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 last entry in a series of posts 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 Eric, one of our 2017 summer interns!
My name is Eric Bryson, and I am serving as a legal intern at Elder of Law of Michigan (ELM) for the summer months of 2017. While I am originally from central Georgia, I have spent the last several years in the Greater Lansing Area as a law student at Michigan State University College of Law (MSU Law). Before attending MSU Law, I earned my bachelor of philosophy degree from Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts and my associate of science degree from Middle Georgia State University.
Growing up, I never thought about a career in law. In fact, a career in law was the last thing I contemplated during most of my undergraduate studies; a mixture of naiveté and youth were the primary reasons for my lack of interest. Nevertheless, I was fortunate enough to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader for several years, and that experience “lit a legal flame” in me that provided me with an appetite for justice. Or, to be more specific, my time with AmeriCorps gave me an appetite to help bring justice to those who are most vulnerable to the various injustices that exist in today’s society. And from what I experienced as a VISTA, the population of individuals most vulnerable to the various injustices are as numerous as the types of injustices that exist.
I chose to serve as a legal intern with ELM because ELM is dedicated and passionate about bringing justice to those seniors who are vulnerable to the many injustices that exist. When I accepted my position here at ELM, I knew that for each senior I served that was one more senior provided some level of justice, and one less senior left vulnerable and exposed to discrimination, cruelty, inequity, intolerance, and exploitation. With that thought in mind, I not only expect to attain a valuable legal experience during my internship at ELM, but I intend to put in work serving as many Michigan seniors as possible.