Topic: Government Service
64 results
Features Fall 2023
Susanne Baer, LLM ’93: “It's the Highest Honor to Serve”
With her election as a justice on Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court in 2011, Susanne Baer made history. She became only the second nominee of the country’s Green Party and the first out and elected lesbian and radical feminist to serve as one of the court’s 16 justices.
Features Fall 2023
Rossa Fanning, LLM ’00: “I Am the Government's Lawyer”
When Rossa Fanning became attorney general of Ireland in late 2022, he didn’t need to endure the confirmation process of his counterpart in the United States. Instead, in two head-spinning days, he transitioned from his successful legal practice to a seat in the cabinet of Ireland’s prime minister.
Features Fall 2023
Raphael Lotilla, LLM ’87: “For the Benefit of My Country”
Raphael Lotilla was appointed secretary of energy in the Philippines in July 2022—for the second time—and he reassumed the role during a period of significant challenges: righting the privatization of the energy sector, confronting climate change, and addressing poverty.
Features Fall 2023
The President’s Ambassadors Abroad
Hundreds of Michigan Law alumni represent the interests of the United States and its citizens in
various levels of the government around the world. A handful, however, have risen to the highest level by being appointed as ambassadors, including Donald Blome, ’90; W. Robert Kohorst, ’78; and Kenneth Salazar, ’83.
Features Fall 2023
Emily Boening, ’12: Voice from the Civil Service
“I have worked on some extremely challenging issues—Afghanistan, Syria, terrorism, Russia…. It probably won’t be me who solves the world’s problems, but whoever succeeds will be someone unafraid to fail.”
Features Fall 2023
Seth Oppenheim, ’04: Voice from the Foreign Service
“It’s been a fascinating time to be posted to Brussels. Commercial and trade issues intersect so many of the topics important to the relationship between the United States and the European Union: climate change, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China, and artificial intelligence—to name a few.”
Features Fall 2023
Priyadarshi “Pri” Sen, ’93: Voice from the Foreign Service
“Those of us who serve overseas in the United States Foreign Service represent our country 24/7. In a small place like Suriname, everyone knows who we are. What we say and how we behave outside of work—and even what we buy at the local grocery store—is seen as representative of the United States.”
In Practice Spring/Summer 2023
Nadia Shihata, ’03: The Women Who Finally Stopped R. Kelly
Nadia Shihata, ’03, had taken down drug dealers, an Albanian crime boss, and other nefarious characters. This time, she and a team of prosecutors were leveling charges against Robert “R.” Kelly, an R&B superstar.
In Practice Spring/Summer 2023
Christopher Perras, ’11: Hate on Trial
Christopher Perras, ’11, specializes in prosecuting hate crimes as a special litigation counsel in the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice.
Features Spring/Summer 2023
Behind the Bench at the Supreme Court
For 20 years, Jeffrey Minear’s dealings at the Supreme Court followed a familiar pattern. As a litigator in the Office of the Solicitor General, he would prepare a brief, present argument, and await the ruling—a process he repeated more than 50 times. That all changed in 2006, when a new mandate became his daily task at the Court: perform such duties as may be assigned by the chief justice.