UDM Events

Students: Lunches with Lawyers

We've enjoyed another semester of successful and informative Lunches with Lawyers (LWL). Here are some of the sessions:

DAVID CHERNOW, '90 - After clerking for two years and receiving his J.D. from UDM School of Law, Mr. Chernow moved to New York City. While waiting for his Bar results to arrive he attended acting school for a few months. In time he came back to Michigan to start a staffing firm, Modern Technology Corp., with a friend. The firm contracted out electricians and engineers to the auto industry. From there he moved to working in the family businesses, Resource Tech., Tri-Chem Corp. and Musclegloss. Resource Tech. is a staffing firm with customers such as Chrysler and Texas Instruments. Students sitting in on this LWL session asked Mr. Chernow whether his law degree is useful in the business world. "Having a law degree gives you the ability to look at things from different perspectives,. it gives a different spin on things," he said. He may not be practicing law, but he's doing what he loves. "Don't create expectations for yourself," he told the students. "You'll forgo all the other possibilities open to you."

JAMES PETCOFF, '92 - Mr. Petcoff started off his Lunch with a Lawyer session by emphasizing his love for his job. "Insurance is the greatest business," he said with a smile. Not everyone who graduates law school practices law in the traditional setting, and Mr. Petcoff is proof of that. In fact, his choice to go to law school was inspired by his love for the insurance business. After working for a few different insurance companies from 1983 to 1986, he had established contacts and come to understand how they do business. In 1987 he risked everything to start his own insurance company. Then, in order to get a better grasp of his business, he decided to pursue a law degree at UDM School of Law. And now? "I use the legal background every day in everything I do," he says.

LEONARD SUCHYTA, '68 - Mr. Suchyta was our Lunch with a Lawyer guest on January 25, 2008. An attorney for Verizon, he talked about intellectual property law and found that many of the students in attendance were interested in the same field. He asked, "Who here has a technical background?" Several students raised their hands and explained current jobs or undergraduate degrees that deal with technology. "You don't have to have a technical background to do IP law," he explained, "it just might take you longer to master it." The people in the room without technical backgrounds quickly came to understand this piece of advice, as he explained what IP lawyers deal with on a day-to-day basis. Those ins and outs were exactly what students were hoping to hear about, and some stayed after the lunch to talk more with Mr. Suchyta about opportunities in IP law.

BOB O'DONNELL, '87 - Mr. O'Donnell has been practicing in-house his entire career. His recent career move was taking over the legal department of Plastipak Packaging and Absopure Water Company. "It is a great opportunity," he told students. He felt the move was right because it's a smaller entrepreneurial company where he can make a greater difference. When a student asked what makes a good in-house attorney, he responded, "Have the trust of your client, take care of them, and maintain independence; have a back bone; and work hard even when nobody is looking." Over the course of his career Mr. O'Donnell has argued in 23 jurisdictions in the U.S., and has had the opportunity to work on legal matters internationally.

JEROME PESICK, '78 - "Thirty years has gone by quickly," Mr. Pesick said, smiling, as the LWL session began. His first job out of law school was with a small firm specializing primarily in eminent domain matters. That firm eventually expanded into a more full-service business and real estate law practice. In 2000 he and his current partner started a boutique law firm that would once again primarily focuses on eminent domain matters. Because their practice is so specialized, a large volume of their work comes from referrals from other lawyers. "Eminent domain," Mr. Pesick pointed out, "isn't something that's talked about in much detail in law school." He explained the basics to the students, and they followed up with questions about the new Detroit airport expansion issues.

MIKE MORAN, '69 - In a period of war and some social turmoil, Mr. Moran attended and graduated from law school. His initial plan was to transfer from U of D School of Law to the University of Michigan's law school, but he found quickly that he preferred the size and focus on clinics that U of D offered. Participating in clinics and learning how the law and lawyers can help the disadvantaged was "a valuable experience" for him. After graduating, he clerked for Judge George C. Edwards, who gave him an inside view of the law. Then he clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. Soon, he found himself interested in criminal defense and civil liberties. To satisfy his desire to get more experience "in the trenches of the law," Mr. Moran went to work for the State Appellate Defender Office in Detroit. "It was the most rewarding job I've ever had," he explained. Since then he's practiced criminal defense for 37 years in state and federal courts and now serves as Township Supervisor for Ann Arbor Township.

We are grateful to all the attorneys who participated in this spring's Lunches with Lawyers program, including:

• David Chernow, '90
• S. Allen Early
• Jeffrey I Kopelman, '76
• Mike Moran, '69
• Bob O'Donnell, '87
• Jerome Pesick, '78
• James Petcoff, '92
• Joel Schwatrz, '88
• Leonard Suchyta, '68
• Grant Trigger, '85

Students Perform Well in Clinic Cases

Kara Danosky, a 2nd year law student in the School's Urban Law Clinic, recently took a Social Security case for a woman who had a stroke in 2005. Despite not having much use of her right arm or leg, the client was initially denied Social Security benefits. Her denial letter stated that she still had the ability to work. Ms. Danosky's request for a hearing was granted on February 21, 2006. Before the hearing Ms. Danosky submitted a brief in support of her client receiving benefits. The judge originally scheduled to preside over the hearing, called two days later. She gave Ms. Danosky some critiques on the brief and then stated that the benefits would be awarded based on the brief and the client's medical records. The client will receive back payments from 2005 and a monthly check from now on.

Also in the Urban Law Clinic, 3rd year law students Ryan Ford and Kathy Koziol recently submitted a brief for an appeal of a Social Security Disability decision. The client was suffering from multiple disorders including seizures and diabetes. The brief enabled the Administrative Law Judge to make a decision on the record that resulted in back payment from September 1, 2006 to February 2008. In addition to the back pay, the client will now receive monthly benefits from Social Security.