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Meet Rachel Brown

Meet Rachel Brown

SHJ is proud to welcome our largest-ever class of summer associates to the firm.

Rachel Brown is a rising 3L at The University of Chicago Law School, where her contributions include serving as president of the Federalist Society. Starting fall 2022, Rachel will spend a year clerking for the Honorable James D. Blacklock of the Supreme Court of Texas. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Political Science, and Psychology from The University of Alabama.

When did you decide to pursue law?

Both of my parents are lawyers, so the legal profession is in my blood. I also loved all the reading, research, and writing assignments I completed in my undergrad classes. That drew me to participate in mock trial, where I completely fell in love with the law; I knew law school was the next step.

How did you connect with SHJ?

Going into the OCI process, I was eager to find a high-quality litigation firm to spend my summer with. With my interest in both trial and appellate work, I was impressed by SHJ’s great trial and appellate records. And, because they’re a small boutique firm, I knew I could rack up hands-on experience early on in my career. I interviewed with Andy Hicks and Adam Dinnell, who are both very friendly and down to earth. They seemed like people I would genuinely enjoy working with.

What is your day-to-day like? How are you finding the work and the culture?

Everyone at SHJ is so welcoming. They go out of their way to get to know me and loop me in on projects. In just one week, I’ve already gotten to work on five assignments in a number of different practice areas.

I’m really looking forward to building on my prior experience. I’ve worked at two big firms and externed for a judge on the Ninth Circuit, and those positions all helped me develop a strong baseline skill set of research, writing, and interpersonal communication. Now I can get to work honing a more specific litigation skill set at SHJ.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I’ve set my sights on a career as a litigator. That’s a big reason why I wanted to clerk for the Texas Supreme Court, where I’ll be able to experience the whole process from the other side and learn what judges value in an argument. I know I can put those insights to good use wherever I go next.