there are so many alumni clerking at the same time.”
Brynne Follman, JD’23: Clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts
Previously clerking for Judge Jennifer Rearden of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and having clerked before that for Judge Stephanos Bibas on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Follman was a Kirkland & Ellis Scholar, a Law Review articles editor, and an active member in the Law Women’s Caucus and the American Constitution Society. She graduated with high honors and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
“UChicago Law prepared me to be excited for a challenge,” Follman said. “I remember Prof. [Saul] Levmore telling my 1L torts class to run toward the trickiest legal questions, not to hide from them. And I also remember him daring us to speak our minds. Throughout my time at the Law School, I felt the community embrace both practices: diving headfirst into new ideas but returning to the surface long enough to approach disagreement with an open mind.”
Follman said one of the things that excites her most about her clerking for the U.S. Supreme Court is the court’s collaborative nature.
“UChicago Law taught me to seek out perspectives that differ from my own and find common ground,” she said. “I look forward to learning how to build consensus when stakes are high.”
She is also thrilled to be working alongside so many other UChicago Law alumni, “including friends from my earliest classes in Law School—I appreciate the shared experiences we will all bring to this next chapter.”
To others considering pursuing a U.S. Supreme Court clerkship, Follman advised: “The application process can feel daunting, but UChicago Law gives us the tools to succeed. Take the chance. Don’t count yourself out.”
Kate Harris, JD’21: Clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Previously an associate who focuses on trial and appellate litigation in the Washington, D.C., office of Hecker Fink LLP, Harris had before clerked for Judge David Hamilton on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. At the Law School, she was a Kirkland & Ellis Scholar, the Law Review’s executive articles editor and the recipient of the Ann Watson Barber Outstanding Service Award.
Harris also received the Edward W. Hinton Memorial Cup for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy for first place in the Hinton Moot Court Competition. She graduated with high honors and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
Reflecting on her time at the Law School, Harris said her formative experiences included learning to solve difficult problems creatively from Prof. Daniel Hemel; understanding what it means to be a fierce advocate from Prof. Alison Siegler; and developing a perspective of how rules actually impact people from Prof. Emily Buss.
“I carry all of these lessons (and many, many more) with me and know that so many people at UChicago Law helped shape the person and lawyer I am today,” Harris said.
She also credits Prof. Bridget Fahey for critical guidance: “Her brilliance and kindness were instrumental, and thanks to her, I walked into my interview fully ready to be myself.”
To current law students and recent alumni seeking to position themselves for a prominent clerkship, Harris advised: “Focus on being present, building intentional relationships, making the most of every opportunity and taking the next best step forward. At the end of the day, so much of the process is out of your control and it is difficult to predict what shape anyone’s path may take, let alone what yours will be. But you can control how you meet each moment and learn from those around you so that you can become a better lawyer, leader and person.”
Matthew Phillips, JD’23: Clerk for Justice Amy Coney Barrett
Previously clerking for Judge Neomi Rao, JD’99, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Phillips had before clerked for Judge Julius Richardson, JD‘03, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. At the Law School he was a Kirkland & Ellis Scholar, the recipient of the Mark Mamolen Prize in Business and a staff member of the Legal Forum.
He was a member of the Edmund Burke Society, serving as chairman, secretary and chief whip, and the Federalist Society, serving as vice president. Phillips was also the chair of the Joseph Story Award, as well as social chair. He graduated with high honors and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
“I see clerking at the court as an opportunity to serve my country and contribute to the development of the law,” Phillips said of his upcoming U.S. Supreme Court clerkship. “I also hope to grow in my craft as a lawyer through wrestling with hard questions and interacting with the justices and my fellow clerks.”
Reflecting on his time at the Law School, he observed: “UChicago Law taught me to love big ideas and never settle for surface-level answers or half-baked solutions. I am particularly grateful for the faculty at the Law School, whose mentorship and guidance were indispensable to my personal and professional development.”
To other law students seeking to follow similar professional pathway, Phillips advised: “Be curious. Grades are obviously important, but it’s just as important that you develop a hunger for knowledge and the capacity to think for yourself.”
Micah Quigley, JD’21: Clerk for Justice Neil Gorsuch
Previously associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Gibson Dunn, Quigley had before clerked for judges Andrew Oldham of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Neomi Rao, JD’99 of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
A Rubenstein Scholar, he served on Law Review and won both the Herbert L. Caplan Prize for Creative Legal Thinking and the Sidley Austin Prize for Excellence in Brief Writing. He graduated with highest honors and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
“I first started reading judicial opinions before law school, and I was immediately enamored with the Supreme Court,” Quigley said. “There is something truly special about the Anglo-American tradition of using both reason and inherited wisdom to decide cases.”
Given his interest in judicial decision making, it was not difficult for Quigley to pick a professional goal for the early part of his career.
"Naturally—once I learned what a ‘clerkship’ was—I concluded that clerking for a Supreme Court justice would be an immense privilege. I hope to discharge my duties well.”
Will Strench, JD’21: Clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas
Previously an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Jones Day who focuses on appellate advocacy and complex litigation, Strench had before clerked for Chief Judge William Pryor of the U.S. Court of Appeals of the Eleventh Circuit and Judge Neomi Rao, JD’99, of the U.S. Court of Appeals of the D.C. Circuit.
At the Law School, he was a Law Review comments editor, graduated with high honors and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
Strench said that a U.S. Supreme Court clerkship “is a unique opportunity to do what I most love about law, chasing down hard intellectual problems with concrete impacts, at the highest stakes and working for and with wonderful and talented people. I don’t think I even considered it a possibility until my mentors mentioned it to me, so being here is beyond my highest hopes for my career.”
To others contemplating pursuing a U.S. Supreme Court clerkship, Strench advises: “Hit the ground running in law school, look for clerkships where you can learn and grow a lot, and find ways to deepen the intellectual foundations of your studies beyond just what it takes to pass classes and perform in the day-to-day.”
—Adapted from an article originally published on the UChicago Law website.
