UDM Events

UDM’s summer associates at New York’s Shearman & Sterling, LLP
Summer 2006

When classes end and summer rolls around, law students find summer associate positions, which provide valuable experience to supplement what they learn in class. Ken Hemler and Molly Stark will spend their summer in Manhattan, working for Shearman & Sterling, LLP, one of the most prestigious law firms in the world. It’s a big moment for both students, but one for which Hemler and Stark are confident they’re ready.

The two rank at the very top of their class and are also among the most active students on campus. Stark will be next year’s Inside Articles editor on Law Review, and as a member of the Dean’s Tutorial Society, she helped students this year with Applied Legal Theory and Analysis.

Hemler will be next year’s Law Review editor-in-chief and has also been a member of the Moot Court Board of Advocates. Both have interned for courts as well: Stark for the Michigan Court of Appeals and Hemler for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Stark received her undergraduate degree in psychology and worked in the nonprofit sector before coming to law school. Her experience working for the San Francisco Bar Association whetted her appetite for legal study. UDM was the only school to which she applied. “I was attracted by the School’s location,” says Stark.

Stark was the recipient of a Voice for Justice fellowship last summer and found the experience to be rewarding. “The fellowship allowed me to work at an exciting summer internship and not have to worry about paying the bills.”

Stark’s interest in international law and policy led her to apply to Shearman & Sterling when the firm conducted on-campus interviews this past fall. “Shearman has offices all over the world, and most of their cases have an international component to them,” Stark adds. She hopes to continue with the firm following graduation.

Hemler graduated from UDM in Business Administration and is a joint J.D./MBA student. “Law school was almost a default choice for me,” Hemler says. “I wanted a career where I could combine my interests in business and finance with the opportunity to impact companies in ways other than financial accounting.”

Like Stark, Hemler only applied to UDM. “I was particularly attracted because of UDM’s joint J.D./MBA program, which allows me to further combine my interests. I also knew that I could get real world experience,” he adds.

Hemler is looking forward to sampling Shearman & Sterling’s practice areas, with the hope of continuing with the firm in the Mergers & Acquisitions area. “I love the thought of working in New York at one of the best firms in the world. I’m not sure the stage gets much bigger than that.”

Hemler and Stark agree that UDM provides opportunities that aren’t available elsewhere.

“At UDM, you get a lot of individualized attention and the small class sizes mean that you’re encouraged to try your hand at different activities.” says Hemler. “Several of the most prestigious national law firms come to the UDM campus to recruit students for their summer associate programs. Because of this, I had the opportunity to interview with premier firms from New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.,” he adds.

Both Stark and Hemler note that Shearman & Sterling’s partners were impressed by their UDM educations, especially the internships that both have held. Hemler adds, “We were told that the education and experience we received at UDM have prepared us well for successful careers.”