On March 13, students and judges gathered in Boston College Law School’s Barat House for an inaugural program called Breakfast with the Bench. The event was designed to introduce students to judicial clerkships and the judges who hire law clerks. It was open to all BC Law students interested in a postgraduate clerkship.
“Clerkships are often one of the most rewarding and formative experiences a lawyer can have, but they can also feel mysterious, especially for students who would otherwise have limited exposure to judges or law clerks,” said Professor Cheryl Bratt, a co-chair, with Chris Teague, of the BC Law Clerkship Committee. “This event helped break down some of those barriers and make judicial clerkships seem much more concrete, accessible, and most importantly, something that our students can really begin to see as part of their own professional journeys,” she added.
The eight judges included three BC Law alumni: Judge James McGiffin ’85 of the Delaware Family Court, Magistrate Judge Christopher Morgan ’06 of the US District Court in Massachusetts, and Judge Lara Montecalvo ’00 of the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Other institutions represented were the Appeals, Supreme Judicial, and Bankruptcy courts of Massachusetts, and the US District Court of Maryland.
The bulk of the program consisted of three 25-minute small group rotations, in which the judges would remain at one of eight tables and groups of seven students would rotate. The student groups were intentionally assigned beforehand, taking into account their professional interests.
The goal was to open up each table to authentic conversation. The judges would begin by describing their background, and would then accept student questions. The aim was to expose students to diverse judicial paths while fostering genuine connection between students and judges.
After the three rounds of discussion, there was a 20-minute break for everyone to mingle informally, enabling students to speak with judges they did not meet in the group discussions. To close out the event, a panel of four law clerks provided application advice to students.
The event achieved its goals. “The responses from both students and judges have been overwhelmingly positive,” said Bratt. “I suspect that the relationships and insights born from this event will have lasting, positive impacts on our students’ professional development and on the bench’s view of BC Law.”
Breakfast with the Bench did indeed make a positive impression on student Harpreet Harrideo ’28. “The conversations highlighted that each judge has a unique professional journey and personal story that shaped their path to the bench,” he observed. “It goes to show that there is ‘no one-size fits all’ method, and that becoming a judge doesn’t always have a ‘right’ path.”
Harrideo was also inspired by how approachable and human the judges were, which reminded him that while they hold positions of great responsibility, they were once in the shoes of aspiring and eager attorneys. “Their humility and passion to help inspire and motivate newer attorneys was evident in their discussions,” he said, noting that their ability to recognize and thoughtfully separate personal biases from judicial decision-making is a skill that is important in making decisions.
“The event truly exceeded our expectations,” said Bratt, “and we absolutely hope to build on this momentum and host the program again in the future.”
Photograph by Kasra Raffi ’28