Spartan Lawyer Winter 2018

FOCUS YOUR PASSION.

ERICA WALLE, ’16

SEXUAL ASSAULT ASSISTANT PROSECUTOR, TUSCOLA COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
CARO, MICHIGAN

I think a lot of people go to law school with dreams of changing the world. I did. The best advice that was ever given to me was to stop focusing on changing the whole world and to start focusing on changing the world around me. Find an area of the law that you love and have a passion for and excel in that area, and then use your expertise to change the world around you.

Not many attorneys can say they landed their dream job right out of law school, but Erica Walle can. She achieved a goal she’d held since high school just five weeks after swearing in to the Michigan Bar. Serving as the sexual assault assistant prosecutor for Tuscola County for two years, Erica said she feels just as lucky to do her job today as she did when she first started out.

“My favorite part of my practice is getting justice for victims. Most of the victims that walk into my office are there because they have experienced the worst day of their life,” Erica said. “Standing tall for them, giving them a shoulder to lean on, and holding their hands through their tears gives me an immense sense of purpose. Fighting for them in court and helping them get the justice that they so deserve is rewarding and fulfills my personal need to help people.”

Given the emotionally charged nature of her work, Erica said her job takes her on a roller coaster of emotions almost daily, and sometimes it can be exhausting. “There are highs when a victim gets the justice they deserve and there are lows when a new case comes in and I hear the heartbreaking story of what has happened to that person,” she said.

As a wife and mother, Erica said her family refuels her and keeps her going when the days get long and the cases get tough. Whether it’s winding down by watching a movie or going on a bike ride together, those moments with her husband and son keep her grounded.

“My husband and my son are my world. They are my safe harbor,” she said. “They give me balance in my life and I think that having balance between my career and my personal life makes me a better attorney.” Her son – an enthusiastic superhero fan – thinks his mom is a hero who goes to work and stops the “bad guys.”