Jordan Barpal, 2L
Jordan Barpal studied political science and played on the football team when he was an undergrad at the University of Michigan. He had planned to pursue law school right out of undergrad, but after he didn’t get into his top law schools, he decided to begin his career as a practice development assistant at a law firm in New York. Barpal went on to accept a government fellowship through the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Israel, where he worked for the Israeli Ministry of Finance.
The financial support I’ve received gave me this second chance at pursuing law school, and I am tremendously grateful for that. I believe no one is ever truly successful without the help of others, and the Michigan Law community is a testament to that.
“I enjoyed the experience, but I missed the sense of teamwork and camaraderie that I had experienced as a college athlete. I decided to join the military in hopes of recapturing that shared purpose,” he says. “I was on active duty for seven years as a naval intelligence officer and completed a master’s in American government during that time as well.”
When it came time to transition from military service, he decided to give law school another try.
“I hoped that a higher test score, graduate degree, and my experiences post-undergrad would make me a more compelling candidate this time around. Needless to say, I was overjoyed when I received the acceptance letter from Michigan. I’ve been so fortunate to learn from formidable faculty and am inspired by their work.”
Barpal plans to join Choate Hall & Stewart LLP in Boston after graduation.