Meet Charlotte A. Sweeney, a 3L who turned curiosity about the law into a powerhouse legal journey. From externships with federal judges to impactful summers in Big Law, Charlotte shares her path, her pivot from litigation to clerkships, and the Seton Hall spirit that’s fueled it all.
Can you talk a little about what made you decide to come to law school?
I always had a feeling I wanted to go to law school. I remember being in school and not really understanding why many of my classmates weren’t fascinated by laws. Also, my mom is a lawyer. She always told me that law school had to make sense for what I might want to do with my career. She worked in-house my whole life, and I was interested in that kind of work. After I graduated from college, I decided to work as a litigation paralegal to see if I was still interested in law school. Turns out, I liked litigation more than what in-house work looked like — and now, here I am!
What did you do for your 1L summer job? What did you like about it?
I worked for Justice Fasciale at the Supreme Court of New Jersey. It was a phenomenal experience. My favorite part was going to the Supreme Court in Trenton to watch the last oral argument of the term. We got to tour the judicial conference room and saw what clerking at the Supreme Court would look like. I also really enjoyed working for Justice Fasciale — he thinks so deeply about the law. It was an eye-opening experience as a 1L and law student to see how decisions are reached. I highly recommend a judicial externship during 1L summer — you only get so many opportunities to work for a judge. You can work for a law firm for the rest of your life!
Can you talk about your 2L job hunt — what was that process like?
Overwhelming! Originally, I wasn’t sure that I was interested in Big Law, and I wrote off Big Law in New York entirely. However, I remained open to the possibility of working in Big Law in New Jersey and told OCS I would apply to some jobs. The process is quite daunting, and it seems like the timeline gets moved up every year. Be prepared after 1L finals (or whenever people tell you — because it may be earlier now) to have your materials ready to go. You’ll also need some flexibility from your summer placement because sometimes you don’t have a lot of notice before you need to be at the firm for interviews.
I ended up really finding a good fit with the firm I picked. But I wouldn’t be so sure of that if I hadn’t relied on OCS and my Seton Hall colleagues, who gave me all the information I needed to make the right decision for me. Rely on your Seton Hall network and reach out to other students or alumni who might have experience at the firm or job you’re interviewing with. Also, Megan Clancy is an incredible resource and helped so many of my friends and me through the process — rely on OCS, they’ve helped so many do this before you!!
Where did you work last summer? What was the most unique assignment you got to work on?
I worked in Jones Day’s New York office. I loved the experience. My favorite assignment was assisting in the legal outreach program. Each summer, high school students are paired with various jobs in the legal profession for one-week placements. At Jones Day, the summer associates helped the students prepare for an oral argument. It was a really fun experience, and we got the opportunity to help shape the next generation of lawyers. I was so proud at the end of the week! We also got to attend fun field trips with them, like visiting the New York Stock Exchange and the trading floor at Goldman Sachs.
Can you also talk a bit about the judicial internships you held during the semester and what you did for Judge Hammer and Judge Shwartz? How were those experiences different?
I chose to do two additional externships so I could gain insight into different courts throughout the judicial system. Doing them during the semester was manageable, but definitely took more planning. Both judges gave me incredible access to them during their decision-making processes. That allowed me to learn and ask questions about so many different aspects. I’m truly grateful for those opportunities. The pace and kind of work were different in each experience — appellate judges have more time to deliberate but work in cycles based on their sittings, whereas a magistrate judge has a constant flow of cases and is trying to move them along. Both were great experiences that I highly recommend!
Did any of your judicial internships leave you with a desire to clerk post-grad?
Just all of them! I love working for judges — and as I said earlier, there are only so many opportunities you can take advantage of during your legal career. Timing is everything! I plan to go to the firm for a bit and then leave to clerk (hopefully in federal court!).
What are your post-grad plans?
I’ll be returning to Jones Day and joining their New Lawyers Group, where I’ll get to explore all the different practice areas and ultimately declare a practice group at the end of my first year.
What have you most enjoyed about law school? What do you think you’ll miss the most?
I think I’ll miss the camaraderie of finals, where everyone is practically living in the library together. There’s something so fun and unique about that — but maybe ask me again after bar prep, haha! I really enjoyed being a part of the Seton Hall community. I guess I won’t truly miss it after graduation because I’ll still be a part of it, just in a different way. Students are certainly competitive, but for the right reasons. Every student I asked for help was there for me. It was important to me to pay it forward when others reached out to me. That’s the way it works — and why I’m so grateful I decided to attend Seton Hall.
