Alumni Profile: Eric D. Brophy ‘99

Eric D. Brophy ‘99 joined the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority as Executive Director in September 2018. As the Authority's Executive Director, he has overall responsibility for the operations of the Authority, including statewide debt issuance by public and private colleges and universities in New Jersey and the issuance of state-supported debt for higher education.  

What is your Seton Hall Law story? 

Originally, I had not thought of attending Seton Hall Law. After college, I took a few years off to try to save up for law school. I was hired at St. John & Wayne originally as a file clerk and then I transitioned into doing some research for senior associates and worked up to a law clerk/paralegal position. I worked there for about a year and decided to make an application to law school. When I applied to law school I didn't want to stay in New Jersey and Seton Hall wasn't on my original application list. However, while working St. John & Wayne I was told about the Legal Educational Opportunities (LEO) program by one of my early mentors, Karol Corbin Walker '86, who was a partner at the firm. I applied to the program and was accepted for the summer of 1996. I did well in the program and was admitted to the fall 1996 class. 

What stands out to you most about your Seton Hall Law experience? 

Certainly, the relationships I built with my classmates, professors, and SHU Law alumni have been invaluable. The bonds I was able to build with my classmates were incredible. We had a remarkably close group in law school and many of us (20 years later) keep in regular contact. More importantly, the contacts I was able to make with alumni and professors while I was still a student have helped me tremendously throughout my career. 

What type of alumni partnerships are most important to the success you have had?  

Maintaining contact as part of the Alumni Council, on which I served for several years, was really important to foster those relationships with other alumni. Even today, I continue to seek advice from some of the friends that I made as part of the Council. 

What motivates you to give back to the school? 

Seton Hall Law gave me an opportunity to be successful in my career. I think it is important that that mission be continued by those of us who are lucky enough to be able to give back but also because there are countless others who need those opportunities or need a hand up. If the minimal time and treasure we as alumni offer can help someone else get a start in life or if it contributes to a student's success, then those minor sacrifices are worthwhile contributions. 

Were there classes or faculty members that were instrumental in your career or that you were/are particularly fond of? 

I was most fond of my Contracts professor, Dean Kathleen Boozang and my Constitutional Law professor, Michael Zimmer. I enjoyed both of their classes thoroughly and I did well in both. Most of all, each professor explained the material in a way that I just got. I understood it thanks to their guidance, clarity, and helpfulness. To this day, I am still happy to say that I retained most of what I was taught in each class, and I was thrilled when Professor Boozang became Dean Boozang.  Professor Zimmer was really a special teacher and took the time to work with each of us as individuals when we had any issues.  

How did Seton Hall Law prepare you to serve in the prominent positions you have held? 

I tell college students seeking advice about law school that they should decide what type of law they want to concentrate on, where they want to practice law, and then decide whether they want theoretical legal training or practical legal training. Seton Hall Law, to me, embodies practical legal training. I can truly say that I felt prepared to enter the legal work force the day after I graduated. My legal training taught me how to evaluate a case, a set of facts, or a situation; explain to clients the consequences of their decisions; and to present the law and my client's position in an organized and meaningful way. Seton Hall also taught me to evaluate all sides of an issue before taking action or advising a client. These are skills that were developed during my 3 years at Seton Hall Law and are skills I continue to use on a daily basis in my current career in state government. 

What do you foresee in Seton Hall's future and students? 

Undoubtedly, the legal profession has become more competitive over the last 20 years. Law students today need to be more prepared than we were when entering the workforce. Their preparation in research, presentation, and professionalism must be at an extraordinarily high level to be successful. But even more important, today's law students and recent graduates need to have empathy and high emotional intelligence. The days of lawyers bullying other lawyers into submission are long past. Today's new lawyers need to be able to control their emotions so that, in turn, they can advise their clients in a thoughtful and meaningful manner. Clients need calm when facing some of the most challenging times in their lives. Today's polarized society requires empathy from legal professionals at levels not previously needed.  

If you could go back to Seton Hall Law now, would you do anything differently as a student? 

I would add classes dealing with personal psychology, with stress and finding ways to connect with others. In my experience the majority of lawyers in practice today do not have the requisite ability to make a personal connection with clients. Many lawyers today often have trouble understanding the difficult and, sometimes, desperate situations that clients can be in at the time they seek our advice. One thing missing from my law school experience was a course that taught empathy and ways to mitigate stress during difficult legal situations- both for clients and for lawyers. I believe this type of training would have been valuable as a new lawyer. 

What does #SetonHallLawProud mean to you? 

#SetonHallLawProud to me, is a connection to the school that I do not see many graduates of other law schools having. The Seton Hall Law community is a robust, close-knit group. Many times, during my career, I have found instant connections with adversaries once we found out we were both graduates of Seton Hall Law. Seton Hall Law alumni constitute the fabric of the New Jersey legal community. SHU Law graduates can be found in and across every facet of the New Jersey bar community- from federal and state courthouses to the State House, I have found Seton Hall Law grads leading the way. This network is invaluable to any lawyer practicing in New Jersey. I am proud to be a Seton Hall Lawyer.

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