November 2, 2015
When Nicholas Cooper '15 stepped into the courtroom this fall as a newly minted Queens ADA, it was a homecoming of sorts. “I can remember sitting in the Belson Moot Court Room jury box with my parents on Admitted Students Day,” he says. “Students were putting on a short mock trial and it was riveting. From that moment, I knew exactly what I wanted to do in law school.”
Cooper is one of 20 members of the Class of 2015 who are starting their careers as prosecutors this fall. Joining him in the Queens DA’s office are classmates Christopher Bolz '15, Carolyn Fitzgerald '15, Joseph Muscarella '15, and Danielle O’Boyle '15. St. John’s Law is the most represented Law School in the Bronx DA’s incoming class, which includes Jason Birriel '15, Melanie Braverman '15, Megan Leo '15, Joseph Marciano '15, Stephanie Reilly '15, and Edward Christian Uy '15. Among the new Brooklyn ADAs are Christopher Eaton '15 and Christina Piecora '15, and Caitlyn Jaile '15 has started as an ADA in Manhattan. Just outside of New York City, Christopher Mango '15 and Andrew Tripodi '15 are Nassau ADAs; Erin Branigan '15, James Scahill '15, and Jennifer Wickers '15 are Suffolk ADAs; and Amanda Baron '15 is down south for her work as a Dade County ADA.
All of these new public servants benefitted from “Pathways to Practice,” the Law School’s integrated approach to legal study and career development that encourages students to focus on a legal discipline in their second year, to gain experience through externships and clinics, and to network through the range of events, student organizations, and co-curricular activities that St. John’s Law offers.
“The path to becoming a prosecutor is one that many St. John’s students have followed,” said Professor Larry Cunningham, associate academic dean and a former prosecutor. “Our students are well prepared to begin their careers on this pathway. Our curriculum includes courses on substance, procedure, and advocacy skills, and students build experience in the field hands-on through our externship and clinical programs.”
All 1Ls take a foundational course in Criminal Law. As 2Ls they can take Evidence and, from there, they can choose from traditional substantive courses like Criminal Procedure: Investigation and Criminal Procedure: Adjudication. Outside the classroom, upper-level students hold internships or externships with city, county, and federal prosecutors offices. Placements are also available with the New York City Law Department’s Family Court-Juvenile Delinquency Division, which prosecutes juvenile offenders. Outside of these placements, students can participate in Trial Advocacy, Advanced Trial Advocacy, Appellate Advocacy, New York Practice, and similar courses as well as in the co-curricular Moot Court Honor Society, Frank S. Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute, and Dispute Resolution Society.
Complementing these curricular and co-curricular offerings is a suite of programs and services offered by the Law School’s Career Development Office.
At the start of the academic year, CDO presents a panel program on “Applying and Interviewing with District Attorney’s Offices” that brings alumni who are prosecutors in the New York City area to campus to discuss the interview process at their respective offices. One of the most popular topics the panelists cover is the hypothetical question that interviewers typically pose. It’s such a major discussion point—and such a big source of anxiety for students—that CDO has created a spinoff series of workshops devoted to it, led by Professor Kimathi Gordon-Somers, associate director of career development, coordinator of the externship program, and a former ADA.
Students in the workshops first review the interview process generally before focusing on the various hypothetical questions that may be asked during an interview. They examine the law surrounding the questions, address the context of the interview, and explore how to deal with the personality of the interviewer. By the end of the workshop, they know how to tackle a hypothetical, and how to develop their responses so that the interviewers can see how they process the law and the theory. Each participant is then invited to schedule a mock interview with Professor Gordon-Somers. The goal is to help them streamline the issues and become more comfortable with performing in front of people.
“I’ve met so many St. John’s Law students who—evoking the Vincentian spirit and mission—are committed to working in the public interest and to using their law degrees to make a positive change in their communities,” Professor Gordon-Somers said. “I believe that serving the greater good is essential to the role of a prosecutor and this, along with their intelligence, grit, and work ethic, makes our students a very good fit for this type of work. When you then pair their personal desire with capable guidance from our faculty and administration, students can hone their skills and enhance the very qualities that will make them excel in public service, like countless St. John’s Law alumni before them.”