Weekend Warrior - Maureen Camacho

Why did you decide to attend law school?

I do not remember why, but I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was in grammar school. I did a work study program my senior year in high school, and I was placed with a solo practitioner. I worked for him for six years after I graduated high school. Unfortunately, I witnessed him cancel a family vacation because a judge refused to adjourn a hearing and since he was a solo he did not have anyone to cover it for him. I decided then that I would rather stay behind the scenes and be a paralegal instead. I got my associate degree in paralegal studies through an ABA approved paralegal program. I went on to receive my bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies through another ABA approved program. Eventually, I started working at a mid-sized law firm with a really great mentor that kept me involved in every aspect of our cases, explained the strategy behind each decision, and allowed me the opportunity to prepare the initial drafts of all pleadings, discovery, and motions. I also assisted with and attended most of our depositions and had the opportunity to help prepare for and attend two trials. The more I got involved, the more I wanted to do. It got to the point where I was explaining to new associates how to run the case, and my mentor encouraged me to take the next step and go to law school. Seton Hall made that choice even easier by offering the weekend program.

What have you enjoyed the most about the law school’s weekend program?

I love my classmates. I have met so many intelligent and caring people at Seton Hall. I have also had wonderful professors that are knowledgeable and appreciate the difficulties weekend students face balancing our school, work, and personal lives. The flexibility of being able to go to law school every other weekend and continue to work full time and still fit in some family obligations on the off weekends has made this journey manageable.

Tell us about your 1LW summer internship with the Seton Hall University School of Law, Center for Social Justice, Housing Justice Project. How was this experience? What types of assignments did you work on?

I did not think I would be able to do a summer internship since I work full time. I met with OCS just to discuss some of my options for the future, and they encouraged me to ask my employer if they would allow me to take one day off per week just for the summer. My firm was extremely accommodating and understood that the opportunity would be beneficial for me. I was able to work one day a week with the Center for Social Justice and although managing both jobs was difficult at times, it was a great experience, and I am so happy I was able to get involved in the Housing Justice Project. 

I worked on a motion for injunctive relief to assist a client with a wrongful Section 8 termination. I never drafted a motion for injunctive relief before and this area of law was completely new to me, so I had to take the time to familiarize myself with the facts of the case, research the area of law and draft the motion, certification of counsel and brief. I also worked on a research paper regarding tenant screening reports, what companies were preparing them, where and how the companies were accessing the information that went into the reports and the overall inconsistency, and inaccuracies of the reports being generated. I worked with Professor Borgen and Professor Kelly, and they were both amazing supervisors and took the time to explain the issues, the strategy behind the projects, and gave me detailed feedback on my work. Professor Kelly filled me in on the settlement strategy and next steps of the case even after I was done drafting the motion. I would absolutely recommend working with the Center for Social Justice sometime during your law school career. 

How did you get your 1LW summer internship? What was the interview process like?

My internship was originally a judicial internship, but there was a conflict that came up and I was not able to continue the internship. The OCS team worked quickly to find another placement so that I did not have to withdraw from the internship program completely and placed me with the Center for Social Justice. I met with Professor Borgen and Professor Kelly, and it was a fairly easy transition since I have experience working with document management and billing programs. This allowed me to start working on substantive projects quickly.

How do you balance working full-time as a paralegal and participating in the law school’s weekend program?

Working full time and attending law school has been challenging at times, but the program is designed so that you can make it work. Sometimes I have to read or work on assignments in the morning before work, on my lunch break, and then again after work as well as on my off weekends and even during breaks on school weekends. At the beginning of each semester, after we get our syllabi, I write down all of my assignment deadlines in my calendar and I figure out how many pages I need to read each week to ensure that I manage my time properly – this also helps me figure out what weeks might be a little lighter so that I can try to plan time to spend with my friends and family. I also save a few PTO days to use right before I have a paper due and at the end of each semester to study for finals since I do not usually have enough time during the semester to study or prepare detailed outlines.

What advice or tips would you give weekend students regarding academic success?

Figure out what time of the day your focus is at its peak (reading cases and actually absorbing the information can be very difficult when you’re tired). There are a variety of different study techniques and sometimes you have to try different ones to see what works best for you. Attend Professor Edelman’s studying and outlining seminars, they are really helpful. I also recommend finding a study group/friend - if you work well in groups. I never worked with a study group prior to law school, but the group I am in now is an incredible support system which has helped me get through these past 2 years.

I did not think I would be able to do an internship or attend events because of my schedule, however, the school does a great job providing different options for weekend students so if you can spare a few minutes, look at the emails that come in and see if there’s anything that interests you. If something does not work with your schedule, reach out to see if there is a virtual option that can be offered or if there is a similar event that will be held in the future. I even had someone send me an email summary about a seminar I was not able to attend. In my experience, if you let someone know you’re interested in something they are usually more than happy to make sure you get the information/opportunities you are looking for. 

What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge of law school is managing your time with the understanding that your life is going to change. I used to go to all my niece and nephew’s sporting and dance events but after I started law school, I was no longer able to. I still go to some of their games, and I try to go to every dance recital but there are a lot of things that I am not able to attend because of my school schedule. However, I have extremely supportive friends and family who do their best to plan around my schedule so that I do not have to miss the big events.

What do you hope to do your 3LW summer? What are your post-graduation goals?

My plans for 3LW summer and my post-graduation goals are pretty much the same so I will answer both together. While no one can tell what the future holds and so much can happen in the next two years, my plans are to continue working with my current team. I have worked as a legal assistant and a paralegal in the insurance defense practice area for the past 9 years, and I have been working with my current team for the past 7 years. With that said, I would also like to try to do another part-time summer internship, preferably with the Attorney General’s Office but because of my schedule that may not be feasible. I am also interested in possibly taking a year off from working at a law firm to apply for a judicial clerkship.