Wisconsin Lawyer
Vol. 80, No. 8, August 2007
Klingele is first U.W. law school grad in 65 years to clerk for U.S. Supreme Court
Cecelia Klingele decided the U.W. Law School was for her when she saw a diaper-changing table in the women's bathroom.
That decision - along with a lot of help from her husband, her in-laws, and fellow students who also are parents - allowed the mother of five to achieve a record that earned her the honor of being chosen as a law clerk for a U.S. Supreme Court justice, the first U.W. Law School graduate in more than 65 years to earn the honor. Klingele will start work in July 2008 for Justice John Paul Stevens. Following the one-year appointment, Klingele plans to practice criminal law and eventually teach.
She currently is finishing a two-year clerkship for U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb in Madison and later this summer will begin clerking for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Susan Harrell Black in Jacksonville, Fla.
Klingele credits the U.W. Law School for being supportive of students who have parental responsibilities. She worked at the Remington Center (as a teaching assistant and providing legal assistance for prisoners) with two daughters resting under her desk, got a scholarship even during an initial part-time year, studied with a group of student parents, and was encouraged by faculty to apply for the Supreme Court post.
Klingele's experience as a foster parent steered her toward the study of law, with a focus on child welfare. Later, a criminal law course helped to change her direction. "Criminal justice policy and child welfare issues came together in criminal law. It is an intersection of all sorts of social issues - race, poverty, abuse, neglect, and public safety. I'm trying to find a way to balance all those things."
During her District Court clerkship, Klingele taught an advanced legal writing course at the law school to prepare students for judicial clerkships and internships. She is a member of the ABA's committees on sentencing and corrections and serves on the Corrections Committee's Prisoner Health Care Task Force.
Wisconsin Lawyer
