Alumni Spotlight: As a federal clerk, Lindsey Martin ’19 uses skills honed at Campbell Law

Lindsey Martin ‘19 is clerking for Magistrate Judge Michael J. Frank in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida located in Panama City Beach, Florida. She is just one member of the Class of 2019 currently working as a federal clerk in courts that range from Ohio to Florida.

Originally from Kansas, Martin graduated from Pittsburg State University with a Bachelor of Science in psychology. She worked in Charlotte as a paralegal before moving to Raleigh to attend Campbell Law, where she received the Dean’s Excellence Scholarship. While at Campbell, Martin was selected to be on Law Review and she became an editor during her third year of school. Her Comment, “The Administrative State: Congress’s Role in Perpetuating It,” was published in 2019. Martin served as a research assistant to Professor and Dean Emerita Melissa Essary, for whom she summarized more than 200 North Carolina federal district court cases on employment law. Many of these case summaries were published and presented at the 34th Annual NC/SC Labor & Employment Law Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. Martin had various internships during her law school career that she says helped prepare her to clerk, including interning for the Honorable John M. Tyson at the North Carolina Court of Appeals; working at Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog, LLP as a summer law clerk; and interning at the City of Hickory Legal Department.

We asked Martin the following questions about her clerkship with the Honorable Michael J. Frank:

What do you love most about your clerkship? I love the fact that I have the unique opportunity to see a wide variety of cases and areas of law. I also enjoy the process of honing my research, writing and analytical skills while learning something new daily.

What has surprised you in your daily work? I was surprised at just how steep the learning curve is coming directly out of law school into a federal clerkship. You are immediately thrown into all areas of the law and must be able to analyze quickly and effectively.

What unique aspects of your Campbell Law School experience have impacted your career? How has it helped you practice law? Being an editor on the Campbell Law Review was an invaluable experience that helped hone my writing skills and prepare me for my clerkship. Many courses at Campbell Law prepared me for the types of cases I would see in federal court – especially Professor Michael Kent’s Constitutional Litigation class. Additionally, working for Professor Essary as a research assistant gave me a leg up in my clerkship, as many cases in federal court are employment discrimination cases.

What impact did Raleigh have on your legal education and career? The best thing about Campbell Law being in Raleigh is the ability to find excellent internship and externship opportunities close to the Campbell Law campus. For example, my time interning for Judge Tyson during the semester was a crucial experience where I became more familiar with the court system, was able to practice my writing and learn more about North Carolina law.

Who has been your most influential Campbell Law School mentor? I do not think I can choose just one influential Campbell Law mentor. Both Professor Essary and Professor Zachary Bolitho have been phenomenal mentors throughout law school and remain so currently, but I am thankful for many of the professors I had while at Campbell Law.

What current Campbell Law programs do you see as being cutting edge? Campbell Law has a federal clerkship program where experienced professors encourage and assist students in applying for federal clerkships. This program was what made me really think about clerking after law school, and I am so thankful I did because clerking has been a wonderful experience so far.

If you could send a message to yourself when you were a law student, what would you say now? I wish I could tell myself that things will all work out. Campbell Law prepares you well, and the right doors will open at the right time.