For most law students, the art of writing an appeal isn’t something they learn until they take Research, Writing & Advocacy. But for Issa Fawaz, ’19, he tested his abilities early by appealing his denied admittance from MSU Law.

He completed his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections in his hometown of Dearborn at the University of Michigan - Dearborn. From his point of view, MSU Law was the only option. There wasn’t a Plan B; he was determined to be a Spartan.

Everything changed when he received notice that his admission to MSU Law had been denied. Not willing to give up on his plan, Fawaz took action. He worked with a counselor at MSU Law to gather everything he needed to attempt to appeal his admission status, including retaking the LSAT, improving his score, and buckling down to raise his GPA in his final year of undergrad. He also reached into his professional network. 

During his undergrad, Fawaz studied under Judge Amy Hathaway who practices as a neutral arbitrator in Southfield. He told her about the situation and his hopes of attending MSU Law. From there on, Judge Hathaway helped him to keep his head up. “I’m not sure where I would be today if I didn’t have such a brilliant mentor,” Fawaz said.

Fawaz’s networking abilities played a major role in his appeal. After attending a Diversity and Justice Symposium, where he connected with esteemed alumnus Geoffrey Fieger, he was able to secure a letter of recommendation from Fieger. 

His valiant efforts and persistence paid off: Fawaz was accepted to MSU Law just days before classes began. 

From the beginning, law school was a whole new world. He knew that three years of hard work lay before him. “In the beginning, you don’t know what the hell is going on. The information is just all over the place,” he said. “But when you go to this class, and then you go to this other class, everything ends up meeting in a big circle.”

Fawaz leaned on internships and networking during his time at MSU Law to build his industry experience and practice skills as a budding attorney. “After meeting all these new and different types of people while on this journey, I realized that networking is the pinnacle to becoming not only a successful attorney, but also a successful person,” he said. “If the person you’re talking to says no, then you’re just talking to the wrong person. There are people out there that want to build and grow together, and that actually want you to be the best version of yourself, you just have to find them.” 

Now, a member of the graduating Class of 2019, Fawaz’s steadfast resilience and unwavering dedication – the same qualities that helped him get into MSU Law – have gotten him to the finish line. And he’ll surely continue to use them as he has already begun his journey to opening his own private practice. He wants to use his skills and legal education to serve his community in Dearborn. 

“You’re always nervous whenever you’re about to do something you think is important, but you should never be scared,” he explained. “Being nervous is fine. Whenever you’re nervous it means you really care about the outcome.”