Unique two-year program offers recent law school graduates and newly admitted lawyers the opportunity to start their legal careers in public service

TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced that the application period is open for the 2025 New Jersey Attorney General’s Honors Program, a two-year program that offers recent law school graduates and newly admitted lawyers the opportunity to start their legal careers in public service in the Department of Law and Public Safety.

Through the support of Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Legislature, the program’s sixth and largest class will join the Department next month and will have opportunities to help formulate policy and legal strategy, investigate cases, draft legal pleadings, negotiate with opposing counsel, and argue in court. Program participants also attend workshops and trainings that help develop their legal skills and introduce them to the full range of work performed by a state attorney general’s office.

“The Honors Program provides a unique opportunity to attorneys at the start of their legal careers who are interested in gaining unparalleled experience while engaging in public service,” said Attorney General Platkin. “From defending our state’s firearms laws, standing up for reproductive rights, and pursuing fraudsters and wrongdoers, our Office is engaged in important work that helps keep New Jerseyans safe and protects their rights. We invite the next generation of talented individuals to join our efforts across a wide range of critical issues.”

The program is open to all third-year law students, students in the final year of other graduate law programs (such as LLM programs), judicial clerks who will complete their clerkships by September 2025, and individuals completing post-graduation fellowships by September 2025, and which began immediately following graduation from law school or completion of a clerkship. Positions are available in Newark and Trenton.

Applicants who meet the Honors Program criteria can apply for entry into the program through the AG Honors Program website, at https://www.njoag.gov/careers/ag-honors-program. Applications are due by October 13, 2024.

The program allows participants to rotate through one or more of the following subject matter areas:

• Antitrust*
• Civil Rights
• Conviction Review
• Cyber Crimes
• Environmental Justice and Enforcement
• Fatal Police Encounters
• Firearms Civil Enforcement and Accountability
• Human Trafficking
• Public Corruption
• Reproductive Health Rights
• Sexual and Domestic Violence Policy, Prevention, and Enforcement
• Social Media Accountability and Data Privacy/Cybersecurity
• Solicitor General Fellow
• Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance
• Violence Suppression and Organized Crime
• Workers’ Rights and Labor Enforcement

*indicates new subject matter for 2025.

Applicants must submit a writing sample, statement of interest, resume, law school transcript, and two references. Those selected for the Honors Program will begin work in September 2025.

Among the highlights cited by current Honors Program members include:

Alan Leal, Division of Law, Social Media Accountability, Data Privacy, and Cybersecurity: “Over the past year, I have been staffed on a variety of fascinating and impactful cases that have accelerated my professional development tremendously. Almost immediately, I was tasked with drafting subpoenas, legal memorandums, and asked to work on other crucial components to an active investigation. Under the supportive guidance of my Data Privacy and Cybersecurity colleagues, I have helped enforce NJ’s Consumer Fraud Act to ensure social media companies are safeguarding consumer data proactively and responsibly. I have also assisted in defending the constitutionality of a NJ law that empowers public servants to protect their sensitive information.”

Giancarlo G. Piccinini, Division of Law, Special Litigation: “My docket in Special Litigation is both diverse and consequential. We often work alongside the Solicitor General’s Office handling constitutional federal litigation of all types, and particularly, for me, Second Amendment litigation. We also handle high-profile affirmative civil enforcement actions, such as our cutting-edge firearms-industry litigation in NJ state court. One highlight of my time here so far was holding the pen on a multistate amicus brief that New Jersey and sixteen other states filed in the U.S. Supreme Court. Knowing that my writing made it before the nine at this stage of my career is an incredible honor, and I owe it to the privilege of working alongside my brilliant colleagues in service of the State I call home. I encourage anyone seeking both challenging and fulfilling legal work to apply.”

Emily Erwin, Division of Law, Special Litigation: “Through the Honors Program, I have defended New Jersey’s laws against constitutional challenges, and helped bring high-profile affirmative enforcement actions. A highlight for me has been working on Platkin v. FSS Armory and Platkin v. JSD Supply, the SAFE Office’s first two lawsuits seeking to enforce New Jersey’s public nuisance law against gun industry members. On those cases, I have been one of the primary interfaces with the court, have worked on crafting the strategy and briefing on issues of first impression, and prepared our team for oral argument. Special Litigation also handles multi-state amicus briefs and comment letters, allowing me to take on a broad array of initiatives regarding Reproductive Rights, Cannabis Reform, and Ensuring Equitable Access to Housing.”

Colin Dobell, Division of Law, Environmental Enforcement & Environmental Justice: “Since joining EEEJ last fall, I’ve worked closely with the Department of Environmental Protection on several cases that are part of New Jersey’s effort to promote environmental justice. Though the statutes we’re enforcing are older, the cases are informed by New Jersey’s 2020 Environmental Justice Law. Being able to play a part in that has been immensely rewarding.”

Geoffrey McGee, Division of Law, Civil Rights: “The highlight of my time at DOL so far was representing the Division on Civil Rights, a state agency, in a conciliation meeting by myself. That experience allowed me to practice making legal arguments and negotiating a resolution to a real civil rights complaint in a high-stakes format in real time. It was a lot of responsibility for a new attorney, but the support structures around me gave me the confidence to do that work within my first month at DOL.”

Kevin Bui, Division of Law, Consumer Fraud Prosecution: “In my first year of the Honors Program, I’ve been privileged to work on various matters relating to reproductive rights, such as defending New Jersey’s Consumer Alert on crisis pregnancy centers, drafting a subpoena issued on a crisis pregnancy center, and then litigating a defense of that subpoena. I learned how to approach a case from an investigation and litigation perspective, and how to work in a team full of diverse viewpoints. I feel very lucky to have learned and to continue to learn from such brilliant and kind people.”

Noah DeSimone, Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control: “My first-year Honors Program assignment was with the Division of Law’s Environmental Enforcement and Environmental Justice Section, where I enforced State environmental laws by appearing in court, responding to and requesting discovery, filing a dispositive motion, and leading a successful settlement conference. I am now on a second-year assignment with the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Regulatory Bureau, where I will be on the cutting edge in regulating the State’s ever-changing alcohol industry by advising on licensing and enforcement, drafting rules and regulations, and writing orders for matters before the Division.”

Sherrod Smith, Office of Public Integrity and Accountability: “As a Deputy Attorney General in the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, I’ve had numerous unique opportunities to investigate and prosecute violations of public trust and unlawful use of force by law enforcement officers and develop law enforcement policies with an eye toward bolstering public faith in the state’s government and criminal justice system. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to begin my legal career in such an impactful office.”

Sara Jane Koste, Division of Law, Consumer Fraud Prosecution: “The NJOAG Honors Program has afforded me exceptional experience with all stages of litigation, including drafting complaints, managing discovery, conducting depositions, and motion practice. I was even assigned to a trial team for a complex case litigating misappropriation of charitable funds. Along with preparing for a complex, multi-week trial, I was able to conduct witness examinations myself, an incredible opportunity for an attorney only two years out of law school.”

Viviana Hanley, Office of the Solicitor General: “In my second year in the Honors Program, I’ve continued to work on a diverse array of fascinating cases, criminal and civil, federal and state, and at every stage of litigation, from trial court through full appeal. I had the privilege of conducting oral arguments for three appeals, including twice before the New Jersey Supreme Court. I cannot imagine another opportunity where I would have had exposure to the breadth of learning experiences I’ve had through this Honors Program, nor where I could have encountered better mentors.”

Chris Ioannou, Office of the Solicitor General: “One of the highlights of my fellowship has been helping to defend New Jersey’s weapons laws in both state and federal court.”

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