American Inns of Court Selects 2008 Temple Bar Scholars.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The American Inns of Court Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of four law clerks who will travel to London this October as prestigious Temple Bar Scholars. Selected from a large pool of highly qualified law clerks who applied for the program are Rachel Kovner, Joshua Hawley, Ashika Singh, and Zachary D. Tripp. Selected as alternates are Megan Marie Ceronsky and Ryan Gene Koopmans. The Temple Bar Foundation was created in 1991 by the late Warren E. Burger, former Chief Justice of the United States, and the late Lord Denning of Witchurch, former Master of the Rolls for England and Wales. The Temple Bar Scholarships, named for the great stone gate, designed by Sir Christopher Wren that stood as an entrance to central London in the area now considered "Legal London," were established to further the development of strengthened ties between leading members of the English and American bars and to advocate greater attention to the professional ethical standards those establishments share.

The scholars arrive in London to attend the ceremonial opening of the legal year at Westminster Abbey and a reception held in their honor by the U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James. Also during the first week of the scholarship, scholars visit the four Inns of Court and meet with the preeminent leaders of the English bench and bar. The rest of the program is spent in leading barristers' chambers and with a Law Lord, the equivalent of a U.S. Supreme Court justice, where they observe appellate arguments and discuss important legal issues with the country's highest judges.

Rachel Kovner is a law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court after clerking for Hon. J. Harvie Wilkinson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. She is a graduate of the Stanford Law School where she graduated first in her class. Joshua Hawley is a law clerk to Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and was clerk for Judge Michael W. McConnell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. He graduated from Yale Law School where he was articles editor of the law review. Ashika Singh clerks for Hon. Norman H. Stahl of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. She is a graduate of New York University School of Law where she was an associate editor of the law review. Zachary Tripp, a clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court, previously clerked for Hon. Amalya Kearse of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. He is a graduate of Columbia University School of Law where he was an articles editor of the law review. Megan Ceronsky clerks for Hon. M. Blane Michael of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and Ryan Koopmans clerks for Hon. Steven Colloton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.

The American Inns of Court, which seeks to foster excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility and legal skills, includes more than 25,000 federal, state and local judges, lawyers, law professors and law students in some 350 chapters across the United States. Additionally, there are over 80,000 alumni members. Foundation offices are located in Alexandria, Virginia. More information is available at www.innsofcourt.org.