May 16, 2018
Erin Hodgson, who heads to a Supreme Court clerkship, said she liked the Rutgers Law ethic of giving back.

Erin Hodgson’s journey has led her to work for peace in Costa Rica and advocate for domestic violence victims in New Jersey. Once she graduates from Rutgers Law in May, her next step will be clerking for a state Supreme Court Justice.

Hodgson, who will become an associate at Day Pitney once her clerkship is over, served as the Senior Notes and Comments Editor for the Rutgers Law Review. She met with staff editors, helped them choose note topics, and reviewed drafts. She also wrote her own note, which was inspired by pop singer Kesha and the singer’s struggle to get out of her recording contract, which will be published this year.

Hodgson grew up in Basking Ridge and got her undergraduate degree at Quinnipiac University. After graduation, she worked at the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress in Costa Rica, she also did crisis response work for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Warren County.

She said one of the reasons she chose Rutgers Law is because it encourages students to give back, “During Accepted Students Day, a professor made it clear that Rutgers has a philosophy of giving back no matter what kind of law you do: public interest, criminal law, corporate law, whatever you do, Rutgers emphasized that there would always be opportunities to give back and Rutgers was going to help us become the kind of attorneys who always found those opportunities to use the law to help people.”

While at law school, she also took part in the Cohn Competition as a member of the Moot Court Board. The appellate competition required team members to write a brief and argue both sides of the case before practicing attorneys. Hodgson, who made it to the semifinals of the competition, said her brief was chosen as “Best Brief.”

She credits her professors for combining “broad legal theory with practical application” and the Career Services staff with helping her with internships, clerkships, answering numerous questions, and helping her to define her career goals.

“From the very first few classes you take, you’re learning from the absolute best of the best,” she said. “The school has incredible ties to the community and a wide-reaching alumni network that facilitates the process of finding internships and jobs.”

 

Rutgers Law Media Contact:
Shanida Carter

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