It started with the TV shows. You know the kind, with those edge-of-your-seat plots, undercover evidence and debates hot enough to melt the finish off the courtroom’s gavel. Elizabeth Thomassian Setelnajer watched these shows, too. She wanted to be there, in those courtrooms, working on those cases. “When I first was interested in law, I had only known about what you see on TV,” she says. “That kind of excitement made me excited about law. I thought it’d be a good career, exciting in the courtroom.” As an undergraduate at Atlantic Union College (http://www.atlanticuc.edu/) in South Lancaster, Mass., Setelnajer’s advisors told her to study whatever she wanted, whether or not it was related to law. Setelnajer studied English, psychology and criminal justice. With her English degree, she learned to write. With her psychology degree, she learned people skills. Her minor in criminal justice helped her understand the language of law. Then it was on to three years of law school at Syracuse University. At the start of law school, Setelnajer suddenly wasn’t sure she wanted to be in the courtroom anymore. Then, she joined a mock-trial club and rediscovered her desire to participate in the justice system. Now, Setelnajer practices criminal law as an assistant district attorney in Massachusetts. “It’s all criminal matters,” she says. “It’s nothing as exciting as murders—probably drug trafficking or something like that.” Even after completing law school and earning a job title of “attorney,” Setelnajer’s licensing isn’t yet official. After graduating law school, attorneys have to take a two-day Bar exam. The Bar exam tests their knowledge of domestic relations, criminal law, evidence, contracts, estate planning and more. The first day tests material all attorneys need to know, no matter the state in which they’re based. The test’s second day requires you to answer essay questions specific to the state in which you’ll work. Setelnajer will find out in November if she passed her July Bar exam. There is a 70 percent passing rate for the Massachusetts Bar exam, she says. Until she finds out her score on the Bar exam, Setelnajer and other just-graduated attorneys are still allowed to practice law. She starts her days in court stating what she plans to do with each case, whether that means entering a plea bargain or setting a trial date. “It’s nerve-wracking,” Setelnajer says of being in court. “You’re always wondering if you’re saying the right thing, doing the right thing. The good feelings come after the trial. Then, you start feeling content with yourself. But before, there’s a lot of pressure. When you’re just starting off, you’re trying to get your bearings, figuring out whom to trust. People try to intimidate you or tell you that they’re better. Keep it all in perspective.”
