(Post updated September 14, 2023)
The Weekend JD program has graduated several classes now, but the novelty of the program still bodes many questions. We initially released these FAQs a couple years into the program, and I’m proud to see how it has grown and enabled so many working professionals the ability to obtain their JD while balancing very active home and work lives.
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Topics:
Advice and Tips,
Admissions,
Student Life
Written by
Peter Eraca
Peter Eraca is the Assistant Dean for JD & Graduate Admissions for Seton Hall Law School.
Prospective law students have always been interested in the bar passage success rates of schools they’re considering attending. After all, while a law degree is a prerequisite to taking the bar almost everywhere, passing the bar is a prerequisite to actually practicing law in almost all states.
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Internships/Jobs,
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Student Life
Written by
Charles Sullivan
Associate Dean and member of the Seton Hall Law faculty since 1978.
What a fun night I had last week with a One L study group from section A. For those who don’t know, the first year class is always divided into sections that stay intact for the entire first year for every class – so essential that everyone gets along! Most One L students join four or five others for a “study group” that helps each other with outlines, exam prep, and general morale. So, this particular group is one of the nicest, most interesting, and eclectic group of people I have had dinner with in some time.
One student is originally from Syria, though his father currently lives in Oman and his mother in Maryland – since the war in Syria he has become a libertarian – skeptical of government, seeking to protect his freedom from government interference. And yet, he is open-minded enough to be close friends with his study partner who is a self-described socialist who majored in Economics at the University of Vermont and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer – we had a great conversation about whether Medicaid should pay for housing. This section A study group is rounded out by a woman from South Carolina (who took her Syrian classmate home to experience his first US Thanksgiving) and a New Jersey native with a Master’s Degree in Political Science who works for his father’s construction company during summers.
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Topics:
Student Life,
Newark
Written by
Kathleen Boozang
Kathleen Boozang is the Dean of Seton Hall Law School.
Although everyone is aware of the benefits of clerking for a federal judge, too many students overlook the tremendous opportunity of being a clerk in the New Jersey state courts. First, the opportunities for a judicial clerkship are plentiful, with nearly 400 trial and appellate Superior Court judges in New Jersey compared to just 33 federal district court and magistrate judges in New Jersey.
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Internships/Jobs,
Advice and Tips,
Student Life,
Experiential Learning
Written by
Denis McLaughlin
Professor Denis F. McLaughlin specializes in Civil Procedure, Evidence, and Litigation Advocacy and serves as the Director of the Judicial Externship Program. Professor McLaughlin has been named “Professor of the Year” by the Student Bar Association six times, most recently in 2018.
Law school is one of the most demanding academic challenges that a student can face. Reading dozens of pages to prepare for class, learning a new way of critically thinking and carefully writing, searching for valuable work experience, and establishing relationships with fellow students and professors require lots of time and attention. When thinking about my own law school experience, as well as my experiences with students to date, there are a few key themes that seem crucial to success:
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Advice and Tips,
Classes and Courses,
Student Life
Written by
Brian Murray
Professor Murray joined the faculty at Seton Hall Law in 2018. His scholarship focuses on issues relating to criminal law, including the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, the forces and dynamics that shape plea-bargaining, the effect of collateral consequences on reentry, and professional responsibility in the criminal justice system.
I loved law school. I had great teachers, I made great friends, I was challenged daily with the material we learned in class, and (most importantly) I met my wife. It was a glorious time. And to all of the 1Ls, you’re in for the time of your life.
To help you through your journey over the next three or four years, I’d like to share some tips and words of wisdom that I wish I had when I was I was a law student.
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Topics:
Internships/Jobs,
Advice and Tips,
Student Life,
Alumni
Written by
John J. Zefutie, Jr.
John J. Zefutie, Jr. is a commercial litigator, trial attorney, and a proud Seton Hall Law alum. As Special Counsel at Duane Morris LLP, he handles complex commercial disputes, mass tort litigation, financial services litigation, consumer fraud class actions, professional liability cases, restrictive covenant cases, and unfair competition litigation.
Every great law school fosters an environment where students are allowed to pick a side and argue their position. However, one thing that remains constant in the minds of every law student is that the rigor of law school can be a lot to balance. Whether it be juggling class readings, moot court, work, family, or other commitments, the load can often times feel insurmountable.
So why would I suggest adding the SBA to the mix? The answer is simple.
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Advice and Tips,
Student Life
Written by
Darran St. Ange
Darran St. Ange is President of the Student Bar Association and will graduate in 2019.
I encourage my law students to notice what successful law students do and to adopt these behaviors. Savvy learners realize that professors want you to succeed. Professors use a class syllabus and class policies to guide you toward success. Early on in each course, note the professor’s office hours and best contact method. Why? The professor is inviting you to engage with the material outside of class time—take advantage of this invitation.
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Topics:
Advice and Tips,
Classes and Courses,
Student Life,
Faculty
Written by
Amy Newcombe
Professor Amy Newcombe currently teaches Introduction to Lawyering and Legal Analysis and Methods to first year students. She also teaches Education Law and directs the Law School’s Academic Success program.
Imagine this scenario. You read all of the assigned cases for Contracts, highlighted the parts that seem important in different colors, and even skimmed the notes and questions following the cases. That means you are prepared to effectively participate in class, right? Not quite.
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Advice and Tips,
Classes and Courses,
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Written by
Solangel Maldonado
Professor Maldonado’s research and teaching interests include torts, family law, trusts and estates, and gender, race and the law.
Lawyers are leaders, whether in the courtroom, the boardroom, or on the political stage. But being an effective lawyer requires more than a mastery of legal terminology and knowledge of the intricacies of our justice system. It requires keen leadership, expert acumen, and strength of judgment. It requires the ability to fashion a vision for the bigger picture and, more importantly, the ability to create a desire in others to adopt that vision. And yet studies show that lawyers lack the critical leadership skills that are necessary for success, including stepping out of established comfort zones, embracing collaboration, and cultivating empathy.
The Leadership Fellows Program seeks to change that by providing law students with a unique opportunity to develop effective leadership skills.
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Topics:
Classes and Courses,
Student Life,
Experiential Learning,
Newark
Written by
Stephanie Beach
Stephanie Beach is a 3L at Seton Hall Law. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Seton Hall Legislative Journal, a member of the Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Board, the Student Bar Association Parliamentarian, and the Vice President of Entertainment for the Entertainment & Sports Law Society. Prior to attending Seton Hall Law she earned her Bachelor's, cum laude, from New York University and Master's from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.