Takura Nyamfukudza is a graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School and an associate attorney with Alane & Chartier P.L.C. in Lansing. He previously worked in the Consumer Protection Division of the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.
Nyamfukudza majored in criminal justice at Indiana University. As a sophomore there, he enlisted in the United States Army, where he served for 12 years.
While in law school, Nyamfukudza was a member of the Military Veterans Law Student Association, as well as Cooley’s Black Law Student Association chapter. He was also an active Moot Court participant and teaching assistant, and an associate editor on the Journal of Practical and Clinical Law.
Nyamfukudza is an executive board member for the Davis-Dunnings Bar Association and serves as co-chairperson of the Mentorship Committee. He is also a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, and the Ingham County Bar Association. He volunteers at the Lansing Refugee Development Center and the Lansing Boys & Girls Club, and lends his legal services to Service to Soldiers.
By Jo Mathis
Legal News
Residence: Lansing Township.
Currently reading: “The Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama.
What is your most treasured material possession? A tie.
What advice do you have for someone considering law school? Do not do it for money alone. Watch lawyers at work in court to determine whether you want to be a litigator or a transactional attorney. Volunteer or extern, with a law firm for example, to gain some exposure to the law. That will ensure that your decision is an intelligent one based on personal experience. Lawyers help people; embrace that concept early on.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be? I would still be a soldier.
Favorite local hangouts: Parks and running trails.
Favorite websites: Google.com, michbar.org, menshealth.com, and gq.com.
Your proudest moment as a lawyer? Whenever a client thanks me for fighting hard on their behalf and treating them with respect.
Your worst moment as a lawyer? I think that will be the day I stop practicing law.
What is your happiest childhood memory? The day I boarded an airplane to join my mother and sister in the United States.
Which things do you not like to do? Grocery shopping, cooking, and laundry.
What would surprise people about your job? I do not need to be rude to or even dislike prosecuting attorneys, police officers, probation officers, or any other government agent in order to do my job well.
What do you wish someone would invent? A teleport machine.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would that be? I would trade places with Jonathan Goldsmith’s character in the Dos Equis advertising campaign.
What’s the most awe-inspiring place you have visited? The Victoria Falls.
What’s your greatest achievement? Whatever it is, I do not think that I have accomplished it yet.
If you could have one super power, what would it be? I would like to be able to fly.
What would you say to your 16-year-old self? No, you actually don’t know it all.
What one thing do you wish people knew about your work? A strong criminal defense bar benefits everybody. Not just the people I represent.
Favorite joke: During training exercises, the lieutenant who was driving down a muddy back road encountered another car stuck in the mud with a red-faced colonel at the wheel. “Your jeep stuck, sir?” asked the lieutenant as he pulled alongside. “Nope,” replied the colonel, coming over and handing him the keys, “Yours is.”
What is guaranteed to make you laugh? A good practical joke.
Must-see TV: “Breaking Bad,” “The Wire,” “Sopranos,” “Boss,” “House of Cards,” “Bate’s Motel,” and “Boardwalk Empire.” I couldn’t pick just one.
What’s your biggest regret? When I was a teen, an excellent pianist offered to teach me how to play the piano. Jazz music is one of my favorite genres of music. I am reminded of that decision every time I listen to it. I might have been filling concert halls by now if I had accepted her offer.
What word do you overuse? “Okay.”
What’s one thing you would like to learn to do? I would like to learn to speak Spanish.
If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be? Johnnie Cochran, Barack Obama, and Sun Tzu.
Can’t-live-without technology: My iPhone.
Favorite CD: “Love Jones (Original Soundtrack).”
Favorite law-related movie: “The Paper Chase.”
What’s the best advice you ever received? Anything worth doing should be done well.
If you can help it, where will you never return? Wisconsin during the winter.
What do you drive? A GMC Yukon.
What would you drive if money were no object? A Range Rover Autobiography LWB.
Favorite place to spend money: Any store stocking bow ties.
What is your motto? Success depends on your backbone not your wishbone.
Where would you like to be when you’re 90? Fit and healthy.
What would you like carved onto your tombstone? “Here lies a man who loved his family and was a loyal friend. He provided Soldiers with purpose, direction, and motivation. And, he fought hard for every client and treated each one with respect.”
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