Adventures in Employment - Stephen Ingersoll

What inspired you to pursue a career as a public defender and dedicate yourself to public interest law?

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a public interest lawyer, and I was inspired to pursue public interest for several reasons. First, I was born and raised in Newark, where I developed many relationships with community members from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Growing up here, I saw firsthand the negative effects that poverty, housing insecurity, and overpolicing had on the community. Unlike others in my community, however, I had the privilege to pursue educational and extracurricular opportunities in the suburbs of New Jersey, where people did not face nearly the same struggles. This sharp contrast between the educational opportunities and resources available to my suburban friends from more privileged areas versus my Newark friends in more resource-starved communities provided me a very concrete example of discrimination based on geographical, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors. Because of this, I wanted to use my gifts, education, and experiences to help people from my community who did not get the same opportunities that I did.

A second major motivation was college education. I attended college with the goal of graduating and going to law school to pursue public interest. In college, I can still vividly remember learning about the school-to-prison pipeline and other similar injustices in the criminal legal system, all of which deepened my resolve to pursue public interest after graduation.

My final major motivation was law school itself. I wrote my admissions essay on my desire to go into public interest law, and what I have learned during my time at Seton Hall Law has only deepened that desire. Even before orientation, we read about de jure and de facto segregation and discrimination in American law, and how these policies continue to disproportionately affect certain groups even today. Throughout my doctrinal classes, I continued to learn that the effects of these policies are present in every area of the law, whether it is property law governing mortgages and zoning, or conviction and sentencing patterns in criminal law. Perhaps most importantly, what Professor Misdary taught us in criminal law about the unjust policies underlying many aspects of the criminal legal system helped point me towards a career as a public defender.

How did your summer experience with the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender impact your career goals or perspective on the legal system?

I did both a spring externship and a summer internship with the NJ OPD, Hudson County region. This experience showed me concrete examples of the problems with the legal system. I saw how many aspects of the legal system, which are purportedly neutral, operate to hurt community members who are charged with crimes. I also learned how many of the concepts we learn about in school, such as evidence, operate very differently in practice, often in ways that prejudice community members who are being accused of crimes. This showed me how flawed the criminal legal system is and how great the need for reform is. On a more positive note, I was able to form many wonderful relationships with the people in the office and learn a lot about what goes on “behind the scenes” in criminal court. I got to research and write several interesting legal projects. I also had the opportunity to appear on the record and represent clients who were charged with various offenses. Overall, my time with the Hudson OPD deepened my desire to pursue a career as a public defender.

Last summer you worked with the Housing Justice Project — what was the most valuable lesson you learned from that experience?

The most valuable lesson I learned was that providing tenants with access to legal services is critical in ensuring that tenants are treated fairly and that landlords follow the law. Through my work with the HJP, I learned about—and saw firsthand—the vast difference in success rates between represented tenants and unrepresented tenants during eviction proceedings. While the numbers vary, lawyers represent over 80% of landlords, compared to only 4% of tenants (as low as 3% in New Jersey). This has a huge impact on case outcomes, as tenants who are represented are much more likely to stay in their homes or at least get more time to find another place to live.

A major project I worked on analyzed deficiencies in landlord eviction complaints, and we found that up to 70% of the complaints reviewed were deficient. Despite the deficiencies, courts rarely dismissed the complaints and often entered judgments of possession or defaults against the tenants. This demonstrated the enormous importance of having access to legal services, as well as how the system creates gaps between those who have access to resources and those who do not.

What’s been one of the most meaningful experiences or lessons you’ve had so far during law school, whether inside or outside the classroom?

The most meaningful lesson I’ve learned is that, while studying is important, it is equally important to take care of your body and mind. I always tell people that sleep is one of the most important things, especially during finals. As the legendary civil procedure scholar Michael Granne said, an hour of sleep is worth more than two hours of studying. In all of the tests that I struggled in, I studied too much and did not sleep enough. It is also important to get exercise, eat well, and do other things to reduce anxiety and preserve your mental stability. While it is difficult to balance studying and self-care, it will particularly help you in the long run.

How has your time on the Seton Hall Law Review shaped your skills and approach to legal work?

If your lawyering professor doesn’t make you care enough about the Bluebook, your experience on law review certainly will. Additionally, the experience of editing articles and comments taught me a lot about what good legal writing looks like. While doctrinal classes focus on reading and applying cases, editing law review articles helps reinforce the importance of writing conventions (such as avoiding long sentences), the value of organization and clarity, and the importance of editing writing as many times as you can.

What has been your proudest achievement so far in law school?

My proudest achievement was getting good grades and a high rank at the end of Fall 1L, and then maintaining those grades throughout subsequent semesters. The first semester was hard because I did not know what to expect, but it was nice to see my hard work pay off. Law school is a lot of work, so it is important to celebrate successes that you achieve.

Who has been a mentor or major influence in your journey, and what advice or example have they provided that’s stuck with you?

Professor Misdary has had the biggest impact on my law school journey. They were an excellent criminal law teacher, an invaluable resource during my comment-writing process, and they helped me secure my internship position with the Hudson NJOPD. Their advice that stuck with me was that I have to change the way that I think about and approach legal problems. One invaluable skill in law school is developing different ways of thinking, such as looking at things from different perspectives or being able to think about things you do not know.

Through innumerable office-hours visits and a plethora of emails, Professor Misdary helped me not only learn a lot about criminal law, but also develop a different perspective on the criminal legal system and the law generally. Additionally, through their teaching and communication style, Professor Misdary demonstrated that, even as a lawyer or a legal professor, one can be passionate and expressive while also being a competent teacher and zealous advocate.

As someone ranked at the top of your class, what study habits or strategies have been most helpful for your success?

There are many different things that I implement, and it would be impossible to write them out in a few paragraphs, but here is a list of some of the most critical ones (and everyone is free to reach out to me for advice or to ask about studying habits that I utilize):

1. Take the time to learn how to read: While everyone in law school knows how to read, not everyone knows how to read for law school. Give yourself enough time to learn how to closely read and take notes on the reading. Resist the urge to do the bare minimum in order to avoid an embarrassing cold call, or to simply get the important parts of a case from a study aid or an old outline. Try to read in a way that helps you both understand the material and learn how to decipher different parts of an opinion or case book. Developing the process and skill of legal reading will help prepare you for exams and give you a critical skill both in law school and in your future legal career. When you get into practice, you won’t always have Quimbee or other study aids, so take the time to learn how to read for law school.
2. Continuously refine your reading and studying methods: Time is a valuable commodity, so think about how to balance reading closely with being efficient in your study methods. If you let it, law school will take 100% of your time and more. It is crucial to develop study methods that help separate what information is crucial and what information can be skimmed. Talk to other students about what works for them and try out different things. Some people like to type notes to take to class; I prefer using colored pens to write notes directly in my textbook. One student even uses crayons for some reason. Developing and refining your process of learning information is as important as learning the information itself. If you do this, it will serve you far better than if you simply use a study aid or another student’s outline to get the information.
3. Be intentional about how you study: Think about how you study best and create a study environment that reflects that. If an area is distracting, figure out how to eliminate distractions. I study best in the library, either with one friend or by myself with noise-canceling headphones. Additionally, think about how you will need to use the information on a paper or exam. Memorizing what you learned in class is always good, but think about how the information might need to be organized on a potential exam answer.
4. Talk to your professors, especially about what they are expecting for the exam: No two classes are the same in terms of how you should learn or what the professor is expecting. There is a big difference with how you should study for an open-book torts exam with Professor Dorfman versus a closed-book contracts exam with Professor Roemer. Ask your professor if they are expecting you to cite cases, how they want you to construct the answers, and what information you will be expected to know for the exam. This will help you know how to read for class and how to outline for your exam prep.
5. Ask questions and answer questions: Ultimately, law school comes down to questions. Cases decide the answers to legal questions, most professors teach by asking questions about the readings, and final exams are graded based on questions. While you read or outline, try to come up with questions to ask your professor or other classmates. While you study, have your classmates ask you questions and see if you can answer them. Try to answer as many questions in class as you can. I always say I would rather get an answer wrong in class than wrong on an exam.

Outside of law school, what activities, hobbies, or passions keep you grounded and recharged?

I always try to be active and do activities that engage my brain in ways that law school does not. I go indoor rock climbing whenever my schedule permits (insert my plug for Method Climbing Gym and Café), and I try to keep up with my other hobbies like practicing piano or playing Dark Souls. I also try to spend time with friends or classmates, which might be engaging in a rousing debate about the Jets’ inevitable downfall, or eating some beans at a friend’s house.

Looking ahead, how do you envision your career unfolding and the impact you want to make in the communities you serve?

I’m still not entirely sure what my long-term career plan is, but I am committed to public interest, and especially to helping others using my gifts and education that I have been so privileged to receive. After graduation, I plan on pursuing a career as a public defender, and then exploring what happens after that.