Many law students pursuing appellate careers can get caught up in whether they've checked every box — and when their path doesn't match a rigid standard, it's easy to become discouraged.
Law school gave her the foundation, but it was clerking — along with the guidance and encouragement of her judges — where she found her confidence as a legal professional. That confidence is now carrying her to the highest court in the country.
Juliana Chang, TAP Alum and Judicial Law Clerk for the U.S. District Courts, who will clerk for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson during the 2026-2027 Supreme Court term, knows this firsthand.
And a big congratulations from TAP to Juliana as she begins her upcoming SCOTUS clerkship!
At The Appellate Project, we work to ensure more emerging leaders can access the mentorship and experiences that make a path into appellate law not just possible, but sustainable.
And a huge congratulations to Juliana for her upcoming SCOTUS clerkship!
Rather than treating the stories of lawyers she admired as a strict step-by-step guide, she used them to expand her sense of what was possible and find encouragement along the way. Her path is evidence that there's no one single way to build a career in appellate law.
But Juliana Chang, TAP Alum and Judicial Law Clerk for the U.S. District Courts, who will clerk for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson during the 2026-2027 Supreme Court term, has a different take.
The Appellate Project
Clerkships are one of the most formative experiences an aspiring appellate lawyer can have, but they're also difficult to access without the right guidance and community behind you.
