CLERK OF THE SIGNET

Clerk of the Signet (sig-nit).Hist. An officer who kept the privy signet and attended the sovereign’s principal secretary. • The signet was used to seal royal letters and other documents not requiring the Great Seal of the Realm. The office was abolished in England in 1851. See great seal (3) under SEAL; PRIVY SIGNET. CLERKSHIP clerkship. 1. A type of internship in which a law student or recent law-school graduate assists a lawyer or judge with legal writing, research, and other tasks. • In many common-law jurisdictions, recent law-school graduates are required to complete clerkships as a condition of admission to the bar. [Cases: Courts  55. C.J.S. Courts §§ 107–109.] 2.Hist. A law student’s employment as an attorney’s apprentice before gaining admission to the bar. • Until shortly before WWII, in many states a person could be admitted to the bar without attending law school merely by passing the bar exam. [Blacks Law 8th]