By Suzi Morales
Law community
Nearly every law student in the final year juggles classes, exams, job searching, and other obligations. But Meg Kilcoyne’s job search was a little different from that of her classmates.
While her peers were interviewing with law firms and companies, Kilcoyne, who graduated from the Law School in 2021, was running for office—and she got the job. In January 2021, while still finishing her classes at Suffolk Law, Kilcoyne, a Democrat, was sworn in to represent the 12th Worcester District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the first woman ever in the role.
Before law school, Kilcoyne worked for a decade as legislative director for State Rep. Harold Naughton. She enrolled in the evening division of Suffolk Law because she wanted to explore the legal side of public policy while continuing to work at the job she loved.
Kilcoyne recognized the need for more women in elected office, but she says, “I always thought I was somebody that preferred being behind the scenes.” When Rep. Naughton decided not to seek reelection in 2020, she was in a unique position to run for his seat as a lifelong resident of the community with knowledge of the inner workings of the statehouse. “I couldn’t say, ‘More people should do this, more people should run,’ if I wasn’t willing to do it myself,” she says.
Kilcoyne is not the only recent Suffolk Law student serving as an elected official. Her classmates included Michael Nicholson JD'21, mayor of Gardner, Massachusetts, as well as current Suffolk student and State Sen. John Cronin, who will graduate in May.
“Being a lawyer and having that knowledge and background does make you a better legislator,” Kilcoyne says. Having classmates and fellow alumni who share the same interests doesn’t hurt either.
Image by EE Smith Photography
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Law community
By Suzi Morales
Nearly every law student in the final year juggles classes, exams, job searching, and other obligations. But Meg Kilcoyne’s job search was a little different from that of her classmates.
While her peers were interviewing with law firms and companies, Kilcoyne, who graduated from the Law School in 2021, was running for office—and she got the job. In January 2021, while still finishing her classes at Suffolk Law, Kilcoyne, a Democrat, was sworn in to represent the 12th Worcester District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the first woman ever in the role.
Before law school, Kilcoyne worked for a decade as legislative director for State Rep. Harold Naughton. She enrolled in the evening division of Suffolk Law because she wanted to explore the legal side of public policy while continuing to work at the job she loved.
Kilcoyne recognized the need for more women in elected office, but she says, “I always thought I was somebody that preferred being behind the scenes.” When Rep. Naughton decided not to seek reelection in 2020, she was in a unique position to run for his seat as a lifelong resident of the community with knowledge of the inner workings of the statehouse. “I couldn’t say, ‘More people should do this, more people should run,’ if I wasn’t willing to do it myself,” she says.
Kilcoyne is not the only recent Suffolk Law student serving as an elected official. Her classmates included Michael Nicholson JD'21, mayor of Gardner, Massachusetts, as well as current Suffolk student and State Sen. John Cronin, who will graduate in May.
“Being a lawyer and having that knowledge and background does make you a better legislator,” Kilcoyne says. Having classmates and fellow alumni who share the same interests doesn’t hurt either.
Image by EE Smith Photography
Return to Table of Contents