Emily Goebel, ’14
Latham & Watkins LLP, Chicago, IL
It’s easy for Emily Goebel to remember the moment she felt like a “real lawyer”; she has a picture of it in her office at Latham & Watkins in Chicago.
As a student-attorney in the Michigan Innocence Clinic, Emily (pictured with Professor David Moran, ’91, the clinic’s director), worked to free wrongly convicted prisoners, including Victor Caminata, who spent five years in prison for an arson crime he didn’t commit.
The Innocence Clinic was the transformative experience of my time at Michigan Law. No matter your path, clinics are universally productive in getting students out of their comfort zones and taking complete ownership of their work.”
“Law is a career where it can take a long time to see the product of your work,” says Emily. “The day that Victor was freed was exciting and humbling. It was incredible to know that I was a part of the team that helped make it happen.”
As part of her work in the clinic, Emily found and prepped witnesses, consulted with clients, prepared motions, and argued in court—experience that she says prepared her well for her litigation career.
“The Innocence Clinic was the transformative experience of my time at Michigan Law. No matter your path, clinics are universally productive in getting students out of their comfort zones and taking complete ownership of their work.”