1. A type of internship in which a law student or recent law-school graduate assists a lawyer or judge with legal writing, research, and other tasks. • In many common-law jurisdictions, recent law-school graduates are required to complete clerkships as a condition of admission to the bar. [Cases: Courts 55. C.J.S. Courts §§ 107–109.]
2. Hist. A law student’s employment as an attorney’s apprentice before gaining admission to the bar. • Until shortly before WWII, in many states a person could be admitted to the bar without attending law school merely by passing the bar exam.
