Each year, Elder Law of Michigan, Inc. works with law schools and law students across Michigan, and the country, to encourage students to intern on the Legal Hotline for Michigan Seniors. This year, Elder Law of Michigan is grateful to have 13 law students volunteer their time this summer to intern under the supervision of our Staff Attorneys to learn about the law, experience what it is like to work at a nonprofit, and assist seniors in need of legal assistance. As part of this experience, each intern has written a brief introduction to help our staff, and our community, to get to know them better. This post is the first entry in a series of posts that will run in the coming weeks to highlight this year’s interns from Michigan State University College of Law, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, and William and Mary Law School. Without further ado, meet Jessica, Patrick, and Eric, three of our 2017 summer interns!

My name is Jessica Rundle, and I am a legal intern at Elder Law of Michigan. I received a BA in History with minors in Philosophy and Music from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan as well as an MA in History with a minor in Political Science from Texas A&M University-Central Texas, and I just completed my first year of law school at Michigan State University College of Law.

I grew up in Sterling Heights, Michigan, though I lived out of state for several years after college. I spent three years in Texas where I substitute taught, received my graduate degree, and taught community college. I then moved to Florida where I also taught community college and worked as a retail manager. Finally, I moved to Colorado, where I taught fifth graders in a STEM outreach program. I knew I wanted to end up back in Michigan, so Michigan State was my first choice for law school, and I am excited to be living in the state again!

Outside of law school, my interests include gardening and spending time with my two dogs. I first encountered Elder Law of Michigan during the Spring Recruitment Fair at Michigan State University College of Law and knew the organization fits well with my future goals. I am excited to be an intern, and look forward to my summer with Elder Law of Michigan!

Hi, my name is Patrick J. Simons, and I am a second-year law student at Michigan State University College of Law.  I became attracted to Law School when after spending four years after college looking for a good fit, I wanted to become part of a career field that is challenging, enjoyable and places a strong emphasis on reading and writing.

I love to read and write, and the allure of learning to read and write in the legal sense (essentially learn to do so all over again) strongly attracted me to attendance at the local law school.  I chose Michigan State University College of Law because of its proximity to my hometown of Lansing, MI (Delta Township), and because of its affiliation with the prestigious Detroit College of Law.  I was attracted to Elder Law of Michigan because I enjoy helping seniors and spending time talking to older folks over the phone.

I have Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy and am familiar with, at the very least, SSD/SSI Medicaid/Medicare and, at the very least, can relate to some of the problems that seniors face. I was further attracted to Elder Law of Michigan because of the fact that it is based right here in my hometown and because it specializes in helping seniors from Michigan.  I have strong customer service skills and further enjoy working over the phone.  I believe that this internship is a great way to get my feet wet, so to speak, and learn about working lawyers in a friendly, local environment.  Quite frankly, I did not think I would be able to find internships in Lansing that were not at one of the judicial or government buildings downtown.  I am very happy to be able to get on the phone and speak directly to people in our state.

I am very happy to be here!

My name is Eric Villanueva, and I am glad to spend my summer interning at Elder Law of Michigan. I grew up in Canton, MI. I am a graduate of Michigan State University College of Arts and Letters with a degree in Linguistics and I have just completed my first year of law school at Michigan State College of Law. I have personal experience dealing with senior and property issues which motivated me to intern at Elder Law of Michigan. By interning at here, I hope to gain perspective on legal challenges facing seniors in Michigan and help them find solutions.

I decided to attend law school after working for a couple of years as a groundskeeper at a cemetery. I always intended get a graduate degree but I didn’t know what it would be. I was inspired to take a gap year working somewhere completely outside of my experience by a teacher who advised me gain perspective of the world before moving onto a professional degree. There I was exposed to the funeral industry and its regulations, which informed my interests in property and commercial law. My family has since long encouraged me to go to law school. I, ultimately, chose to go to law school because I had the aptitude to succeed and the experience would empower me to be the change that I want to see in the world. The prospect of being my family’s first lawyer fills me with pride.

When I am not studying or working, I enjoy reading about history, philosophy, and social sciences as well as training in traditional martial arts. I have traveled abroad studying and visiting family. This summer at Elder Law of Michigan is proving to be valuable experience in corresponding with clients and devising legal solutions: two skills which will serve me well in my career.