Washington University in St. Louis’s Office of the Vice Chancellor and General Counsel (“OGC”) invites third-year law students and recent law school graduates to apply for the 2022-2023 Cannon Fellowship in Higher Education and Health Law.
About OGC
The Office of the Vice Chancellor and General Counsel (ogc.wustl.edu) manages the legal affairs of Washington University in St. Louis and its affiliated entities, including its internationally recognized School of Medicine. Attorneys with OGC provide representation and counsel on a broad range of legal issues affecting the University including: labor and employment; government contracts and grants; commercial litigation; internal investigations; a broad array of clinical, research, and other health law matters arising from the School of Medicine; faculty appointments and grievance proceedings; research and other regulatory compliance matters; student issues; non-profit tax law; privacy; real estate, financing, affiliation, gifting and other domestic and international business transactions; and intellectual property and technology transfer. OGC attorneys review, prepare and negotiate contracts to which the University is a party. The office represents the University in litigation and before regulatory agencies. When appropriate, OGC also retains and closely supervises outside counsel on particular matters requiring specialized expertise. OGC attorneys themselves average over 18 years of practice experience, and have made their way to OGC from law firm partnerships, the US Attorney’s Office, and other top-tier legal departments.
About the Position
The Office of the Vice Chancellor and General Counsel offers a one-year, non-renewable fellowship to a recent law school graduate, commencing on or about September 2022. The Fellowship is named for Washington University’s esteemed former Executive Vice Chancellor & General Counsel, Michael R. Cannon, who resigned from that position in 2016 after more than twenty-three years of service to the University and continues to serve as a professor and an advisor for the University.
The Cannon Fellowship provides a beginning lawyer with an excellent and unusual opportunity to develop and sharpen technical and professional legal skills in a wide variety of legal and business fields. Operating under the supervision of other OGC attorneys, the Fellow will assume responsibility for a diverse portfolio of legal matters, conduct important legal research directly supportive of client decision-making, and engage directly with senior administrative and faculty members of the client community. The Fellow can expect to prepare memoranda of law; review and draft agreements, university policies, and pleadings; and attend meetings with clients, colleagues and outside counsel related to the work assigned. Supervising attorneys will closely review the Fellow’s work and meet with him or her to provide feedback and mentorship.
By providing substantial exposure to the work and challenges of a university legal department, the Fellowship offers an excellent opportunity for those with an interest in the field of higher education law, health care law, or any of the substantive areas in which OGC practices. Previous Fellows have gone on to pursue opportunities in private practice, non-profit organizations and the federal judiciary.
Applicants must be in the top third of their law school class and must have strong analytical and writing skills, a high level of professional and personal maturity, and an ability to quickly grasp unfamiliar areas of the law. OGC particularly encourages applications from students with a demonstrated interest in higher education law or health care law. The Fellow must sit for a state bar exam the summer before commencement of the Fellowship.
Washington University is an equal opportunity employer. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply. Applicants should submit letters of interest and resumes to OGCFellowship@wustl.edu. Application materials should be submitted by October 15, 2021 to ensure full consideration.
Washington University is an equal opportunity employer. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.
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