Katherine Considine, a 3L, has accepted a clerkship with Justice Fasciale on the New Jersey Supreme Court post-graduation. Driven by her passion for public interest law, particularly in gender justice, Katherine pursued diverse experiences from studying abroad in the Netherlands in The Hague and in Nuremberg, Germany to interning at WomanKind in New York City. Her decision to clerk stems from a desire for continued learning and practical legal education. Excited to work with Justice Fasciale, Katherine looks forward to honing her skills and exploring opportunities in non-profit organizations post-clerkship.
What made you decide that you wanted to go to Law School?
Having started college as “undecided,” I was really unsure what I wanted to do for a career. My dad is the one who encouraged me to go to law school after hearing me talk at home about gender justice-related issues and other topics I was passionate about. I always loved to read and write in school, so becoming a lawyer seemed like a great way to use my skills for something I was interested in and would care about doing for work.
Why did you choose Seton Hall?
Seton Hall was a natural fit for me - I’ve lived in New Jersey my whole life and grew up hearing about my dad’s wonderful SHU memories from both undergrad and law school. He is still close friends with many of his law school classmates, so I knew I would be part of a close-knit and supportive community. On top of that, I had also heard about Seton Hall’s renowned alumni network and after going to Fordham University for undergrad, I was excited to remain close to New York City.
Did you always know that you wanted to work for the public interest?
I came into law school knowing that I wanted to do public interest law, with a specific interest in women’s issues and gender justice. I feel like I “became an adult” during the Me Too movement, which happened at the end of high school and early college, and found myself speaking more about and becoming interested in women’s rights. Although there are many avenues to bring change in the world, I felt that the law would be a way that I could make a difference.
Can you explain a little bit about what you did in your 1L summer?
During my 1L summer, I studied abroad for a month in The Hague in the Netherlands and in Nuremberg, Germany. I participated in Creighton University Law School’s “From Nuremberg to The Hague” summer program, where I took two classes, International Criminal Law and the Impact of the Holocaust on the Law. In addition to holding the classes in Nuremberg, the program emphasizes experiential learning by bringing us to many of the places we were learning about in our classes. I had the opportunity to visit various international tribunals in The Hague such as the International Criminal Court, Kosovo Specialist Chambers, and the UN Residual Mechanism for the ICTY and ICTR. In Nuremberg, I visited the courtroom that held the Nuremberg Trials and also traveled with the group to Krakow, Munich, and Salzburg.
You really knew that you didn’t want to work in Big Law- were you ever tempted to do a Big Law job search? What made you so sure that you didn’t want to try it?
I wasn’t ever really tempted to do a Big Law job search - I think I knew it wasn’t really for me. Since I knew I wanted to do something in public interest law, I wanted to narrow my internship hunt to something within this area so I could work on growing my public interest connections and experience to bring with me into my post-grad career.
Can you talk a little bit about the NYU Public Interest Fair and what the interview process was like?
I got my 2L internship through the NYU Public Interest Fair. The online portal allows you to see all the participating employers and read about the work of each organization. In the first phase, you apply to any employer that interests you and usually submit your resume, cover letter, and possibly a writing sample. After you rank the employers, they have a few days to review the materials to decide if they will extend an interview. Interviews take place over the course of two days in twenty-minute increments. When I did it, it was still a virtual process. Although it was tiring to have a few interviews in a row, it was convenient to get it all over in two days and a twenty-minute interview seemed less daunting than other interviews I had heard about. Since many of the employers asked similar questions, the interviews got easier as the day went on.
You worked at WomanKind your 2L summer. What was that like? What kind of work did you do there?
Womankind is a New York City-based organization that works with survivors of gender-based violence. In addition to legal services, they offer a variety of social services including counseling, shelters, and run an emergency helpline. During my 2L summer, I worked with the legal team as an immigration legal intern. I had the opportunity to work directly with clients conducting new client intakes, client interviews, and preparing various applications, such as T visa applications, adjustments of status so families could obtain legal permanent residency, VAWA petitions, and work authorization applications. I really enjoyed working directly with clients and learned so much about immigration law, which helped prepare me for working in the Immigrants’ Rights/International Human Rights Clinic this past spring.
This summer, after the bar exam you will be clerking for Justice Fasciale on the NJ Supreme Court. Why did you decide to clerk? What are you most looking forward to in your job next year?
I wanted to clerk because I heard what a great learning experience it was. I only heard regrets from people who did not clerk, but never anything bad from people who did clerk. It seemed like a great opportunity to continue to work on my legal writing skills, build my network and learn from a judge, and get a “behind the scenes” look in a courtroom. After three years in a classroom, I saw clerking as a way to continue my legal education, but in a more practical and on-my-feet way. I’ve heard wonderful things about Justice Fasciale, so I’m very excited to have the chance to learn from him throughout the next year and to work on challenging assignments.
Do you have an idea of what you’d like to do when you’re done with your clerkship?
I have nothing planned yet for post-clerkship, but I would love to work for some sort of non profit organization, ideally one that works on issues of gender justice and women’s rights. I loved my experience at Womankind and in the clinic working directly with clients, but I also think it would be interesting to also work on broad “impact litigation” issues.
