Charlotte Hawkins

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. What brought you to law school?
My name is Charlotte Hawkins, and I grew up in Athens, Georgia. I got my undergraduate degree in sculpture and installation art from an experimental liberal arts school in New England. I came to law school when I was 27 after working in the arts for 4 years after undergrad. In that time, my life had shifted focus, and I knew I wanted to become a public defender. I came to law school with that purpose.

2) How has your previous career compared to your legal education?
Before law school, I worked in a few different positions in the arts. I worked in art galleries and was the assistant for a sculptor, but I primarily worked as a film booking agent for independent art house cinemas. I also made time to work on my own art practice as a sculptor. My life was a lot more fluid; I worked from home, moved around a lot, and spent a lot of time traveling. Since entering law school, my life is a lot less flexible, and I have less time to be creative, but I have grown by embracing the structure of school.

3) How did the time between your undergraduate graduation and law school attendance contribute to your overall experience? What was it like to go back to school after some time away from being a student?
I am grateful that my younger self chose to take time after getting my undergraduate degree before going on to graduate school. If I had gone straight into graduate school, I would not have chosen law school, and would likely have a master’s in fine arts right now. I took about 5 years off, and I definitely matured and changed a lot in that time. The world also changed quite a bit during that time.  I learned what it was like to be an adult with a job and learned what I wanted from that job. I realized I want to do work that is creative but less inward-looking and more focused on serving members of my community.

4) What was the most rewarding experience you had in law school?
Out of many rewarding experiences, the Criminal Defense and Community Advocacy Clinic has been the highlight of my legal education. The clinic has given me training in practices like holistic defense and client-centered lawyering that have made me a better advocate. I have had the opportunity to get on my feet and make arguments, both successful and unsuccessful, in court. I have learned about participatory defense and built connections within community-based organizations in Newark. I have represented a community member facing charges over the past two semesters, building a relationship with him and his family that has taught me so much about human nature, compassion, and the importance of zealous advocacy.

5) What was the most challenging experience you had in law school?
Law school was full of challenges, but I would say exams first semester was probably the most challenging experience. I had no idea what I was doing, I didn’t know how to prepare or even how to write an answer properly, and the anxiety nearly took me out. Once I got through that first round of exams and learned those essential skills, my law school experience has been much less stressful.

6) What motivated you to pursue opportunities in criminal law?
I came to law school with the idea that I wanted to be a public defender. I have an uncle who just retired from his job at the public defender after 40 years. He is a fantastic storyteller, and his stories about his work have piqued my interest in public defense since I was a child. But it was watching family and friends become ensnared in the criminal legal system, and seeing how it can ruin someone’s life, that really led me to pursue criminal defense. After a friend had a particularly difficult experience in the criminal system, my anger at his treatment led me to take the LSAT and apply to law school.

7) You have interned at various defender’s offices. How have those experiences shaped your legal education?
My internships at different defender’s offices – in Vermont, at Legal Aid in Staten Island, and at the Bronx Defenders – showed me how the laws in different jurisdictions and the culture in different offices shape the experience of being a public defender. I learned quickly from these internships that this was the work I wanted to do and continued to focus on criminal law in school. And, after seeing the good and the not-so-good in different offices, I used that experience to write my AWR in Critical Race Theory about the effect of implicit racial biases on the work of public defenders. I also chose to apply to the Criminal Defense and Community Advocacy Clinic, where I could be trained in client-centered lawyering and holistic defense to try to counter my own biases.

8) Between Vermont, New Hampshire, and Bronx Public Defender offices, what are some notable similarities and differences?
All three public defender offices that I interned in were similar because they were staffed by dedicated defenders, investigators, social workers, and legal assistants who shared an outrage with the criminal system and a dry sense of humor. The biggest differences between the three offices I interned in, the Office of the Defender General in Vermont, Legal Aid in Staten Island, and the Bronx Defenders, were the mission of the organization, the culture within the office, and their access to funding. But also, between jurisdictions, the laws will vary in ways that affect the ways you can advocate.  New York is a "plea jurisdiction," meaning the vast majority of cases will resolve in a community member taking a plea, whereas Vermont is a "trial jurisdiction," and cases often resolve at trial. I am very glad I was able to experience a wide array of public defender offices, as I learned what worked for me and what didn’t and knew what to look for when applying for a job after graduation.

9) How was your experience interning in New England while going to school in New Jersey? What pulled you to intern in Vermont and New Hampshire?
I am inherently a country mouse, not a city mouse, and after many years in and out of the city, I knew I wanted to get back to rural living after graduation. I went to undergrad in western New England, my partner grew up there, and I have a strong group of friends and “chosen family” in that area. It is also a naturally beautiful place. When Vermont offered me the internship, I was excited to get experience working as a public defender in a rural jurisdiction (and to spend the summer surrounded by green). Once I knew what I wanted out of a public defender’s office, I jumped at the opportunity to work at the New Hampshire Public Defender, which checks all my boxes.

10) What advice would you give incoming law students?
Breathe.  You might hear this from other people but it’s true – treat law school like a 9 to 5.  Wake up early, do your work, and then, importantly, make time to relax. Create routines – exercise, eat healthy meals, and get some sleep. These things will help you succeed just as much as your time in the library.

11) What advice would you give to students who might also be interested in criminal law/public defense work?
I would tell students who are interested in criminal law or public defense work to intern in the offices of public defenders or prosecutors. Go wherever you can get an internship, don’t worry so much about prestige or geography. This work on the ground is how I confirmed that I was on the right path and gave me so much experience. It is difficult because these are often unpaid internships, but there are grants you can apply for. I will caution that if you are interested in working in public defense, it is not a great idea to intern at a prosecutor’s office, as it can make it difficult to get a public defense job after graduation.

12) How did you find the opportunities/internships you had during your time at law school? Do you have any networking tips for other students pursuing those opportunities?
For my 1L summer, I had no idea what I was doing.  I knew I wanted to intern at a public defender’s office, but I didn’t exactly know how to do that. I primarily looked at the websites of public defender offices in the geographical areas I was interested in working, and applied for internships wherever I could find instructions. I was lucky to end up in Vermont, where I learned a lot. For my 2L spring and summer, I worked with Professor Isis Misdary, who has been an invaluable resource in my job search. They are extremely knowledgeable about different jurisdictions and different offices, and they helped me figure out what I wanted from a public defender office. They also helped me polish my application materials and spent many hours practicing with me for interviews. If you are interested in public defense work, I highly recommend meeting with Professor Misdary.

13) What were your favorite classes at Seton Hall Law? What classes would you recommend for someone with an interest in criminal law?
My favorite classes at Seton Hall Law have been Critical Race Theory with Professor MehChu, Criminal Procedure with Professor Weschler, and the Criminal Defense and Community Advocacy Clinic with Professor Misdary. I also had the opportunity to take the McLaughlin Advanced Trial Advocacy Workshop which was intense but gave me a lot of experience on my feet in the courtroom, and I would highly recommend.

14) What advice do you have for your fellow 3L students as you anticipate your graduation in May?
I’d say let’s try to keep it together for the next few months! We’ve almost made it!

Simplify Your Job Search

OCS maintains a wide range of resources on Symplicity, which has current job postings, access to our recruiting programs, career tools such as our resume and cover letter guide, and more.

START YOUR SEARCH

SYMPLICITY