Seton Hall Law’s first year legal writing and research curriculum concluded the spring semester with a visit from New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Rabner. Chief Justice Rabner spoke in the Larson Auditorium to the 1L class about the benefits of Clerkships post-graduation from Seton Hall Law School. Some of these benefits include extensive legal research and writing experience, an upfront look at successful oral arguments, access to the judge’s chambers and insight to how cases are decided.

Chief Justice Rabner was joined by Erika Lopes-McLeman, an alumnus and current partner at Dentons, LLC and Daniel Garcia, a Judicial Law Clerk to New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Michael Noriega. Each member of the panel took turns presenting their experiences clerking with the judiciary and how they feel it has developed their legal skills and the event culminated by taking student questions.

During Erika Lopes-McLeman’s presentations she touched on the way clerking had impacted her career development even after joining her law firm as she was assigned unique and impactful litigation assignments because of her experience clerking at an appellate level. Lopes-McLerman’s clerkship experience allowed her the opportunity to see oral arguments and novel legal theories at the appellate level, making her legal skills in this area more developed than the average associate. As a member of the hiring team at Dentons, LLC Lopes-McLeman provided that typically applicants who have clerkship experience will get selected for the associate positions because of the legal skills they have developed in that short time.

Daniel Garcia views clerking as a professionally and personally rewarding experience in furtherance of the public interest. After graduation Garcia clerked at the New Jersey Superior Court and is now clerking at the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Seton Hall Law has a strong record of placing graduating students in judicial clerkships at both the federal and state levels. Many legal employers have expressed a strong preference for hiring applicants who have first completed a judicial clerkship because of the unique and valuable training experience it provides.

Read more about the employment and clerkship outcomes of Seton Hall Law graduates on our website.

*Photograph taken by Sean Sime*