JD Student Spotlight - Labiba Salim

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what brought you to law school.
My name is Labiba Salim and I’m a 3L here at Seton Hall Law. I graduated from Rutgers-New Brunswick in 2017 with a major in Public Health and a minor in Africana Studies. I never really considered law school as an option for me until after I started working full-time post-college– I worked for a federal agency and later at a local prosecutor’s office. In both roles, I was exposed to the work prosecutors do, which eventually inspired and propelled me to apply to, and attend, law school with the goal of becoming a prosecutor.

When you envisioned going to law school, what did you expect your law school journey to be like? Was it what you expected? How was it different?
I was excited to start law school, and I think it was a nice change of pace for me after working full-time for a few years. I entered law school with an open mind, and with an eagerness to get involved with things that I am interested in and care about. I don’t think I was expecting to get involved in as many extracurriculars as I did, or end up at the various internships and externships that I applied to, but looking back, I’m glad I came into law school with an open mind and no preconceived notions. The open mindset has helped get me to where I am today. I’ve also met a ton of brilliant and passionate people (both classmates and faculty) along the way, some of who I am lucky enough to call my friend!

What was been the most rewarding experience you have had during your law school career?
I think the most rewarding experiences I’ve had during my law school career were participating in the McLaughlin Trial Advocacy Workshop, and participating in the Equal Justice Clinic. I loved learning and practicing trial skills from the McLaughlin Workshop, and ultimately putting those learned skills to use at a (mock) trial in federal court here in Newark. I have also really valued my experience as a student-attorney at the Equal Justice Clinic– it has been an incredibly meaningful experience for me to have the opportunity to represent clients in parole-related matters, and I have found myself becoming more comfortable with the idea of handling my own cases and navigating the legal system once I enter into practice.

You have been very involved here at Seton Hall Law from journal to clinic to several organizations like the Muslim Law Students Association, the SBA, and APALSA. How do you balance it all with school and work?
I find myself the most productive and efficient with my time when I’m busy and have things to do. I think time management and self-discipline are essential to making a seemingly busy schedule manageable, so I’ve relied heavily on writing everything down in my agenda and placing any classes/events/meetings, etc. into my Outlook calendar. I didn’t want to sacrifice extracurricular involvement to focus solely on school, so I made it a point to try to make both work as early as 1L year. Sometimes it gets tough managing everything, but it is doable and was very worth it to me.

What was it like working for the Manhattan DA’s Office? What did you learn and what did you take away from this experience?
Working at the Manhattan DA’s Office (also known as “DANY”) was probably the best possible experience in prosecution I could have gotten my 1L summer. The summer legal internship program at DANY is incredibly well-structured thanks to the tireless work of DANY’s Legal Hiring Unit in coordinating everything to ensure all of the interns had the most enriching and fulfilling experience they possibly could.

Interns were split up into different Bureaus, and I was placed in the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor, specifically within the Special Investigations Bureau (“SIB”). The SIB focused on felony drug trafficking cases, many of which had an international nexus. At this internship, I was exposed to lots of motion-practice and trials, and researched and wrote memoranda on novel criminal law issues. On top of my experiences at the SIB, the internship program allowed us interns to listen to case studies, participate in various affinity groups within DANY, meet D.A. Bragg, and so much more. After this experience, I couldn’t picture myself doing anything outside of prosecution after law school.

You also served as an extern at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark during your 2L Fall semester. What kind of work did you do there?
My externship at the U.S. Attorney’s Office consisted of a lot of legal research and writing, such as drafting briefs, memos, complaints, and jury instructions for various cases. Outside of research and writing, I was able to watch a federal trial for the first time, sat in on meetings with federal agents, and learned about the roadblocks involved with prosecuting certain cases. I loved working with my co-interns on projects and enjoyed having the opportunity to get involved with a variety of cases.

During your 2L summer, you worked down in Virginia for the Drug Enforcement Administration. What made you pursue an opportunity like this and did you enjoy your time there?
Before law school, I worked for the DEA in New Jersey doing community outreach work, and loved the work I did there. I applied to intern at DEA Headquarters as a summer legal intern because I wanted to finally experience the legal side of DEA. I was able to get exposed to various areas of law, ranging from employment law, to ethics, to criminal procedure and more. I loved being down in the DC area for the summer– there were a lot of sights to see, museums to visit, and cuisines to try!

As a 3L, you did something quite unique, spending 4 months in the Fall commuting to D.C. to extern at the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (“APA”) and at the White House in its Office of National Drug Control Policy (“ONDCP”). Wow! What were those experiences like and how were you able to pursue those positions when still taking classes at Seton Hall Law?
I really enjoyed my experiences with the APA and ONDCP this past fall! At APA, I was more attune to the general challenges (compassion fatigue, case backlogs, etc) that various prosecutors’ offices in the country deal with, and worked on projects that helped address those challenges such that solutions can be implemented nationally. While I learned about prosecutors’ casework in past internships, this internship opened my eyes to other things prosecutors deal with that I otherwise would not have been aware of!

ONDCP was an incredible experience too. I’ve heard people who work in big law work insane hours, but I have to say the White House staffers are some of the most dedicated people I have had the pleasure of meeting. Early mornings, late nights– there’s always so much to get done and everyone at the office is there to see any and all tasks through.

I was able to pursue those positions while taking classes at Seton Hall Law by being able to go part-time for my fall semester. The ONDCP internship was fully in-person, so I created a class schedule that would allow me to stay in DC two consecutive days a week for this internship. It really helped that I took summer and winter classes throughout law school, because otherwise I likely would not have been able to go part-time and not have been able to do both internships. The internships were very much worth it!

You are clerking after graduation for a New Jersey state court judge. Why did you decide to pursue this path?
I decided to pursue the clerkship path because it aligns with my goal of becoming a prosecutor. I will be clerking in the criminal division, so I will be immersed in criminal law and exposed to how the New Jersey criminal court system works. I think one of the most invaluable experiences will be learning from my judge and understanding a judge’s perspective on matters that come before the court.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years, I see myself working in a supervisory prosecutor role (state or federal), having tried a number of successful cases. Generally, I see myself really content and happy with my life, and excited to go into work every day. And possibly starting a family.

Any advice for students looking to pursue government work post-graduation?
My advice is to get involved at school doing things you are interested in, and develop relationships with faculty members here at school. There are a number of professors here who either are working, or used to work, in prosecution, public defense, and/or government in general. If there is a professor who has or had a career that you are interested in, reach out to them and see if you can talk to them! The faculty here are very willing to share their experiences, and may be able to help guide you in the direction where you want to go.

It’s also a good idea to do summer and/or semester internships in government to demonstrate that you are actually interested and committed to this line of work. When it comes to government work, employers tend to be more interested in a commitment to government/public service more than they are good grades. That’s not to say grades don’t matter (because they do), but government employers will typically be more attracted to those with a demonstrated interest in public service when it comes to hiring.

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