Jeffrey Rubenstein, ‘66, created the Jeffrey and Susan Rubenstein Scholarship Fund to support students facing the same serious financial need that he did while attending Michigan Law. We speak to him and Simone Prince-Eichner, a recipient of the scholarship, about their experiences at Michigan Law.
“It was a time when hordes of young legal professionals couldn’t get jobs and had all these student loans—but coming from Michigan meant that we had our pick of jobs,” says Cara. “It was very true for me and especially for Aaron.”
“My Michigan training has held me in good stead, as it did for my dad. I find it meaningful to do anything I can to help provide scholarships for others to experience what we’ve had the opportunity to do.”
Jim Stengel and Bev Bartow met John Schrashun during their first year of law school. Little did they know that Schrashun, whose friendship was central to their law school experience, would not be alive to celebrate their fifth reunion.
A lawyer’s job is to present a client’s case with a compelling argument, so U-M’s undergraduate debate team has been a fertile ground for future Michigan Law students. “The only downside to my debate background is that when I became a professor, I had to learn to slow down my speech,” laughs Robert Hirshon, ’73, “because my students couldn’t follow me.”
“Some of my former lecturers … had done graduate work in Ann Arbor and recommended Michigan Law to me as the best place to go for my LLM. I listened and have not regretted doing so.”
A week before the fall 2018 semester started, Melissa Peña was pulling 13-hour shifts at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, where the largest immigrant detention center in the United States is located. “The stories were horrific, and by Thursday they were really getting to me. I had to step outside and take a moment for myself.”
Despite living, working, and raising a family in Michigan for decades, Usama “Sam” Hamama was one of more than 300 Iraqi nationals identified in 2017 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for removal. Returning to Iraq, they would likely face persecution, torture, or even death.
Immigration news is everywhere. It’s a complicated issue. While the pages of this magazine could be filled with stories about the immigration work being done by Michigan Law graduates, we’ve chosen to highlight the efforts of a few individuals closer to home who are working to protect process.
Nothing Runs Like a Deere. The tagline that originated in the 1970s—first with John Deere-made snowmobiles—has since become iconic. It’s also a phrase that could aptly describe the career of Marc Howze, ’95, Deere & Company’s senior vice president and chief administrative officer.
