Leadership Fellows Program

Program Information

The Leadership Fellows Program, under the direction of Professor Paula Franzese, is comprised of third and fourth year law students with demonstrated leadership ability and/or leadership potential. Leadership Fellows are selected each spring on the basis of completion of an application and interview. Applicants must be in good academic standing at the Law School. Students selected to be Leadership Fellows must enroll in the Leadership, Ethics, and Decision-Making course for the fall semester. The course meets every week. As an experiential component of the course, students engage in a leadership project to be determined in consultation with Professor Paula Franzese.

The Leadership Fellows Program received the top New Jersey State Bar Association Pro Bono Award for its groundbreaking work. See the full story here.

The Leadership Speaks series brings distinguished speakers to class to address the building blocks of innovation and team building as well as the predicates to integrity-led service. Past speakers have spoken to the power of grit and resilience and the importance of giving back to the people and communities who do so much for so many. Rehan Staton, Esq., the founder of The Reciprocity Effect, recently shared lessons on courage, grace and gratitude as he spoke of the pioneering work he does.

Distinguished Seton Hall Law alumna and federal district court judge the Hon. Evelyn Padin shared poignant reflections on her time as a law student. She stated, "You can help change this world. You must find your inner voices, and rise up. As future lawyers you will learn to reach deep within yourselves to be the best that you can be by helping those in need, whether the client can pay your fees and sometimes only when they can only say 'Thank You'. Lawyers are instilled with the understanding that we must make room at the table for justice not just for some but for all."

About the Course

The Leadership, Ethics and Decision-Making course is a two credit offering as the curricular component of the Leadership Fellows Program. The class meets for two hours every week over the course of the fall semester. The course features a distinguished speakers series, mentoring component and opportunities for experiential learning that include implementation of a community-based leadership project.

This year's and past classes of Leadership Fellows implemented initiatives in partnership with various public and private sector constituencies that have included:

• creation of the First Gen JD website
• educational programming on learning differences and learning disabilities
• community workshops on the basics of landlord-tenant law and affordable housing law
• initiatives to meet the needs of Newark's homeless and displaced
• development of re-entry programs for those previously incarcerated
• creation of academic success programs for first-time youth offenders
• workshops to guide local immigrants toward new work opportunities
• programming to promote heightened awareness and remediation of the tragedy of human trafficking
• mentoring and empowerment programs in high schools
  
  

Eligibility /How to Apply

To be eligible, students must be in good academic standing at Seton Hall Law. The application consists of a 500 word essay that describes your leadership potential and abilities and a resume. If you have any questions about the application, please contact [email protected].

Application requirements to be submitted online.

Applications are due March 29 at 5 p.m. Complete and submit the application form below.

Name
E-mail address
Phone number
Address
In no more than 500 words, please indicate why you are interested in serving as a Leadership Fellow, how you have or would like to demonstrate your leadership potential, what you deem to be your strengths.

Upload resume.

If all of the above is available, APPLY NOW

Admitted Students

Students admitted to the Program must take the Leadership, Ethics, and Decision-Making (PRMD 8200) course in the fall and spring semesters of their second year.

Learning Outcomes

Students will develop enhanced abilities to

• apply the ethical imperative in the workplace
• effectively work with media outlets
• enhance communication skills as applied to both law-related and non-law related constituencies
• work toward appointments to boards, commissions, panels and professional committees
• navigate social communication in professional settings/“work the room”
• become involved with the organized bar
• garner an understanding of financial literacy
• cultivate strategies to effectively integrate work and family
• put vision into action
• make effective decisions
• cultivate self-awareness and self-assessment skills
• seek, take and foster responsibility
• prioritize competing demands
• understand market controls
• appreciate the mechanisms of corporate social responsibility
• build and mend relationships
• manage people and projects
• weather change
• accept and learn from failure
• build confidence in self and others
• appreciate the virtues of humility and perseverance
  
  

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Leadership in Action

The Seton Hall Law School Leadership Fellows Program Rolls Out Our Strong Futures Initiative

by Nan Lin, '24

In collaboration with Catholic Charities of Newark, this year's Leadership Fellows partnered with the Strong Futures program in Union City, NJ to help young people transitioning out of the child welfare system or experiencing homelessness. To enhance their journey toward a brighter future, we developed and guided the transformation of previously abandoned spaces into a Strong Futures home and agricultural gardens. The gardens will provide fresh produce and serve as therapeutic outdoor environments for their young residents, offering a sense of support and purpose-driven investment. Each seed planted symbolizes our hopes for the young people’s futures and our best wishes for their success. We firmly believe in each person's potential to achieve great things. With the guidance and expertise of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension, the gardens will sustainably and regeneratively thrive.

Our leadership program is deeply rooted in Professor Franzese’s philosophy, methodology, and strategies for putting loving kindness in action to foster social change and eliminate poverty and injustice. Accordingly, our garden embodies and extends Professor Franzese’s spirit and philosophy of compassion and hope-giving. Her teachings remind us that as lawyers we are uniquely situated to champion the underdog and be the light we wish to see in the world. Through this project, we aspire to create a lasting impact on the lives of the young people in the Strong Futures program, empowering them to succeed and thrive. May the sparks of hope be passed down through generations.

A Chinese proverb reminds us, "It takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred years to cultivate people." This proverb emphasizes the time and care required for educating and nurturing the generations that succeed us. My journey at Seton Hall Law has instilled in me the commitment to public service and taught me the power and value of commitment, integrity, patience, and passion for a cause bigger than my own.

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Photos from Past Events