Alumnus Evan Rose Selected for Bristow Fellowship
Alumnus Evan Rose, ’13, who is remembered at the Law School as an “off-the-charts” talent, has been chosen for the highly competitive Bristow Fellowship in the Office of the Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice. He will begin the one-year program this summer after completing a clerkship for federal Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California.
“This is a tremendous achievement, and we are enormously proud of Evan,” said Dean Michael H. Schill, the Harry N. Wyatt Professor of Law. “Evan was an incredibly bright and engaged student at the Law School, and we know he will go on to do great things in the Solicitor General’s office.”
Rose, who clerked for federal appeals court Judge William A. Fletcher on the Ninth Circuit after graduation, said he was “absolutely shocked and absolutely thrilled” when U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. called personally on Monday to offer him one of the four spots in the prestigious program.
“I'm unbelievably excited for this opportunity,” Rose said. “I know the Bristow is going to allow me the opportunity to work with some of the best appellate advocates in the country. Solicitor General Verrilli told me that many Bristow Fellows have told him that the fellowship was the best job they ever had.”
Bristow Fellows help draft briefs in opposition to certiorari filed against the government in the U.S. Supreme Court and prepare recommendations to the Solicitor General regarding authorization of government appeals in the lower courts. They also assist staff lawyers in preparing petitions for certiorari and briefs on the merits in Supreme Court cases, work on special projects, and assist the Solicitor General and other lawyers in the office in preparing oral arguments in the Supreme Court.
Rose, who competed in and coached snowboarding in Colorado and New Zealand when he was younger, was a natural leader at the Law School who was known for his grit and intellect. He was president of the Law Students Association and an active member of the Black Law Students Association, the Law Review, and other organizations.
“It’s been clear that Evan is a special talent since his first year at the Law School,” said Sidley Austin Professor of Law Lior Strahilevitz. “His performance in my Property class was off-the-charts terrific — there were 101 students in the class, and Evan’s exam was the very best by a margin of several points. I bragged about how well Evan had done to a friend on the faculty after getting the unblinded grades back from the registrar. This colleague smiled and said that Evan had done the same thing in his Civil Procedure class too.”
While serving as the Law School’s Deputy Dean, Strahilevitz worked with Rose on various LSA matters and found him to be an “unusually impressive figure.”
“He was mature, thoughtful, pragmatic, and dogged in his pursuit of students’ concerns. He is a natural leader who exudes calm and inspires confidence," Strahilevitz said. “Evan has been a bartender in New Zealand, a competitive snowboarder in Colorado, a clerk to two fantastic judges in California, and now he’s going to be a part of the very best legal team in the United States. It’s going to be great fun watching to see what he does for his next trick.”
Other faculty members shared Strahilevitz’s confidence in Rose.
“Evan will be a terrific Bristow Fellow,” said Senior Lecturer Dennis Hutchinson. “He brings a breadth of real-life experiences together with a very distinguished academic record, leadership roles at the Law School, and judicial clerkships with two very highly regarded federal judges.”
Added Richard H. McAdams, the Bernard D. Meltzer Professor of Law and Aaron Director Research Scholar: “I am not at all surprised that Evan Rose would be selected for such a prestigious honor, as he is one of our very best. A completely brilliant student who is also one of the nicest, warmest people you will ever meet.”
Rose said he’s thankful to judges Chhabria and Fletcher for their support and encouragement, as well as to the Law School and his professors.
“The education I received at the Law School has thus far served me very well in both my clerkships, and I am sure it will continue to serve me well next year,” he said.
His goal for the fellowship is to learn as much as he can.
“I know I will be surrounded by incredibly smart and talented folks, and that this is going to be an unparalleled learning opportunity,” he said. “I'm also excited to be able to contribute to some of the most important cases being litigated today.”