About Me
Name and Grad Year
Manuel Lewis, Class of 2027.
Prior Education
BA, anthropology, Arizona State University.
I Grew Up In
Casa Grande, Arizona.
Even though I was born and raised in Casa Grande, I did spend a year living in Manhattan, and I moved up to the Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona while I was an undergraduate student for about four years. I’ve even traveled to about 30 US states! I definitely have my roots, but I love my branches reaching far and wide.
Prior to Law School
I worked as a public safety telecommunicator (more commonly referred to as a 911 dispatcher) for my family’s Tribe, the Gila River Indian Community. I started that career during an educational hiatus, but I continued working there while I pursued my undergraduate degree.
My Dream Job
I don’t know that “dream” is the most accurate word, but I’d like to lead to the office of the general counsel back in Gila River. This would give me the opportunity to be close to family again but also, in a very tangible and proximate way, provide services to my family’s Tribe—what motivated me to pursue a legal career in the first place.
Biggest Hesitation about Law School
Moving so far away from my community of loved ones. I only made it as far as I have because of their constant support and belief in me, so leaving that community was a fear-inducing decision. Nevertheless, I did it! And I’ve found community here in Michigan, too.
Why I Chose Michigan Law
I was really nervous about law school because of all the horror stories I had heard about the competition inherent in legal education (and the legal profession more broadly).
Michigan makes it a point not to perpetuate the same culture. Almost everyone that I’ve met here is genuinely friendly and goes as far out of their way as is possible to help one another, rather than compete.
My Time at Michigan Law
The Best Thing about Michigan Law
The best thing about Michigan Law is the people. I’ve met so many amazing friends and people with such interesting and compelling stories who have helped me paint a picture of the legal profession. I am hopeful and humbled to be a part of the atmosphere everyone here creates.
What “The Michigan Difference” Means to Me
Like every other 1L, I was mortified of sounding crazy in front of my newfound peers during a cold call.
Of course, after I provided my (very confident) answer to my first criminal law cold call, Professor Mendlow quickly dismissed it as incorrect. He was polite, but I remember feeling pretty disappointed because, up until that point, he had been very generous to students during cold calls even when their answers weren’t polished.
So, the outright dismissal stung! But the very next day, he sent an email to the entire class of 80 students (and one to me personally) saying that, after reviewing his previous lecture, he realized he made a mistake during my cold call, apologizing to me, and telling everyone that I was, in fact, correct.
This exemplified the Michigan Difference to me: that attitude about respect and decency really permeates throughout the entire law school and it is a standout feature of being here.
What I Like Least about Law School
A lot of concepts get lost in the haze of doctrine. 1L year is about solidifying key legal doctrines by learning how to approach them from various viewpoints. But when we are learning the doctrine of criminal law, we may read about a Black defendant in the 1950s and have to ignore (or simplify) some of the obvious race-related implications about the case in order to expedite the learning of the doctrine.
This can be true, too, in civil procedure or contract law with things as obvious as race, class, sex, gender, religion, colonization/imperialism, and more. The professors are wonderful here, and I don’t mean to imply that these important concepts are swept under the rug, but I wish we had time to fully discuss them with the nuance and critique that they deserve.
Fortunately, office hours are a wonderful place to continue these conversations outside of the classroom. I’m looking forward to 2L and 3L seminar courses to explore them in greater depth, too.
My Law School Extracurricular Activities
The Native American Law Students Association, National Lawyers Guild, American Constitution Society, OUTLaws, and the Sentence Commutation Project.
If this sounds like a lot, I promise it’s not actually that bad. Most commitments in law school are as minimal or as involved as you want them to be. I would love to be deeply involved in NALSA and NLG, and I can do that comfortably while still building community in other affinity groups or groups about academic or career interests!
My Favorite Study Spot
LoCo (the Lower Commons). UpCo tends to be less peaceful than I’d like, and the Law Library and Reading Room tend to be too quiet for me. I enjoy having some background noise while I study, and LoCo offers that while maintaining a peaceful environment.
Fun Stuff
My Favorite Way to De-stress
Single-player video games or yapping away with my new friends.
Favorite Book
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, hands down. I almost exclusively read nonfiction, so my giving such high praise of a novel should really be appreciated. I know there is a movie adaptation, but I refuse to watch it. The book is some of the best writing I’ve experienced and generally a great reflection on spirituality, humanity, and our relationships to others and the world around us.
Favorite TV Show
In the last few years, I haven’t really been able to watch any new TV series because my brain feels like it is filling up with too many other new things. So, to balance out having no mental capacity left, I rewatch my all-time favorites (which means I spend a lot of time “watching” Avatar: the Last Airbender—that is to say that most of the time, it is simply on the TV to provide the background noise I need to be productive).
Favorite Beverage
Sun tea! (I really miss Arizona.)
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor
Pirate’s Treasure from Washtenaw Dairy (and luckily, it’s only a 90-second walk from my apartment).