I was a member of the Interscholastic Moot Court Board while I was a student at Seton Hall Law, and I competed in three moot court competitions during that time. Moot Court enables students to compete against other schools to learn how to present issues and mock arguments before panels of practitioners and real judges. The students get scored on their performance. Through Moot Court, we learned the essential skill of presenting our case, speaking persuasively and clearly before an appellate panel. The process involves getting questions from professors and practitioners, who probe the issue that the students are to present before the mock appellate panel.

Students walk out of law school, for the most part, in a similarly privileged position: with one of the most respected degrees and earning potential beyond what most of the country could dream. We do not all walk into law school so privileged. At Seton Hall, I know just as many students whose parents are attorneys as students whose parents never received a Bachelor’s degree (a group which I am included in). Accordingly, the journey through law school looks different for each student: some enjoy the ability to work non-paid internships, while others work weekends at coffee shops and restaurants.

Attending law school is equally challenging and fulfilling. Speaking as a (very) recent alum of Seton Hall Law’s evening program I understand the pressures and uncertainty that every student feels, especially in today’s legal market.

There is always that nagging feeling you aren’t doing quite enough to ensure the journey ends with whatever success you hope to achieve. These challenges are daunting enough to a full-time student whose primary responsibility is to go to class and do the reading. Evening students, like myself, feel the same anxiety; we just happen to have career or family obligations on top of it.