Corporate Fellowship Program
The Moritz Corporate Fellowship Program places new graduates of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law within the general counsel offices of leading national corporations. Much like judicial clerkships, the fellowships are filled with highly qualified and motivated recent graduates of the Moritz College of Law selected through a competitive process determined by the hiring corporation.
The responsibility of individual fellows matches the specific needs of each corporate partner. For example, fellows may work in a single area, gaining expertise in a particular task, or be deployed more broadly through the legal department, either on a rotation or project-by-project basis. Following the judicial clerkship model, fellowships are typically twelve months and are not intended to be renewable with the same fellow at the conclusion of the fellowship.
Corporate participants deploy fellows in a manner that best fits their needs while uniformly providing fellows expansive exposure to the corporation, its legal needs, and the workings of in-house counsel, including the corporation’s interaction with lawyers outside the corporation. Each Moritz Corporate Fellowship has a number of common elements that ensure the value of the experience.
- Mentorships. Each fellow has a designated mentor within the general counsel’s office of their corporation. Mentors assist fellows by providing honest answers and constructive feedback regarding in-house legal work while providing the professional advice and guidance so valuable to a new attorney.
- Attendance at group/client meetings. Fellows benefit by experiencing first-hand the issues and discussions within the partner corporation’s legal team.
- Executive interactions. During the course of the fellowship, fellows are provided the opportunity to meet with leaders within the corporation (both within the counsel’s office and in departments that rely on those services). These interactions are intended to deepen the fellow’s understanding of the internal working of a corporation and the relationship between its business and its legal services.
Moritz Fellows FAQ
Fellowship positions are for graduating law students of the Moritz College of Law.
Fellowship positions are posted on the College’s 12twenty system beginning in the Fall semester of a student’s third year and continue as received through graduation.
The number of fellowship positions will vary from year to year. Each year new corporate partners are contacted about the program and current partners evaluate their staffing needs. The program aims to have 5 to 7 fellowship positions annually.
Yes. Moritz corporate fellows are paid by the corporations that hire them at a level commensurate with their service as a fellow. The minimum salary is set with reference to a federal judicial clerkship, and some partners offer salaries significantly higher.
If you accept a Moritz Corporate Fellowship, you are expected to fulfill your obligation to the corporation. The specific times will be discussed between you and the corporate partner, but each fellowship is expected to last twelve months.
Corporate Partners FAQ
Much like a judicial clerkship, a corporate fellowship lasts for one year. The specific start and end dates will be discussed and agreed to by the corporation and the fellow. After that year, the employer and the fellow have no further obligation. Many of our corporate partners choose to re-enroll in the program with a new fellow each year, and some partners hire former fellows into permanent positions.
After a fellowship position is posted within the Moritz College of Law on the College’s 12twenty system, according to criteria established by the corporation in consultation with Moritz’s Office of Career Development, corporate partners select candidates to interview and proceed with a typical hiring process. Corporate partners have sole discretion as to whom they hire.
Yes. Corporate fellows are paid by the corporations that hire them at a level commensurate with their service as a fellow. The minimum salary is set with reference to a federal judicial clerkship, and some partners offer salaries significantly higher.
Recent Moritz Corporate Fellowship Program partners include: American Electric Power, Denison University, Dollar Tree, Inc., Key Bank, Nationwide Insurance, Schottenstein Property Group, The Sherwin-Williams Company, and Victoria's Secret.
Nationwide is pleased to have participated in the OSU Fellowship program since 2011. The program provides recent grads with insight and hands-on experience working in a large, corporate legal department with diversified practice areas. We provide Fellows with a variety of assignments and experiences, in addition to strong mentorship and guidance from our attorneys. In return, Nationwide benefits by identifying strong talent to add to our team. It’s a win-win both for Nationwide and the Fellows, and we’re glad to be part of it.
Comprehensive List of Former and Current Corporate Partners
Abercrombie & Fitch, American Electric Power, Alliance Data, Angie's List, Bath & Body Works, BroadStreet Partners, Cardinal Health, Casto, Columbus State Community College, Denison University, Designer Brands, DHL, Diplomat Pharmacy, Dollar Tree, Dun & Bradstreet, Fifth Third Bank, GE Capital, Goodyear Rubber & Tire Co., Greif, Healthcare REIT, Honda, Huntington Bank, KeyBank, Kroger, Medical Mutual of Ohio, MOOG, National Retail Federation, Nationwide Insurance, OhioHealth, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, Schottenstein Property Group, Sherwin-Williams, The Andersons, The Ohio State University Office of University Compliance and Integrity, Office of Legal Affairs, and Wexner Medical Center, The Scotts MiracleGro Company, United Retirement Plan Consultants, Victoria's Secret, Wendy's.
Interested students and potential corporate partners should contact:
Fellowship Outcomes
The alumni of the fellowship program have accepted impressive employment opportunities. Of the more than 130 fellowships which have been completed, more than half of the fellows have found employment in the corporate setting (both inside and outside of their fellowship corporations). The remaining employment outcomes are between large firms and to a lesser degree, government or public interest entities. Employers from these categories include: Abercrombie & Fitch, Nationwide Insurance, Honda NA, Ice Miller, Porter Wright, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, Social Security Administration, and National Retail Federation.