Collin O'Keefe is starting his 3L year at Stetson Law in the fall. Collin is the President of the Labor and Employment Law Association (LELA), a member of Phi Delta Phi Legal Honor Society, a member of Stetson's Dispute Resolution Board, and a Student Ambassador. In his Fall 2L semester, he participated in the Federal Judicial Externship as an extern for Judge Charlene Honeywell in the Middle District of Florida. 

Originally from Severn, MD, he attended Towson University for his undergraduate education, where he received a bachelor's degree in political science. This summer Collin worked as a Summer Associate at FordHarrison, a law firm specializing in labor and employment defense law.

So what got you interested in political science? How did that become your major?

During my freshman and beginning of sophomore year, I didn’t really know what I was going to major in. I was going back and forth, swapping majors every other day. But I always knew my strengths academically were with reading and writing. I started narrowing it down, and since I’d always had an interest in government and politics, I opted to go with political science. After deciding on political science, that’s when I found the more specific area of law and narrowed it down to that.

What made you want to go to law school?

Some people have that story where ever since they were a kid they’ve wanted to be a lawyer. That certainly wasn’t the case for me. I chose my undergraduate major right around the time that Covid hit. Being inside and quarantined, I had a lot of time to think. So I spent a lot of time researching what I could do with my political science degree, and I went on a big research grind about law school: what it takes, who it’s good for, all of that. That’s when I realized my interests and my skills align with this, and I figured this is a good path for me. I gave it a lot of thought over that summer [sophomore year], and when I returned to school I was pretty set that law school was where I wanted to go.

What made you choose Stetson?

So I actually didn’t know too much about Stetson going into the application process. But when I got accepted I scheduled a visit down here, and when I visited it just reminded me of all the things that I loved about a small private school.

"Everyone knew each other: I remember taking a tour and multiple professors and faculty members stopped what they were doing to come out, introduce themselves, and pitch Stetson to us."

Same with the students as well! Some of them were walking to class and they’d just stop to give Stetson a pitch and say why I’d like it.

"I knew that for my professional school I wanted someplace tight knit and compact: someplace where I could really get to know everyone and make connections."

It was pretty clear to me that Stetson was going to be the best school for me in that regard.

What do you think of Gulfport?

I really like Gulfport! I live in an off campus house, but it’s Stetson-owned so it’s right off campus, and I’m able to walk to my classes in two, three minutes. Gulfport’s very quiet and peaceful, and that’s what I want during the weekdays when I’m studying. You’ve got the beach 10 minutes away and St. Petersburg, where we’ll go out and get dinner, where everything’s happening. Plus Tampa is just about 30 minutes away. So there are major cities right in our backyard.

What course did you enjoy the most your first year?

So I actually enjoyed Civil Procedure the most. Some of the topics can be a little dry, but it started my interest in litigation, which is what I want to do now. And I actually realized how much I like the procedural, technical aspect of it. We’d examine the process of how a lawsuit starts, following it up to the trial. I found it really interesting, and it’s what gave me confidence to know that whatever area of law I do I want it to be litigation-based as opposed to transactional.

What course would you say you found the most challenging so far?

I actually ended up enjoying it, but I’d say the most challenging course my first year was legal research and writing. That seems like a pretty common answer from people I talk to because legal writing is so different from creative writing, which is what a lot of liberal arts majors like myself are used to from college. It’s very dry and technical, as opposed to letting your thoughts roam. So that was a pretty big adjustment. I ended up enjoying the class, but it was definitely the toughest to adjust to given my background.

You know you want to focus on litigation, but do you know what area of law you want to specialize in within that?

Yeah, absolutely. So in the second semester of your first year you’re able to pick which legal writing class you want to take to do some specialization. I chose to take an employment law-based writing class, and I ended up absolutely loving it. So I did more research on that, took the [Employment Law intro] class, and found out this is what I want to pursue.

The firm where I’m working this summer, FordHarrison, specializes in labor and employment law. So I’m getting my first hands-on experience this summer. At an alumni event I met an individual from the firm; he’s an employment lawyer, and we kind of hit it off. We talked for over an hour at this event, and he told me about the ins and outs of employment law, what he liked about it, etc., and that really sparked my interest.

How have your interests and focus changed while you’ve been at Stetson?

My last six months in Maryland before I started at Stetson I shadowed a criminal defense attorney in the area. And, you know, initially I thought, “Wow, they’re in court all the time, this is a really fascinating area of the law, this is what I want to do.” But after two to three weeks of taking a criminal law course my first semester, I realized criminal law isn’t what I really want to pursue. Your interests change! I think a lot of people don’t really know what they want to do throughout law school, and some graduate and still aren’t sure right away. I think that’s part of the experience. From my own experience and many friends I’ve talked to, it changes all the time.

What extracurricular organizations on campus have meant a lot to you?

My roommates and I actually started back up the Labor and Employment Law Association (LELA) last year. It was active on campus a few years ago, but then it ultimately died out for a few years, so we went through the process of bringing it back on campus. We had a couple events on campus last year and that was a great experience: starting an organization from the ground up, hosting events, bringing in guest speakers, and making more connections in that arena. I’m also involved in the Stetson Ambassadors. I mentor some 1L’s, and I was able to help them a little bit through their first semester.

Have you been involved in any internships, externships or clinics?

Yes, I actually just completed the federal judicial externship last fall. That’s when you get placed with a federal judge in Tampa, and you work in their chambers at the supervision of their law clerks. That was probably my favorite experience I’ve had at Stetson so far. I was there once a week through the externship, and they always had assignments for me to write. The court has to put out orders on certain motions and rulings they have to hand down. So I would get the first draft of those, then I’d research and write that and provide that to the law clerks. I was able to do hands-on work on real cases that were presented before the judge.

And, in addition to that, they were very generous about giving you time to go watch trials throughout the court, so I was able to see numerous hearings and watch jury trials with at least 6 or 7 different judges throughout the semester. It was an excellent change to get a hands-on feel for how a federal court room operates, meet different judges and lawyers, and just get immersed in the world of litigation.

What advice would you give to people deciding if they want to go to law school?

I’d just say research it as much as you can and know what you’re getting into. Don’t just decide on a whim. Cause there are a lot of factors that go into making a full and good decision to go to law school. You certainly don’t have to know exactly what area you want to go into, but have a few that you could see yourself in. And make sure you know exactly what law school entails. I’d advise them to do some deeper research on the particular schools they’re considering: employment statistics, how the legal market is around the area, etc.

Who are some professors with whom you’ve especially enjoyed working?

The two that stick out are Professor Bent and Professor Virelli. I had Professor Bent for Civil Procedure my first year, and he’s actually the faculty who sponsored the Labor and Employment Law Association that we started back up. I worked with him a lot this past semester. He was at every one of our events for LELA, and I actually wrote a paper for potential publication that he helped me a lot on. 

I had Constitutional Law with Professor Virelli my first year. He’s the overseeing professor for the federal judicial externship, so I was able to talk to him a lot before applying. He gave me good insight into what it entails and why I would like it, and I worked with him a little bit throughout the semester.

Do you have any particular advice you’d give someone who’s starting their 1L year?

It’s a tough transition certainly. That first semester is historically known for being the toughest because it’s something you’ve never experienced. So I would say don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially at a school like Stetson. I made the mistake early on in my first semester of trying to do it all myself, and that led me to feel burned out, like I wasn’t getting it, I wasn’t cut out for this, etc. But then I kind of let go of my pride a little bit and figured, okay, I just need some help. I went to office hours more consistently, I started collaborating with other students in my class, going over and comparing notes, and it was almost like a lightbulb clicked. Once I had other people helping me along the way I was able to understand it much better than I ever could when I was just trying to push through it on my own.

So don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help.

"That’s another benefit of Stetson: the professors are really invested in the community and truly want you to learn."

Whenever I went to office hours or requested a meeting with a professor, they were always happy to meet with their students. Get help from your community and that’ll make the journey a lot easier in the long run.