Summer Clerkship Program
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As a West Virginia native, Bowles Rice has always been a familiar name in the legal industry. However, it wasn’t until my Summer 2025 Clerkship that I truly understood why the firm holds such a strong reputation. Bowles Rice not only provides exceptional legal services, but, above all, prioritizes the people who work there. This commitment is reflected in the hands-on instruction each clerk received. Whether it was drafting motions, appearing in court, or conducting legal research, attorneys at the firm consistently offer opportunities to learn in ways that go beyond the law school classroom. This firm has enabled me to establish meaningful connections in the Pittsburgh area while staying rooted to my home state. I am deeply grateful for my summer at Bowles Rice and what I have learned about pursuing a career in the legal field!"
Emma Coiner
Duquesne University
Thomas R. Kline School of Law
2025 Summer Clerk | Southpointe
"My summer at Bowles Rice was an incredibly fulfilling experience. I appreciated how the firm’s strong mentorship program helped ease the transition from my first year of law school to practice, offering thoughtful guidance and support every step of the way. Throughout the summer I had the chance to explore a range of practice areas, with each assignment providing meaningful, hands-on experience. I was especially grateful for the trust attorneys placed in my work, and it was rewarding to see how the skills I’ve developed in law school translated into real contributions. Bowles Rice fosters a welcoming, professional environment where clerks are truly encouraged to learn and grow."
Nina Dascoli
Washington & Lee University
School of Law
2025 Summer Clerk | Charleston
"My time as a summer clerk at Bowles Rice has been incredibly rewarding—not just because of the legal experience I’ve gained, but because of the remarkable people I’ve had the privilege to work with. The culture here is one of genuine kindness, mutual respect, and a true commitment to mentorship. Bowles Rice is more than just a workplace—it’s a family."
Ben Greear
University of Toledo
College of Law
2025 Summer Clerk | Charleston
"My second summer at Bowles Rice reaffirmed my perspective of the firm's outstanding, people-focused culture. Everyone, from staff to attorneys, was consistently kind, welcoming, and willing to help. The Summer Clerk Program offers law students valuable opportunities to broaden their legal knowledge, gain experience in multiple practice areas, and work in a professional environment. I am truly grateful for the experience and highly recommend the program to any aspiring attorney."
Elizabeth Stern
Duquesne University
Thomas R. Kline School of Law
2025 Summer Clerk | Southpointe
"As a clerk who returned for a second summer, I have now twice seen the effort made by Bowles Rice to make each summer an individualized and personal learning experience. The attorney’s and staff are always willing to lend a much-needed helping hand in the experience of learning how to be a lawyer (while also having fun). I will always be grateful to Bowles Rice for providing me with practical legal knowledge and skills that I can take into my last year at law school. For any clerk searching for a firm to provide you with practice in a variety of legal fields or searching for a firm to help you grow in a particular field, Bowles Rice is the place for you."
Taylor Cochran
West Virginia University
College of Law
2025 Summer Clerk | Charleston
The Bowles Rice Summer Clerk Program is designed to provide a realistic, informative and well-balanced experience that provides each of our participants with a full picture of our firm, our practice areas and the quality of life in the cities in which we live and work. The program also gives the firm an opportunity to get to know and evaluate each summer clerk as a potential associate upon his or her law school graduation.
We recognize that our clerks come to Bowles Rice with varying degrees of experience or knowledge of how a law firm operates, and with a wide range of professional expectations. Our kick-off orientation program gives our new and returning clerks a clear understanding of what to expect and introduces them to the lawyers, staff and other students with whom they will be working.
Each summer clerk is paired with a Bowles Rice lawyer as a mentor, to ensure that the clerk has the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the summer program and receives a well-rounded experience. Their mentor is the summer clerk's principal contact for general firm matters and questions.
Our summer clerks are not assigned to a particular department. Instead, projects are assigned by a team of lawyers who strive to provide each clerk with work and practical experience in as many practice areas and with as many attorneys as possible. This includes not only research and drafting assignments, but also participation in meetings, closings, depositions and observation of trials. Clerks are provided with feedback on their projects, so that there is a complete learning experience during their stay.
Summer clerks from all Bowles Rice offices come together to participate in weekly meetings with the use of our video conferencing technology. As a group, they also visit two or three of the firm's offices during the summer. This provides additional opportunities for them to interact with lawyers, learn about the firm's practice areas and clients in our different offices and have some fun.
That's right – fun! We believe it is important for our clerks to get to know us, and each other, on a more personal level, and we plan a full complement of social activities (such as a whitewater rafting trip, firm-wide parties, baseball games, small dinners at attorneys' homes, organized and unorganized athletics, and other informal gatherings) to encourage such interaction.
In short, our goal is to create an experience for each of our summer clerks that is informative, enjoyable and provides a perspective on the practice of law at Bowles Rice that we believe compares favorably with any other firm, anywhere.