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Question: What ethics rule or canon allows firms to employ you prior to admission to the Bar? E.g., when folks start in, say, October and get sworn in in, say, January? (that period when some firms refer to you as a "Law Clerk").

You shouldn't be practicing law until you are sworn in, which is likely why you are a law clerk and not an attorney during this time.

Right, so can someone point me to the rule that allows that? I know many of my law school friends worked as "law clerks" at their large firms prior to swearing-in.

This should answer your question: http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/ ... eckdam.pdf

When you are a law clerk, you are performing tasks under the supervision of a licensed attorney. You should be sure to make it apparent to anyone you correspond with that you are not yet admitted and keep a licensed attorney looped in on all work. So, for example, on an email, you would need to cc a licensed attorney on anything resembling legal work.