Joel Chapman, a rising 3LW, has been accepted into the prestigious LatinoJustice Corporate/Law Firm Alliance Summer Program (CLASP). With a background in public administration and prior roles in New Jersey state government, Joel brings a wealth of experience to his legal education. His dedication to his legal journey is evident in his pursuit of opportunities like CLASP, where he will gain corporate legal department experience with T-Mobile. Looking forward to mentorship and learning, Joel aims to pursue corporate law post-graduation.
Why did you decide to attend law school?
Let me first thank the Office of Career Services (OCS) for spotlighting me as a Weekend Warrior for the upcoming OCS Bulletin. I decided to attend law school, specifically Seton Hall Law School, because attending Seton Hall allowed me the opportunity to work a full-time job that I really enjoyed doing, and it fulfilled my lifelong goal of being a lawyer. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer since I was a high school student. I have always enjoyed helping others and it was during high school that I realized becoming a lawyer would provide me with this opportunity. This dream was further strengthened when I attended the 2012 Law School Admission Council Plus Summer Program and got the chance to meet brilliant, future lawyers of color. Although I decided to take some time off from my educational pursuits to work full-time, eventually obtaining my master’s from NYU in Public Administration, I knew attending law school was something I would pursue. When I learned about Seton Hall’s Weekend Law School program, I immediately knew that this was the right opportunity for me.
How has your experience been in law school?
Law school has been both a challenging and rewarding experience. I do not need to tell anyone that law school is one of the toughest academic challenges anyone can pursue. Law school is academically tough and will push your intellectual limits. However, the reward comes in overcoming these academic challenges and with each passing semester realizing that I am one step closer to achieving my dream. Additionally, being a weekend student allows me to interact with close to forty kind, amazing, and incredibly talented future lawyers from all walks of life. It has been great to go through and continue this legal journey with them.
What have you enjoyed the most in law school and why?
I have always enjoyed learning new things and it has been exciting learning how the law impacts one’s daily life, whether through torts, contracts, property, etc. Also, I have really enjoyed getting to meet and learn from my fellow weekend classmates. I would have to say the one thing I enjoyed the most in law school was partaking in Professor Franzese’s Leadership class this past year. Professor Franzese is a remarkable professor and getting the opportunity to learn what it means to be a lawyer-leader from her and the guest speakers she invited to our class during the past year was a truly memorable and enjoyable experience.
Can you tell us about your experience working with the State of New Jersey? What type of work did you do?
I held two previous roles for the State of New Jersey and in both roles, it was a privilege getting to work for the state that I was born and raised in. In my first role, I was an Associate Research Analyst with the State of New Jersey Office of Legislative Services and my work involved drafting, reviewing, and analyzing legislation for legislators, legislative staff, and legislative committees. I also researched local government issues and provided analysis on issues and policy matters of legislative concern to various stakeholders. In my second and most recent role, I was the Director of Legislative Affairs and Constituent Relations for the State of New Jersey Department of the Treasury. My work involved assisting the State Treasurer and the Treasurer’s Office with the annual State budget; reviewing and analyzing legislation impacting the State of New Jersey Department of the Treasury; and coordinating responses to legislative and constituent questions received from legislators and their staff, and other State of New Jersey stakeholders.
How does it feel to be a non-traditional student?
I do not mind being a non-traditional student as you know what to expect being a weekend law school student coming into law school. This includes knowing that the weekend you have class is entirely devoted to preparing for and sitting through various lectures. Personally speaking, most of my time was spent either at work or at school through the year. However, if you want to get more of a traditional full-time experience Seton Hall does provide you with those opportunities whether it is joining clubs and/or attending law school-held events.
What challenges have you faced in law school and how did you overcome them?
An early challenge I faced during my first semester in law school was simply dealing with the class workload, weekly readings, and simply trying to get adjusted to being a law school student. It was during this time that I leaned on my mentors for advice on dealing with the first year of law school, and I leaned on my classmates for support as we were and are still going through this journey together. The other challenge I faced is true for most if not all weekend law school students, which is trying to balance this intense schoolwork with your full-time job. For me, some weeks were busier than others due to the annual State budget cycle, and other weeks I had to stay late on the job or work on a given weekend. Being organized, adjusting my study habits, and intentionally mapping out what I needed to accomplish throughout a week have been critical in helping me deal with this challenge.
Do you have mentors and how have they played a role in your law school career?
I have been blessed to have amazing mentors who have provided me with strong advice before and during law school. First, I want to highlight my former high school U.S. history teacher, Mr. Scott Nelson, who has always encouraged my law school dreams and who has shown me through his personal example of how to treat others with respect, value all opinions even if they differ from yours, and always to pursue your dreams no matter what stage you are in life. For example, Mr. Nelson retired after teaching at Hillside High School for 25 years and is currently living out his lifelong dream of being a Peace Corps Member in Vietnam. I also want to highlight two of my former colleagues at the Treasurer’s Office, Andrea Spalla and Michael Kanef, who are both Assistant State Treasurers. Andrea and Michael are brilliant and successful attorneys who have worked at big law firms during their careers which is the legal field I plan to pursue upon graduating from Seton Hall. During my two years at Seton Hall, they have provided me with advice based on their own law school journey and what opportunities I should pursue or think about pursuing as I continue to gain more knowledge and experience in the law. They are tremendous sounding boards as I continue my legal journey and I appreciate the knowledge they have and continue to impart about the law and about being successful in life.
What are your plans for 2LW summer? How did you get your summer internship? What was the process like for LatinoJustice CLASP? What are you looking forward to the most in participating in LatinoJustice CLASP?
For my 2LW summer I got accepted into the LatinoJustice Corporate/Law Firm Alliance Summer Program (CLASP) and I will be gaining corporate legal department experience with T-Mobile this summer. I first heard about the CLASP program through the email blasts sent out by OCS. I knew this was an opportunity I wanted to pursue as I get to work at both a corporate legal department and then at a law firm and have mentors guide and assist me during my time at both locations. I am looking forward to all aspects of the CLASP program, including the ability to meet past and current CLASP fellows and everyone with the LatinoJustice organization, getting to learn as much as I can this summer at T-Mobile, and getting to experience working at a big law firm, Alston & Bird, during my 3LW summer. If I had to choose what I am most looking forward to, it would be the mentoring component of the program. I have already been assigned a mentor at T-Mobile and with the LatinoJustice program, and as a former Big Brother with the Big Brother/Big Sisters program, I understand the importance of mentorship and having people to lean on and impart their wisdom about a particular issue, which is extremely valuable.
What are your plans for post-graduation? What practice area(s) are you interested in?
I do want to pursue corporate law work post-graduation and I am still determining the legal area I want to practice in. I will better understand the practice area(s) I want to work in once I commence my summer associate opportunity with Alston & Bird during my 3LW summer.
What advice would you give students on how to be successful in law school?
The first piece of advice I would give is to enjoy the journey, which is easier said than done when you must study for four finals. It is a privilege to be a law school student and it is important not to lose sight of this as you go through this journey. For a non-traditional student like me who did not go to law school straight from undergraduate, I came to Seton Hall feeling thankful and blessed for this opportunity and I have genuinely enjoyed my experience. The next piece of advice I would give is to prioritize your mental health and make sure that you do everything you can to make sure mentally you are at a place to succeed. This looks different for each individual but for me, that means finding time at least once a week to do things I enjoy which involve hanging out with friends or playing tennis. It is also important to surround yourself with supportive friends and family during your time in law school. There is nothing better than knowing you have a community of family and friends who are cheering for your success at law school. Finally, I highly recommend reading all the OCS email blasts and applying for opportunities even though you may think they are longshot opportunities.
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