Brooke Emery “wanted to be a lawyer since I was five-years-old. I was a born arguer,” she jokes. “I’d ask to watch Judge Judy instead of cartoons when I was younger.” Brooke started out as a paralegal at a law firm and an intern with the Major Crimes Unit of the Sussex County Prosecutors Office, both of which reinforced her passion for the law.
Leigh Emery arrived at Seton Hall Law by a different path. Chief Compliance Officer for the Dynasty Network at Dynasty Financial Partners, Leigh is pursuing an MSJ in Financial Services Compliance in the Law School’s online division. She says she “stumbled into” the compliance field after working in retail and in generalist banking and investment adviser compliance positions, but is thrilled to have spent nearly a decade in the field making it a successful and fulfilling career.
While Leigh will receive her MSJ in January 2018 and Brooke will graduate with her JD in May 2019, both sisters are self-starters.
Brooke was so impressed with keynote speaker, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino ‘92’s orientation speech in 2016 that she wrote him a thank-you letter. “He is so clearly good at what he does and very relatable,” says Brooke. That simple note led to an internship with the AG’s Office this summer. “I have been rotating through divisions, attending meetings with the Attorney General and staff, shadowing during committee voting sessions, and writing memos on cases. It’s been an amazing experience.”
As for Leigh, she “searched for an advanced degree for years but couldn’t find a master’s program designed for compliance professionals in the investment industry.” She’s enthusiastic about what she’s learning at the Law School: “pursuing Seton Hall’s MSJ will equip me to shape my future in exactly the direction I hoped when I started.”
Leigh, co-founder of nonprofit Broadway Lights the Night, considers herself a go-getter. “As a continued, professional learner it is important to trust myself and not feel intimidated with contemplating whether or not to continue my education,” says Leigh. “My professors in the MSJ program are working with many professional, full-time working students. Their constant support has been critical to my success. Bottom line, I am putting value in myself and furthering my career, and there is no better investment.”
The sisters are both amused and grateful that their separate paths converged at Seton Hall law. “It’s easy to underestimate yourself,” says Brooke, who mirrors other similarities to her sister, volunteering as the Public Relations Director of Broadway Lights the Night, “but I firmly believe I am here for a reason.”
