MSU Law Community Booklet

M I C H I G A N

S TAT E

U N I V E R S I T Y

C O L L E G E

O F

L AW

G O O D P E O P L E B E C O M E G R E AT L AW Y E R S .

Meet Our Community.

O

u r

C

omm i t m e n t

Michigan State University College of Law’s leaders, staff, and faculty are committed to working together to create an inclusive environment where all members of our community feel welcome and valued.

Future Spartan lawyers come from all over the nation (and around the world), sharing their unique talents and diverse points of view. Our students discover countless opportunities to grow, both as professionals and as people.

During your time at MSU Law, you’ll build lasting relationships, develop broader perspectives, and use the law in our clinics and externships to make a difference for clients who desperately need compassionate advocacy.

At some point, most students will find law school stressful.

When that happens, we’re here to help. From connecting with caring peers to talk through academic (and personal) challenges to receiving one-on-one exam guidance and getting informal pep talks from staff and faculty, you’ll find support and encouragement in the MSU Law community.

Historically, members of minority groups have lacked access to legal training, and they remain underrepresented in law. For over 125 years, the College of Law has worked to build a legal profession that reflects our increasingly multicultural society. We remain united in our commitment to recruiting, retaining, and supporting future Spartan lawyers from all backgrounds.

Who Becomes A Spartan Lawyer?

Just as there’s no one kind of Spartan lawyer, there’s no one kind of MSU Law student. Every member of our community contributes unique life experiences to our friendly environment.

OUR RECENT INCOMING CLASS INCLUDED:

RESIDENTS OF DIFFERENT STATES

25

45 DIFFERENT

91

ALUMNI OF UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS

MAJORS

Beyond The Numbers The Class of 2023 brings a wide range of life experiences to the classroom.

SPEAKERS of six non-English languages (Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Albanian, Korean, and Spanish) VETERANS of the US Armed Forces

Collegiate and intermural ATHLETES AmeriCorps and Teach for America VOLUNTEERS

OUR 12,5 0 0+ GRADU ATES PRACTIC E LAW I EVERY S N TATE IN US AND THE ALL OV E R THE WORLD , AND T HE C L AS S O F 2020 T OOK THE BA R EXAM IN 23 STAT ES.

Congressional STAFFERS and state government INTERNS Nationally recognized DEBATERS

Meet the Diversity and Equity Services Office Who is the Diversity and Equity Services Office for?

EVERYONE. Everyone in the Law College family contributes to our diverse

During stressful times

environment, and the DESO has an inclusive mission: to make

and especially around

sure that all students have a positive, supportive law school experience.

That mission extends from the classroom to the Academic

finals, I could always depend on Diversity

Success Program to cultural events to developing personal

Services to personally

relationships with students of all backgrounds. All students

check in on me and

find law school challenging at times, and the DESO offers critical support services – and a listening ear.

The DESO provides: Holistic student advising and support Comprehensive diversity programming

ensure I was balancing my responsibilities well.

— DANYALE PHILLIPS, ’15 Corporate Counsel DrFirst, Inc. Washington, DC

Support for multicultural student groups Peer leadership development Legal profession diversity initiatives Title IX compliance and expertise

MARY ANN FERGUSON, ’02 Assistant Dean for Diversity and Equity Services

Mary Ann Ferguson, ’02, came to MSU Law from the small town of Butner, North Carolina, after earning her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

She brings a lifelong passion for justice and civil rights to her role in Diversity and Equity Services, playing a hands-on role in recruiting students, including traveling to HBCUs and LSAC forums.

She has led Diversity and Equity Services at MSU Law since founding the office in 2006.

Her passion for supporting future lawyers has inspired her to take on diversity-related leadership roles at the Law School Admissions Counsel (LSAC), the State Bar of Michigan, and a wide range of other professional organizations. She is also active in a number of Michigan State University initiatives focused on creating a safe, inclusive campus environment for all students and community members.

DIVERSITY WEEK Every year, the DESO partners with student-run organizations to host a weeklong series of thoughtful, inclusive programming. From faculty speakers to alumni, 2020’s Diversity Week celebrated the contributions of diverse communities and empowered students to enact social change through the law.

Events included: Advancing 21st Century Diversity in the Legal Profession The Indian Child Welfare Act The Black Law Students Association was founded at Detroit College of Law in 1968 to bolster the minority presence in the legal profession, and remains active at MSU Law today.

The Intersectionality of Gender and Culture for Ethnically Diverse Women Lawyers Combating the Business of Modern Slavery in Global Supply Chains Celebrating Religious Diversity:

Multicultural Executive Council

Fasting from a Muslim Perspective

The MEC brings together MSU Law’s multicultural student organizations to foster collaboration among its members and support diversity initiatives. MEC member organizations include: Asian Pacific American Law Student Association

Muslim Law Alliance

Black Law Student Association

Native American Law Students Association

Christian Legal Society

Progressive Legal Society

Criminal Defense Association

Public Interest Law Society

Jewish Law Student Association

Student Bar Association’s Diversity President

Latinex Law Society

Triangle Bar Association

LGBT Alliance

Women’s Law Caucus

Middle Eastern Law Student Association

Putting People First A passionate environmental justice advocate, Jeremy

“For me, when the opportunity (at the NRDC) came up

Orr, ’16, leads with the community in mind. He started

it was a no-brainer. It’s a space that allows me to be

his career as a community organizer, working with

an advocate as an attorney but still be involved in

Michigan residents on various social justice issues.

communities,” he said. “And more than that, still being

After joining an initiative to clean up a contaminated

early in my career, I’m able to grow and get the support,

site in a low-to-moderate income community of color

resources, and mentorships from folks who have been

in Kalamazoo, where he and others addressed the

doing this for 30-40 years.”

Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, he realized that organizing for change is one way to have an impact, but directly going to the source as a lawyer is another.

Orr recognized that no impacted community members were making decisions, and that perspective was missing from the process, prompting his decision to position himself in that space by getting a legal degree.

“Prioritizing people in environmental decision-making in Michigan is going to be critical for our success as a state,” said Orr. PREPARING WITH PURPOSE At MSU Law, he jumped right into the curriculum. With years of work experience under his belt and a targeted set of interests to guide him, he knew what he wanted to do and what would help him to succeed in doing it.

“I didn’t need to figure out what I was interested in because I knew. I knew coming into law school that once I had the opportunity to do electives that they would be environmental law, administrative law, and constitutional law classes – things that would prepare me for a career in environmental law,” he explained.

TAKING CHANCES, CULTIVATING CHANGE Today, Orr is a staff attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a national and international advocate for environmental protection. “It’s always been a dream to work at a place like the NRDC, where you can see the impact that they’ve had on policy,” he said. “You can see the influence they had in bringing about the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act and so many other environmental regulations over the last 50 years.”

His team at the NRDC is called the Safe Water Initiative, where the focus is ensuring safe drinking water for all, specifically securing access for frontline communities in Michigan.

Orr was appointed to the Environmental Rules Committee in 2019 by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

The committee oversees all laws and rules that come through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. He hopes to continue advancing the process of replacing all lead service lines in the state with a focus on the most vulnerable communities who are hardest hit.

For me, there’s nothing more significant than the physical health and wellbeing of human beings, and there’s nothing that plays a greater role in that than the physical environment that you interact with every day.

JEREMY ORR, ’16 Waterloop Attorney NRDC Detroit, MI

Build Lasting Relationships

At MSU Law, Doaa Al-Howaishy, ’17, was heavily involved in organizations and courses that allowed her the space to establish connections and practice critical skills, which included receiving her litigation certificate through the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute.

Al-Howaishy, a “people person,” emphasized the importance of comradery amidst the chaos of law school, and she made a natural effort to be a friendly face to her peers. As a member of the Michigan State Law Review, she found community among her classmates – a place where they could commiserate and connect. “I found really great friends there,” she said. “The relationships I made there still last to this day, even though we don’t see each other every day in the Law Review office.”

Her involvement went beyond the Law College during her studies. She completed several internships, including a summer associate position with Butzel Long, which led to a full-time associate job after graduation.

Al-Howaishy worked for two years in private practice at the firm, researching and writing, meeting with clients, and building relationships with her colleagues.

The relationships I made there

As an assistant prosecutor now working in the District

still last to this day, even though

Courts Division of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Al-Howaishy relies on her people skills more than ever in a position that requires constant communication with witnesses, co-counsel, the community, and more – and she couldn’t be happier.

“I like interacting with people. I’m good with people, so it is exciting for me,” she said. “I’m an extrovert.

I get energy from being in those situations.”

we don’t see each other every day in the Law Review office.

DOAA AL-HOWAISHY, ’17 Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office Detroit, MI

Broaden Your Worldview Living in Michigan really helped broaden my view of things and give me an open mind, which I think education is supposed to do. And it made me a better person when I moved back home.

ANDREW W. DUNLAP, ’11 Partner, Josephson Dunlap, LLP Houston, TX

Andrew W. Dunlap, ’11, grew up in Corpus Christi – deep in South Texas. Before coming to Michigan State University College of Law, he’d only been outside of Texas a handful of times.

While you may find it hard to believe that you can experience culture shock without leaving the country, Dunlap confirmed that it can – and does – happen. Growing up in a city heavily influenced by Hispanic culture, he saw major differences between Texas and the Midwest.

“You go up to Michigan and it’s an entirely different culture,” said Dunlap. “The thinking is different. The politics are different. Living in Michigan really helped broaden my view of things and give me an open mind, which I think education is supposed to do. And it made me a better person when I moved back home.”

Being an out-of-state student and learning as an outsider how law is practiced in Michigan gave Dunlap the confidence to practice in other states.

Today, he represents employees whose wages are being wrongfully withheld from them by multi-national companies across the United States. Dunlap spends a significant amount of his time in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, Louisiana, and California, while his office is in Houston, Texas.

Meet the Spartan Nation Our most recent alumni represent MSU Law

Tacoma, WA TAMERA BEGAY

Assistant Prosecutor Puyallup Tribe of Indians

in private practice, public prosecutors’ and defenders’ offices, Fortune 500 companies, and the federal government.

Portland, OR ADRIENNE ANDERSON Deputy District Attorney Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office

Las Vegas, NV MAURICE CHEEKS

JAG Officer United States Air Force

Denver, CO ANNE STRAWBRIDGE Oakland, CA ASHLEY BYERS

Associate Attorney Fuerza Immigration Lawyers LLP

Policy Advisor Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Denver, CO GARY GONZALEZ Corporate Attorney Elevate Services

Houston, TX SHEILA LAMAR HR Advisor Exxon Mobil Information accurate as of 09/11/2020

Kansas City, MO ABBIE CHESTNUT

Assistant General Counsel Truman Medical Centers

Austin, TX APRIL LIWANAG

Assistant General Counsel Texas Board of Nursing

Chicago, IL KATILA HOWARD Minneapolis, MN EVAN BONNSTETTER

Toronto, ON CARL ALPHONSE

Associate Attorney McGuire Woods, LLP

Lawyer EY Law LLP

Kitchener, ON CARRIE CUMMINGS Legal Counsel D2L

Associate Attorney Faegre Drinker

Chicago, IL CHRISTIAN DAMON

Counsel Allstate

Detroit, MI ANGELA BALDWIN

Detroit, MI SHELBY AVERY

Attorney Associate Attorney The Miller Law Firm, P.C. Anselmi & Mierzejewski, P.C.

New York, NY VANESSA HENDERSON Agency Attorney NYC Administration for Children’s Services

Chicago, IL CHRISTIANE MURRAY Attorney Borkan & Scahill, Ltd.

Kansas City, MO PAUL VOGEL

Associate Patent Attorney Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP

Washington, DC DANIEL SHERWOOD Correspondent The Capitol Forum

Nashville, TN LAURA BASSET

Washington, DC SARAH FARIS Attorney Advisor US Department of Veterans Affairs

Attorney Burrow Lee PLLC

Tampa, FL JANEE PRINCE

Miami, FL SAMIR PATEL

Assistant Public Defender Associate Public Defender’s Office Holland & Knight LLP 13th Circuit Court, Tampa FL

Orlando, FL KELLINA HEYLEK

Attorney Advisor US Department of Justice

Make A Difference Through Clinic Work

Early in his career, Professor Gilmore recognized the impact

Housing is everything. It brings stability to your life. That’s why I advocate for fair housing practices.

housing can have on people’s quality of life and their ability to be successful. As a result, he’s dedicated decades to solving housing problems for underserved clients.

Professor Gilmore spent 15 years in practice in Washington, DC. He’s worked on cases to secure low-income housing for clients and gone up against landlords trying to scam tenants.

In what he called one of his most impactful cases, Professor Gilmore represented a woman being evicted from her home, with her mental disability cited as justification for the eviction.

He won the case on appeal.

As the director of MSU Law’s Housing Clinic, Professor Gilmore emphasizes that student clinicians have nearly complete control and independence when it comes to managing the cases they take on.

Students in the Housing Clinic work with clients facing life-changing consequences: people at risk of losing their homes and being separated from their communities. At least one day per week is spent in the courtroom, and on the others, students are in the clinic at MSU Law making and taking phone calls, researching their clients, and working out how to solve their cases.

When new clinic students are apprehensive, Professor Gilmore reminds them that law school has prepared them to represent their clients with skill – and that their own lives have equipped them with the empathy to understand the stakes. Housing law is universally relatable, after all, because every student can understand the value of home. “You’re here for a reason,” Professor Gilmore tells his students.

Professor Brian Gilmore

PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS

“You’ve had life experiences that have prepared you for this.”

As one of few housing-specific clinics in the country, Professor Gilmore seizes opportunities to spread the word about what he and his clinician students do at MSU Law. “We’re small, but we do good work.”

Impassioned and skilled advocacy changes lives. Clinical

There just aren’t that many services available for our clients, so I keep going.

Professor Veronica Thronson understands that and makes sure that her students in the high-stakes Immigration Law Clinic know it, too.

Professor Thronson began her legal practice at Legal Aid in Las Vegas, Nevada, representing victims of domestic violence in family law proceedings. Her cases often involved victims of domestic violence who were also immigrants. She worked at Legal Aid for eight years as the director.

Her clients lacked resources and support. She visited them at shelters, changed their children’s diapers in her office, and helped them find basic life necessities like clothing. Opposing parties in her cases verbally harassed her and occasionally her clients’ estranged partners resorted to stalking Professor Thronson.

And yet, despite the physical danger and the challenging nature of her daily work, Professor Thronson continued to do it. She would spend four to five days a week in court and admitted that after a while it “got old.” But at the end of the toughest days, she returned to her own stable home, which gave her the stamina to put in the hard work to provide her clients with that same opportunity for stability.

Since coming to MSU Law in 2010, Professor Thronson has worked in the Immigration Law Clinic alongside students to represent clients in a wide variety of immigration matters. The clinic’s clients include refugees, trafficking victims, and minors apprehended at the border.

The MSU Immigration Law Clinic has represented people from over 80 countries. Professor Thronson explained that while not

Professor Veronica Thronson

FIGHTING FOR IMMIGRANTS’ RIGHTS

all of the students who participate in the clinic aspire to become immigration lawyers, they leave with a skill set and experience that can be applied to nearly all areas of the law.

“If you can do immigration work,” she observed, “you can do anything.”

Meet the Spartan Family With a student population of over 50,000, Michigan State University provides a one-of-a-kind student experience. The campus connects people from all over the world into an energetic, friendly community.

MSU’s student body is: 10% first-generation college students 11.4% international students 24.2% minority-identified students 52% female-identified students

MSU FACTS:

50,000 10,600

THERE ARE STUDENTS INCLUDING GRADUATE STUDENTS.

9,000

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS FROM COUNTRIES STUDY AT MSU.

140

MSU HAS

502,000 LIVING ALUMNI.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES MSU has 900 active student organizations, from the Accafellas to the Zoological Students Association, and everything in between.

Spartans participate in dozens of intermural sports teams, multicultural affinity groups, profession-oriented networking organizations, and exceptionally specific interest-based clubs (including parkour, archery, and true crime).

Affinity-based student organizations bring together students, faculty members, and the Greater Lansing community. MSU’s student-run groups include: 50+ Black groups, including community service groups, mentorship programs, Greek life, and lifestyle/social clubs 20 LGBTQ+ groups 15 Latinex groups 12 Asian-American groups 6 Native groups

MSU TEACHES

EVERY 27 LANGUAGES

SEMESTER, INCLUDING HOUSA, OJIBWE, SWAHILI, TURKISH, AND ZULU.

275

THERE ARE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS COUNTRIES. IN

60

AS A TOP-LEVEL RESEARCH

325

INSTITUTION, MSU HAS INTERNATIONAL

PARTNERSHIPS IN COUNTRIES

80

College of Law MSU College of Law is more than just a building: we’re a community committed to embracing and uplifting all the members of our diverse, far-reaching MSU Law family. No matter who you are, where you’re from, or where you’re going, the Law College will support you, teach you, learn from you, and welcome you.