Leah Essenmacher

Attorney at Ford Motor Company

2013 | Saint Claire, MI

Western Michigan University | Political Science: Public Law

“The variety of clinics, in addition to the Trial Practice Institute, Moot Court, and negotiations, leave students with confidence in their ability to learn and practically apply that knowledge.”

Leah (Stirling) Essenmacher described the atmosphere at MSU College of Law as very welcoming. “Students are willing to help each other prepare, study, and share notes,” she said. “For example, last semester, my dad suddenly became very sick and I had to miss a few classes,” she said. “Multiple students provided me with notes immediately.” 

In addition to the student community, Leah found that at MSU Law the professors are accomplished and knowledgeable, which made her classroom experience challenging and rewarding. “Additionally, in completing my King Scholar Honors paper, my faculty expert reader was helpful and active in the process of developing my thesis and my paper. We bounced ideas and hypotheticals off each other, and she edited for style and grammar, which was helpful in making my paper as polished as possible.”

Outside the traditional classrooms, the Law College’s hands-on programs offered Leah an array of invaluable practical experience. “The variety of clinics, in addition to the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute, Moot Court, and negotiations, leave students with confidence in their ability to learn and practically apply that knowledge,” she said.

Leah especially appreciated her time with the MSU clinics. “I had a great experience,” she said. “I learned so much about litigation I could have never fully understood solely in a classroom. I had the opportunity to argue in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on behalf of a clinic clients. Both the preparation and argument process challenged my abilities to think on my feet and wholly learn the ins and outs of issues.”

Leah also joined Law Review. She said the experience made her extremely focused on details in her thoughts and writing. “Through my experience as an articles editor, I read about varying legal topics, and became quite familiar with the format and style of legal scholarship. It enhanced the way I write and added more substance to ideas I learned in class. Prospective employers noticed and appreciated my involvement.,” she said.