Students of Jamie Hoag, guest lecturer of law at Northeastern, describe him as an engaging and passionate teacher that is always eager to seek out new perspectives in the classroom. But since the beginning of February, many of Hoag’s classes are held on Zoom. In January, Hoag was offered and accepted a new position as chief of staff for Andrea Campbell, Massachusetts’ attorney general. In class, Hoag provides students with the opportunity to study what role law and society play in shaping the legal framework in the United States. Now, Hoag applies his lessons in practice on the 20th floor of One Ashburton Place. Hoag recently sat down with The News to discuss his career and time at Northeastern.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

HN: How were you approached for your new role?

Hoag: I have been in private practice and doing government and political work since leaving Governor Patrick’s office in 2015 and, among other things, I have been teaching part-time at Northeastern. I was very active in the attorney general’s campaign for office and then when she was elected, she asked me to be her chief of staff. 

HN: When did you first meet Andrea Joy Campbell?

Hoag: I met Campbell when we were both legal counsel for Governor Patrick, almost 11 years ago. I was able to learn from Campbell and really become a supporter of her work along the way and her career to date. 

HN: Tell me about your office’s agenda.

Hoag: There are four main things on the agenda of Campbell and the office itself.  One, to create an elder justice unit to focus the office’s work on issues that face the elders in Massachusetts. Two, create a police accountability unit to make sure that police in Massachusetts are second to none and true public servants. Three, to create a gun enforcement unit to enforce new and existing gun laws to make sure our streets are safe. Finally, a reproductive justice unit, to make sure our laws are enforced and people have access to family planning care, abortion services. There are other issues we are working on, like protecting workers from wage theft, protecting consumers from deceptive practices, sewer protection and civil rights.

HN: How would you reflect on your time at Northeastern? 

Hoag: Teaching was just a side part of my job, I was in active legal practice while I was teaching and it is currently to be determined if I will stay on as a professor. I would like to, as I am teaching this semester and will be again in the fall. It is a very rewarding experience and I have enjoyed my time at Northeastern very much. 

I enjoy working in government and for a public servant like Campbell, so teaching is a way to inspire the next generation of lawyers to go into public service.

HN: Why are you passionate about your work?

Hoag: I am passionate about government, I am passionate about lawyers going into public service, I am passionate about the positive impact that the attorney general’s office would have on people’s lives. It is about helping people and using law to help people. 

Too often, I think people view lawyers in a pejorative way, just money makers and ambulance chasers and all those negative stereotypes. I think in the attorney general’s office, the breadth and depth of the work are admirable. The public service lawyers that make up that office could very well make a lot more money in the private sector, but do the work because they are passionate about helping people. That is why it is a very special place to be, and I am honored to be a part of that work. 

A lot of people don’t know what the attorney general does, and part of our mission is to get outside of Boston to help the public be more aware of what we do. We have regional offices in Worcester, Springfield and New Bedford, so we want to get out there and explain how the attorney general can help you. We are the people’s law firm, so the first step is getting the message out about what we do, because for some people, it is such a mystery. 

HN: What advice would you give to students contemplating a career in the legal or governmental field?

Hoag: Work hard, take advantage of internship programs. We hire Northeastern co-ops at the attorney general’s office, so become engaged in the work and apply for a co-op position. I would just say, for anyone interested in government, do an internship and volunteer, and also be an engaged citizen. Just because people might not want to work in government doesn’t mean they shouldn’t learn about the work the government does. Understanding what the government does and understanding people are supposed to be serving you, not the other way around, is important.