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 2021-22 Lawyering Professors 

  • Pablo N. Blanco, Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice

    Pablo N. Blanco

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    BA, MA, JD, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey
    | |

    Pablo N. Blanco is an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice, teaching Introduction to Lawyering. Professor Blanco was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1965. He is head of a general practice law firm in Montclair, NJ, concentrating his practice in family law, workers compensation, social security disability, civil appeals and trials. He is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Essex County Bar Association, the Passaic County Bar Association and the New Jersey Hispanic Bar Association. Mr. Blanco argued Rowe v. Mazel Thirty before the New Jersey Supreme Court and has appeared numerous times before the Superior Court, Appellate Division. Published cases: Rowe v. Mazel Thirty, 209 N.J. 35 (2012); Kocanowski v. Township of Bridgewater, 237 N.J. 3 (2019); Lechler v. 303 Sunset Avenue Codo. Assoc. 452 N.J. Super 574 (App. Div. 2017); Moran v. Board of Trs. of the Police & Firemen's Ret. Sys., 438 N.J. Super. 346 (App. Div. 2014); Bellino v. Verizon Wireless, 435 N.J. Super. 85 (App. Div. 2014); Chiarello v. Board of Trs. of the Public Employees Ret. Sys., 429 N.J. Super. 194 (App. Div. 2012); Sellers v. Board of Trs. of the Police & Firemen's Ret. Sys., 399 N.J. Super. 51 (App. Div. 2008).

  • Sarah Connelly, Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice

    Sarah Connelly

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., American University Washington | B.A., Binghamton University
    | |

    Professor Connelly is an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice, teaching Introduction to Lawyering. She is Counsel at the law firm Littler Mendelson, and practices labor and employment law with a focus on wage and hour class action work. Professor Connelly graduated from American University, Washington College of Law, where she served as a member of the International Law Review and was an active participant in the International Human Rights Law Clinic. Professor Connelly earned her Bachelor of Arts from Binghamton University.

  • Carla Lee Cornwell, Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice

    Carla Lee Cornwell

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., Yale Law School |
    | |

    Professor Cornwell earned her J.D. at Yale Law School where she was an Articles Editor for the Yale Journal of International Law and a Co-Director of the Lowenstein Human Rights Program. She clerked for Hon. J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with High Distinction from the University Virginia with a B.A. in English Literature. In her career as a litigator, she worked as a Trial Attorney in the Honors Program at the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and as a Senior Trial Attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. She also worked in private practice at the law firm Donovan, Leisure, Rogovin & Schiller. Professor Cornwell is an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice, teaching Introduction to Lawyering course, and has also taught Appellate Advocacy and Legal Writing in the LEO Program. In addition, she teaches a variety of online courses including Introduction to Legal Writing and Reasoning and substantive courses in the areas of Corporate and Securities Law.

  • Daniel A. Edelson, Associate Professor of Legal Practice

    Daniel A. Edelson

    Associate Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., Fordham University | B.A., Brandeis University
    | | Rm 409

    Professor Edelson is an Associate Professor of Legal Practice, teaching Introduction to Lawyering. Professor Edelson is an attorney admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York. He graduated from Fordham University School of Law where he was a Notes and Articles Editor for the Fordham International Law Journal and was selected as a Crowley Scholar in International Human Rights. After graduating from law school, Professor Edelson practiced with two international law firms in New York City. He currently manages his own practice where he represents clients in business litigation matters in state and federal courts. Before joining Seton Hall, Professor Edelson taught at a law school in New York City and has also taught US law to students overseas and online.

  • 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.

  • Adrian Newall, Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice

    Adrian D. Newall

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., B.A., Catholic University of America
    | |

    Professor Newall is an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice, teaching Introduction to Lawyering and Appellate Advocacy. Professor Newall’s law career began as a law clerk to Administrative Law Judge Jerome Nelson at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Professor Newall was an associate for LeBoeuf, Greene and MacRae in Washington, D.C. and then continued her energy practice as Assistant General Counsel at Exelon Corporation in Philadelphia. Most recently, Professor Newall was Associate Counsel in the Federal Regulatory group at PSEG in Newark, NJ.

  • Lara B. Pennington

    Lara B. Pennington

    Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and Director of Appellate Advocacy
    J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law |
    | 973-642-8783 | Rm 510

    Professor Pennington teaches Introduction to Lawyering and directs the Appellate Advocacy Program and Gressman Competition at Seton Hall Law. Professor Pennington began teaching Appellate Advocacy and Legal Research & Writing at Seton Hall in 2004. Professor Pennington also served as a private legal writing consultant, conducting seminars on writing content, style, and organization, and she provided individualized writing counseling to attorneys and paralegals at law firms in New Jersey, New York, and Washington D.C. Before teaching, Professor Pennington spent eight years in private practice, at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and Dillon, Bitar & Luther, LLC, specializing in general litigation matters at both the trial and appellate levels. 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, and she earned her B.A. in Psychology magna cum laude from Lafayette College.

  • Melanie Perez Vellios

    Melanie J. Perez-Vellios

    Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and 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 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 Kathryn Quaglia

    Kathryn E. Quaglia

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

    Professor Quaglia serves as Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and Director of Externships.  Professor Quaglia teaches Introduction to Lawyering I & II. 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.

  • Elizabeth Reichard, Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice

    Libby Reichard Sims

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., Case Western Reserve University | B.A., College of the Holy Cross
    | |

    Professor Reichard is an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice, teaching Introduction to Lawyering. She graduated from Case Western Reserve School of Law, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of its Journal of International Law. Prof. Reichard practices in the area of immigration and nationality law at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy in New York, NY where she provides guidance on complex legal issues, monitors and analyzes federal and state immigration law developments, and liaises with government agencies and Congress on cases and policy matters. Prof. Reichard earned her B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross.

  • Allison Sigmund

    Allison Sigmund

    Assistant Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., New York University |
    | 973-642-8082 | Rm 401

    Professor Sigmund is an Assistant 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.

  • Samuel M. Silver, Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice

    Samuel M. Silver

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., Washington College of Law | LL.M., Stetson University College of Law | B.A., University of Wisconsin
    | |

    Professor Silver is an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice, teaching Introduction to Lawyering to first year students. Since 2019, Professor Silver has served as the Deputy Director of the New Jersey Law Revision Commission. Prior to joining the Law Revision Commission, he was a solo practitioner who engaged in civil and criminal litigation as well as appellate practice. He has litigated matters before the New Jersey Superior Court, Law Division, Appellate Division, the New Jersey Supreme Court, and the United States District Court. In 2018, he was appointed as a panelist to the District VIII Fee Arbitration Committee. Professor Silver graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, cum laude, with a B.A. in Political Science. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from the Washington College of Law – American University, and a LL.M. in Advocacy, with distinction, from Stetson University College of Law.

  • Laura Stuart, Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice

    Laura B. Stuart

    Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice
    J.D., Rutgers University School of Law | B.S., Rutgers University
    | |

    Professor Stuart is an Adjunct Professor of Legal Practice, teaching Introduction to Lawyering. Professor Stuart began her legal career serving as a law clerk in federal court in the District of New Jersey. After her judicial clerkship, Professor Stuart was an associate for a number of years at a large New York City law firm where she focused mainly on commercial litigation, including securities law and white-collar criminal defense. Currently, Professor Stuart works part-time at a smaller firm, concentrating her practice on employment law and litigation.

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

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