Handles a variety of civil cases, with a primary focus on landlord-tenant cases and housing-related civil matters as part of the state-funded Housing Justice Project.
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The Center for Social Justice (CSJ) is a dynamic hub where clinical legal education and community service come together. Through CSJ clinics, pro bono services, and advocacy projects students can gain practical experience while also making a positive difference in the world around them.
Handles a variety of civil cases, with a primary focus on landlord-tenant cases and housing-related civil matters as part of the state-funded Housing Justice Project.
Learn MoreShifts the focus from the “system” to the community members most affected by the criminal legal system: those facing charges and their families.
Learn MoreChallenges discrimination against non-citizens and works to advance the civil and constitutional rights of people who are incarcerated.
Learn MoreProvides free legal services to individuals needing representation in family matters, including restraining orders, divorces, custody issues, and support issues.
Learn MoreProvides free legal services to individuals needing representation in civil matters, addressing the social determinants of health with a focus on maintaining safe and affordable housing.
Learn MoreEmploys a legal design framework to understand and respond to housing inequity in New Jersey and seeks to offer high-impact support to tenants.
Learn MoreAssists people from all over the world who need protection from persecution, trafficking, and torture, as well as non-citizens who have survived domestic violence, workplace abuse or other violent crimes in the United States.
Learn MoreFocuses on federal appellate and other important cases, such as representing an indigent client before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, or amicus briefs before other federal courts of appeals or the New Jersey Supreme Court.
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The Center for Social Justice also engages in broader advocacy efforts that align with our commitment to providing legal services to underrepresented communities. Currently, the CSJ is engaged in two such projects.
The DDDI is a state-funded program that provides pro bono immigration counsel to indigent
New Jerseyans in removal proceedings. As part of this initiative, Seton Hall Law provides
opportunities for clinical, pro bono, and extern students to gain start-to-finish,
hands-on experience representing detained and formerly detained noncitizens fighting
deportation. The Housing Justice Project is a collaborative initiative between Seton Hall Law and
Rutgers Law School that seeks to provide representation and support to tenants in
landlord-tenant disputes and with other housing needs. The Housing Justice Project
also advocates for broader social change in the field of landlord-tenant law, and
specifically focuses on the implementation and enforcement of landlord-tenant reform
measures
Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative (DDDI)
Housing Justice Project
The first Seton Hall Law clinical program was established in 1970, in conjunction with Essex-Newark Legal Services. In 1991, the Center for Social Justice (CSJ) was established as a public interest law firm for the disadvantaged and underrepresented.
The CSJ houses most of the Law School's clinical programs and the Pro Bono Service Program. Final-year law students can apply to participate in CSJ clinics, working closely with experienced faculty to provide legal services throughout New Jersey and beyond. The program combines individual client representation, impact litigation, and public policy advocacy to pursue justice for our clients and the community. Students also write reports and community education materials, manage social media sites, and offer Know Your Rights presentations to help educate individuals on their legal rights.
First-year law students can work with the CSJ by volunteering for the Pro Bono Service Program. We help students find a placement that matches their interests, fosters the skills they seek to develop, addresses a community need, and fits with their schedule.
The Center for Social Justice proudly trains law students to become legal professionals who effect positive and lasting change. We are committed to the pursuit of equitable treatment for all, through cases and advocacy that challenge systemic racism and seek just outcomes for our clients.
We invite all Seton Hall Law students to join us on this mission.
Lori Outzs Borgen
Director
Center for Social JusticeEach fall semester, the CSJ will name up to four outstanding students from the incoming 2L class who demonstrate a strong commitment to public service and who are planning public interest careers. This opportunity is open to all students who have completed their first year of law school, including both full-time and weekend students.
CSJ Scholars are committed to social change and dedicated to providing legal services to those in need. They seek to undertake law reform efforts to promote social justice and persevere in the face of challenge.
Scholars, who serve until graduation, are supported and encouraged in their pursuit of a range of public interest opportunities and will be offered or assisted in applying for several benefits, including:
The CSJ Scholars are expected to help plan and implement social justice programming or public service projects in collaboration with faculty.
Interested applicants must submit via email a resume, an unofficial transcript, and two references (one or both of which can be from Seton Hall Law faculty).
In addition, applicants must submit a cover letter articulating their commitment to public interest law and interest in serving as a CSJ Scholar and a proposed public interest project, program, or event that the Scholar would like to organize. For example, a community training, a one-day clinic to provide legal services, an educational event for law students, a public interest career forum, etc.
The project or event should be described in one or two short paragraphs. Specific details are not required. Please explain why you think this program would be a good addition to the public interest programming of the Center for Social Justice.
Application materials must be received no later than Day, Date, at Time. Please include “[Your name] CSJ Scholar Applicant" in your subject line and email your application materials to [email protected]. Interviews for finalists will be held in September.
Learn more about previous Scholars here.
If you are interested in participating in a CSJ clinic, please fill out the application form linked below.
Most clinic positions for 2024-25 have already been filled based on applications that were submitted in Spring 2024. If you complete the application below, you will be considered for any vacancies that arise in Spring 2025. Please contact Professor Lori Borgen at [email protected] to ask about clinic availability.
[email protected]
973-642-8700
973-761-9000 ext. 8700
833 McCarter Highway, Newark, NJ 07102
