Program Information

The Leadership Fellows Program, under the direction of Prof. Paula Franzese, is an exciting year-long offering for second year law students interested in honing and developing their leadership acuities. Applicants must be in good academic standing at the Law School. Students selected to be Fellows must enroll in the Leadership, Ethics, and Decision-Making (PRMD8200) course and, as part of a team of Leadership Fellows, implement a leadership project in the community aimed at promoting service, education, and civic responsibility. Each Leadership Fellow is assigned an Alumni Mentor who serves as a guide and resource.

Twenty Leadership Fellows are selected each year, on the basis of demonstrated service, character, and leadership potential. Interested students now in their first year are invited to apply beginning March 2nd, 2018.

About the Course

The Leadership, Ethics and Decision-Making course is a two credit yearlong offering (one credit per semester) as the curricular component of the Leadership Fellows Program. The class meets for two hours every other week over the course of the fall and spring semesters. The course features a distinguished speakers series, mentoring component and opportunities for experiential learning.

Students receive a grade on a Pass/Fail basis on the completion of the two semesters, and are evaluated on the basis of (1) several short writing assignments, (2) class participation in skills-building exercises and (3) contributions to their leadership project.

This year's class of Leadership Fellows implemented initiatives in partnership with various public and private sector constituencies to de-stigmatize mental health in the legal community, create academic success programs for first-time youth offenders, guide local immigrants toward new work opportunities, work toward increasing empowerment and improving self-esteem of Newark's vulnerable youth, and heighten awareness of human trafficking.

Eligibility / How to Apply

To be eligible, students must be in good academic standing at Seton Hall Law. First year law students may apply for admission to the 2018-19 Program beginning March 6, 2018. Completed application form and supporting materials must be submitted via email to Mary Malfitano at mary.malfitano@shu.edu no later than 4:00pm on March 23rd, 2018. An interview will follow.

Admitted Students

Students admitted to the Program must take the Leadership, Ethics, and Decision-Making (PRMD8200) course in the fall and spring semesters of their second year and commit to one leadership project each semester, to be determined in consultation with the Executive Mentors. The Leadership project will be executed in the local community and aims to promote service, education, and civic responsibility.

Learning Outcomes

Students will develop enhanced abilities to

1. apply the ethical imperative in the workplace
2. effectively work with media outlets
3. enhance communication skills
4. become involved with the organized bar
5. gain financial literacy
6. cultivate strategies to effectively integrate work and family
7. make effective decisions
8. cultivate self-awareness and self-assessment skills
9. seek, take and foster responsibility
10. prioritize competing demands
11. appreciate the mechanisms of corporate social responsibility
12. build and mend relationships
13. manage people and projects
14. accept and learn from failure
15. build confidence in self and others
16. appreciate the virtues of humility and perseverance