Weekend Warrior - Grant Moryan - Seton Hall Law School

Balancing law school and a full-time career is no easy feat, but Grant Moryan, a 3LW at Seton Hall Law, is mastering both. From transitioning out of Rolling Stone Magazine’s finance department to excelling in a judicial internship, his journey is a testament to perseverance and adaptability. Keep reading for more!

Tell us about your journey to law school after completing your Master of Business Administration from Rutgers Business School?
Well, I just thought “three degrees” has a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say? It rhymes and everything… I’m kidding, of course, because I’ve actually been on an intense journey of self-discovery for the past decade.

When I started my MBA at Rutgers Business School, I was a different person walking a different path. I worked in the finance department at Rolling Stone Magazine (“RS”) in New York City for several years, and originally saw myself continuing to climb the ladder there as it transitioned from print media to digital. The writing was on the wall for print; magazines were dying fast because no one was reading them. While RS rolled out its digital platform, I applied quickly to Rutgers Business School (“RBS”) to learn more about corporate financial accounting, digital marketing, and (as a fallback) real estate development. My goal was to make myself as marketable as possible to the digital media world in finance and advertising. However, life doesn’t always go “according to plan."

Long story short, I’d only finished one semester of school when RS’s owner decided to sell the company to another media company. I worked on the sale directly with the CFO and our attorneys. I conducted due diligence and compiled and reviewed myriad financial statements and other transactional legal documents in a short amount of time. Even though I was laid-off after the sale finalized, it was a great experience that helped me realize I would enjoy and should pursue legal work.

As a 3LW, how have you been able to manage working full-time and being a law student?
Honestly, part of me thinks I must be a glutton for punishment. Signing up for law school in my mid-30s . . . what was I thinking?! But seriously, there are difficult times when I feel I am not managing everything as well as I would like. At work, I manage a team of salespeople who sell my firm’s services—designing advanced estate planning strategies for financial advisors’ high net worth clients. Each day is different from the last; heavy workloads ebb and flow. I never really know if I’ll be working late or able to shut the laptop at 5pm and read for class.
There are, however, three main reasons I’ve been able to manage working full-time and being a law student. First, I would not be chasing my law school and legal career dream without the support of my wife, Monica. She helped me realize my law school window had not closed years ago as I thought. Although her eyes may glaze over at the dinner table when I talk about whatever caselaw I just read, she helped push me to recognize it is never too late to do anything if you believe in yourself and work hard.
Second is a support system I didn’t even know existed two years ago—my weekend program classmates. The camaraderie exhibited among the weekend students is special. I can only speak for myself, but everyone always seems invested in each other’s success. My cohort exudes positivity; it is a great learning environment filled with great people (and some pretty good ping-pong players).
Third—and this may seem cliché—is efficient time management. I had to revamp how I organize my time and study effectively because law school is its own brand of brutality. It took some trial and error in my 1L year, but I eventually landed on writing everything in a small day-planner and adhering to a strict study schedule. When reading for class, I’m a fan of the pomodoro technique—25-minute bursts of deep work then a short five-minute break. Four of those sessions equals two hours—I try to do at least one two-hour pomodoro session after work each night to try to stay on top of everything as much as possible.
What are some of the challenges you have faced as a weekend student and how have you overcome them?
Fall Semester finals-time also always poses a unique challenge as Q4 comes to a close and everyone at work is pushing to end the year on a strong note. However, I’m also trying to study at every spare moment while trying to exercise, eat right, and sleep enough to generate peak performance on my exams. Spoiler: it doesn’t always work out, but that’s ok. Perspective is key when work and school collide, and sometimes you just get through it by getting through it. I always put my best foot forward in my job, but I’m also trying to keep my thumb on the law school scale a bit more.
Tell us about your 2LW summer judicial internship? What judge and court did you work with? What assignments were you given? What is the most valuable lesson you learned during your judicial internship?
I work once a week for Judge Robert Gardner in the Essex County Civil Division at the Historic Courthouse in Newark. It’s a fantastic experience. I am making the most of my short time in chambers by observing trials and oral arguments. I’ve also written some bench memos for the Judge; the two most interesting were a land-use issue and a contract dispute. The most valuable lesson I’ve learned from the judicial internship is take the work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. It’s hard to enjoy what you do if everything is serious all the time.
How did you get your 2LW judicial internship? How would you describe the interview process?
A mutual connection introduced me to the Judge via email, but the first time I met the Judge in person was at the Judicial Reception hosted by OCS in the Atrium last February—an event I recommend everyone attend. We spoke for a while at that mixer, and he told me to send him and his law clerk my resume and they would be in touch about a part-time internship. The interview process was straightforward. After I sent the Judge and his law clerk my resume, the clerk and legal assistant contacted me directly and conducted a virtual interview on Zoom. The Judge is very helpful to law students like me who work full-time. The Judge likes giving weekend students the opportunity to gain legal experience because he knows it can be difficult to attain for those who currently work in fields unrelated to the law.
What benefited you the most from The Office of Career Services?
I cannot thank everyone in the Office of Career Services enough for all the work they do. I am honored for the opportunity to share my Seton Hall Law school story—thank you. I think the open lines of communication and responsiveness are the most beneficial for me. Every time I’ve reached out to OCS, someone has responded quickly with great advice and actionable information. It’s also so easy to engage with OCS and Simplicity. OCS is a great resource, and I’d be lost without it.
What do you hope to do for your 3LW summer? Are you participating in Fall and Spring Recruitment?
I am participating in Fall OCI and plan to participate in Spring OCI. I had a couple on-campus screener interviews recently, so hopefully those went well. My plan is to secure a summer associate position at a firm in New Jersey or New York. I’d like to work at a litigation firm that offers several service areas so I can see what interests me most. Right now, I see myself in civil trial practice because I’m most interested in products liability, but I won’t know for sure until I try different things.
What are your post-graduation plans?
First, pass the Bar. Second, go on a ski trip to South America with my wife for our first vacation in years. Third, hopefully I will be starting a job I secured from my summer associateship. I am still unsure if I want to clerk at this point. It intrigues me—especially after interning this summer—but don’t know yet if I will go that route. There’s still time to decide.

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