AALM: Tell us about your decision to attend law school.
JN: I was never the kid who wanted to be an attorney growing up. I wanted to be an actor, but that all stopped when COVID hit. My aunt is an attorney in Jacksonville. She and my mom encouraged me to go to law school. One week in, I was hooked. Law school has been the best experience of my life. It’s hard, but there is so much value, so much purpose, and really so much joy that I’ve gotten from it. It’s why I’m so expressive about it on social media. It has changed my life for the better and I don’t know where I’d be had I said no to law school.
AALM: You’ve accepted a position as ASA with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office next year. What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
JN: I hope to learn in the fire. It’s going to be a chaotic atmosphere, I won’t know everything at first, but I think it’s the best way for me to learn. I want to become the best trial attorney I can be. To work on my professionalism. I believe I can do all this working as an assistant state attorney in Miami. I’m excited to work for a State Attorney who balances the traditional values of our country while adapting progressive innovations that make our criminal justice system better.
AALM: Tell us about your internship with the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
JN: My time in NYC was incredible this summer. The Queens DA office taught me what it means to be a prosecutor. That the job of a prosecutor is to pursue the truth, to pursue what is right, and not just a specific outcome. It solidified my desire to start my career as a prosecutor. The whole summer really helped me mature and grow professionally and personally. I strongly considered starting my career in New York. I love NYC, and I do hope one day to return.
AALM: Tell us about your other internships and clerkships. What lessons did you learn? How did they shape your outlook on the profession?
JN: My internship with Judge Corrigan my 1L summer was a priceless experience. It was like an extra semester of law school. I learned so much about writing, research, how a trial runs, professionalism, everything. I also worked as a clerk at two law firms, one in Jacksonville and one in NYC. I had the pleasure of working under great attorneys at both stops, and each solidified my desire to continue to pursue this career.
AALM: Can you tell us about any mentors or professors who have helped guide you thus far?
JN: My aunt, Stacy Scaldo, has been my biggest mentor. I would not have survived law school if it wasn’t for her. She’s been my rock through it all. I’ll forever be grateful to her. At school, Professor Reiber, Professor Devito and Dean Griggs have helped me get to where I am now. There have been so many other people who have helped me through this journey, I wish I could talk about them all.
AALM: Are there any lawyers in the local community who inspire you?
JN: My IP Professor Trace Jackson at Rodgers Towers. I’ve only known him for a short time, but his intelligence and compassion for us as students is inspiring to me, and if I can be the attorney he is one day, I will have done well.
AALM: What path do you hope your career will follow?
JN: I don’t have any specific aspirations or a dream job. I want to live a life of significance, to make other people’s lives better because of my work. Wherever God takes me along that way I will follow, but I can’t say I have a specific career path I have to go down.