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Introduction to Lawyering   

Your Professional Career Begins Here

This year you will take a six-credit year-long course called Introduction to Lawyering. The course will provide you with opportunities to exercise and receive intensive feedback on a broad range of practical lawyering skills including research, writing, interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and oral advocacy. It will be taught in small groups by professors who will work closely with you to hone your skills and build critical professional habits.

The course will begin with a full day orientation for all students where we will introduce you to your Introduction to Lawyering professors and classmates. We will also discuss the building blocks of legal interpretation, and the importance of collaborating across differences and cultural competency for attorneys.

"Introduction to Lawyering is about building a strong foundation. The course provides the tools, resources, and guidance necessary to succeed at legal research and writing. Though challenging at times, this course is where the greatest transformation of 1L year takes place."

EMMA LOMBARD '21 

Meet the 2019-20 Lawyering Professors 

  • Alice Burke

    Alice Burke

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., Georgetown University Law Center | M.S., B.A., Mississippi University for Women
    | 973-642-8809 | Rm 424

    Professor Burke is an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice teaching Introduction to Lawyering. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Graduate Lawyering at New York University. Previously, Professor Burke was a Writing Specialist at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. Before entering academia, Professor Burke represented management in labor and employment matters as an Assistant General Counsel at Exelon Corporation and in private practice with Vedder Price (Chicago), Clifton, Budd, & DeMaria (New York City), and at Shawe & Rosenthal (Baltimore). Professor Burke graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Mississippi University for Women.

  • Professor Karla Y Foy

    Karla Y. Foy

    Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and Assistant Director of Academic Success
    J.D., Harvard Law School | B.A., American University
    | 973-642-8715 | Rm 427

    Professor Foy teaches the Introduction to Lawyering course to first year students. She is an Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and the Associate Director of the Academic Success program. Professor Foy has practiced Education Law in various contexts.  She has also managed and maintained a general law practice in Hackensack, New Jersey since 2005.  Prior to coming to Seton Hall Law School, Professor Foy served in the Office of the General Counsel of the United States Department of Education.  She also worked for the New York University, Equity Assistance Center providing technical assistance to school districts on race, gender and national origin issues. She earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in Criminal Justice, cum laude, from American University.

  • Professor Maya Grosz

    Maya Grosz

    Director of Skills Curriculum and Associate Professor of Law
    J.D. New York University | B.A. Brown University
    | 973-642-8860 | Rm 410

    Maya Grosz is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Legal Practice Curriculum, overseeing all non-clinic courses and competitions that train students in practical lawyering skills. She teaches Introduction to Lawyering and is director of the Lawyering course.  Prior to joining Seton Hall Law School in 2009, Professor Grosz was an Acting Assistant Professor of Law at New York University School of Law where she taught Lawyering.  Previously she was the Director of the Civil Unit at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, where she represented criminal defense clients in collateral civil proceedings. Professor Grosz graduated magna cum laude from New York University School of Law, and earned her B.A. from Brown University. After law school, Professor Grosz clerked for the Honorable James C. Francis IV, U.S. Magistrate Judge, in the Southern District of New York.

  • Professor Ricardo Little

    Alvin Ricardo (Rick) Little

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., Catholic University of America | B.A., The American University
    | 973-642-8064 | Rm 526

    Professor Little teaches Introduction to Lawyering as an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice. Professor Little’s law career began as an associate at Kraft & Hughes and at Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti, concentrating in public finance. Professor Little spent the majority of his legal career at the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office - first serving as a Deputy Attorney General and later as the Assistant Attorney General in Charge of Administrative Practice (Newark). He retired as an Assistant Attorney General in July 2018. Professor Little also served as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority and the Director of the state’s Crime Victims Compensation Office. Professor Little is a graduate of the American University and Catholic University Law School.

  • Professor Amy Newcombe

    Amy F. Newcombe

    Assistant Professor of Legal Practice & Director of Academic Success
    J.D., University of Notre Dame | M.A., Seton Hall University | A.B., Duke University
    | 973-642-8095 | Rm 409

    Professor Newcombe teaches Introduction to Lawyering as an Assistant Professor of Legal Practice.  Professor Newcombe is interested in education law and self-regulated learning, and directs the Legal Education Opportunities (LEO) Program and the Academic Success program. Professor Newcombe served in the Appellate Unit of the Union County Office of the Prosecutor preparing appellate briefs and supervising junior attorneys. She was also a law clerk to Judge Edwin A. Alley, in the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Notre Dame Law School, where she was articles editor of the Notre Dame Law Review.  She also earned a M.A, summa cum laude, from Seton Hall University and her A.B. in history, cum laude, from Duke University.

  • Lara B. Pennington

    Lara B. Pennington

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law | B.A., Lafayette College
    | 973-642-8783 | Rm 526

    Professor Pennington is an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice and teaches Introduction to Lawyering and Appellate Advocacy. Professor Pennington also serves as a private writing consultant for Rosky Legal Education, conducting seminars on writing and providing individual writing counseling in the legal industry. Previously, Professor Pennington taught U.S. Legal Writing in the University of Pennsylvania Law School LLM Summer Program from 2012-2015 and worked in private practice at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and Dillon, Bitar & Luther, LLC. Professor Pennington earned her J.D. with High Honors from Chicago-Kent College of Law where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She earned her B.A. in Psychology magna cum laude from Lafayette College.

  • Professor Melanie Perez Vellios

    Melanie J. Perez-Vellios

    Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and Assistant Director of Lawyering
    J.D., B.A., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
    | 973-642-8478 | Rm 423

    Professor Perez-Vellios serves as Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and as Assistant Director of Lawyering. She teaches Introduction to Lawyering, Appellate Advocacy, and Becoming a Lawyer for the Legal Education Opportunities (LEO) program. Prior to joining Seton Hall Law School, Professor Perez-Vellios practiced employment and education law, serving as Of Counsel to a New Jersey law firm. She also conducted anti-harassment training and other workplace seminars. Prior to that, Professor Perez-Vellios was an Associate at Reed Smith LLP where she practiced complex commercial litigation. Professor Perez-Vellios has also served as contributing author for XpertHR. Professor Perez-Vellios graduated from Rutgers School of Law – Newark, where she served as Senior Managing Editor of the Rutgers Law Review. She earned her B.A. from Rutgers University.

  • Professor Jacqueline Pirone

    Jacqueline C. Pirone

    Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and Director of Appellate Advocacy and Gressman Moot Court Programs
    J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law | B.A., Colgate University
    | 973-642-8424 | Rm 425

    Professor Pirone is an Assistant Professor of Legal Practice. She teaches Introduction to Lawyering, Appellate Advocacy, and Becoming A Lawyer for the LEO Program. Professor Pirone is also the Director of Appellate Advocacy Programming, which includes directing the Eugene Gressman Moot Court Competition. Professor Pirone is Of Counsel to the firm Kirmser, Lamastra, Cunningham & Skinner, House Counsel for Chubb Insurance Companies. Professor Pirone earned her J.D., cum laude, from Seton Hall Law School, where she served as the Student Director of the Eugene Gressman Moot Court Competition; as President of the Peter Rodino Society; and as a member of the Honor Council, the Interscholastic Moot Court Board, the Student Bar Association, and the Sports Law Journal. She earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Colgate University.

  • Professor Jamie Pukl-Werbel

    Jamie Pukl-Werbel

    Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and Director of Mock Trial
    J.D. Seton Hall University School of Law | B.A. Loyola University Maryland
    | 973-642-8201 | Rm 408

    Professor Pukl-Werbel is an Assistant Professor of Legal Practice teaching Introduction to Lawyering and Persuasion & Advocacy. Professor Pukl-Werbel also serves as Director of the law school’s Interscholastic Mock Trial Board. Professor Pukl-Werbel served as an Assistant District Attorney for the New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney's Office. She also clerked for the Honorable Walter R. Barisonek and the Honorable Scott J. Moynihan of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Union County. Professor Pukl-Werbel received her J.D. from Seton Hall Law School where she was a member of the Legislative Journal, the Interscholastic Moot Court Board, and was the first recipient of the Public Interest Fellowship. She received her B.A. in Communications and Business from Loyola University Maryland.

  • Professor Kathryn Quaglia

    Kathryn E. Quaglia

    Assistant Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law | B.S., Rutgers University
    | 973-642-8839 | Rm 508

    Professor Quaglia is an Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and she teaches Introduction to Lawyering. She also teaches a variety of online courses in the Center for Health and Pharmaceutical Law and Policy. Professor Quaglia practiced law at K&L Gates, where she practiced health care law and assisted with a variety of state and federal trial and appellate proceedings. Professor Quaglia graduated cum laude from Seton Hall Law School and received a B.S. from Rutgers University. During law school, she served as a legal intern at Epstein Becker & Green in Washington, D.C. After graduating law school, she served as a law clerk to Justice Virginia Long of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

  • Allison Sigmund

    Allison Sigmund

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., New York University | B.S., Cornell University
    | 973-642-8082 | Rm 424

    Professor Sigmund is an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice. She teaches Introduction to Lawyering and several courses in Seton Hall Law’s Master of Science in Jurisprudence online program. Professor Sigmund also serves as Counsel at the law firm Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, P.C. Previously, Professor Sigmund practiced employment and employee benefits law at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and practiced complex commercial litigation at Cravath, Swaine and Moore. Professor Sigmund graduated cum laude from New York University School of Law, and earned her B.S. from Cornell University. One year following law school, Professor Sigmund clerked for the Honorable Barbara S. Jones, U.S. District Judge, in the Southern District of New York.

  • Professor Claudette St Romain

    Claudette L. St. Romain

    Associate Professor of Law
    J.D., Harvard Law School | B.A., University of California
    | 973-642-8290 | Rm 403

    Professor St. Romain earned her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and a B.A. with highest honors from the University of California, Davis. She clerked for Hon. Anne E. Thompson in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Professor St. Romain litigated at Hudson County Legal Services Corp., representing indigent individuals in trial and appellate courts. She served as the Chairperson of the District VI Ethics Committee and has been appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Special Master at ethics hearings. Professor St. Romain served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, taught Gender and the Law, and in the Family Law Clinic at the Center for Social Justice. In addition to Introduction to Lawyering, she currently teaches Family Law, Marriage, and Divorce.

This legal writing class enables 1L students to acquire comprehensive lawyering skills in their first year

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