Externship with Judge Valentine piqued interest in the bench
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Gabriela Grimaldi’s first exposure to the legal field was an internship for Bagley & Langan during undergrad at Michigan State University’s James Madison College.
She helped contact clients, gather records, put together interrogatories and assist attorneys in depositions involving claims of personal injury.
“I’m very thankful for that experience because I got to see first-hand what a typical day for a lawyer looks like before going to law school,” she says.
Grimaldi, who double majored in International Relations and Political Theory & Constitutional Democracy, also interned for the non-profit “End Violent Encounters,” that provides assistance to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking; and also was on a research team led by Prof. Robert Brathwaite that assisted the International Criminal Court (ICC) in one of its investigations.
“We would go through large quantities of data and try to weed out anything that would be of value for the ICC prosecutors,” she says. “In hindsight, it was great preparation for law school because determining what is important from a large set of facts is a skill we use every day,” she says.
After graduation, Grimaldi set her course for law school. Now a 3L student at Wayne Law, she is thoroughly enjoying her studies.
“Wayne Law has an excellent academic reputation and alumni network within Michigan, but what I think makes Wayne Law special is the emphasis on community,” she says. “I’ve met so many phenomenal professors and faculty members who are not just great teachers but great mentors.
“I was drawn to the legal profession because it gives me the opportunity to help someone solve a problem or try to avoid one every day,” she adds. “Law is constantly evolving so problems are hardly ever the same. I like the challenge of thinking outside of the box to find solutions that are tailored to meet a client’s particular needs.”
After her 1L year, Grimaldi externed for Judge Victoria Valentine at the Oakland County Circuit Court, and appreciates the opportunity to do legal research for the judge and her staff attorney.
“I really enjoyed observing cases because I got to watch a lot of different lawyers argue and then learn what techniques the judge thought were effective or not afterwards,” she says.
The experience has also piqued her interest in serving on the bench in the future.
“I would love to be a judge one day and help people resolve their problems from a different seat in the legal process,” she says.
After that judicial externship, Grimaldi spent a year clerking for Findling Law in Royal Oak, an experience that reaffirmed her passion for family law.
“It was really beneficial to get experience drafting motions and briefs in the area of law I want to practice,” she says. “I also learned a lot from just observing how the attorneys interviewed and counseled their clients.
“What attracted me to family law is how personal it is,” she adds. “The emotions are raw and the personal stakes are very high. As a lawyer, it truly matters how you navigate each interaction because you are dealing with the most important parts of people’s lives like how often they see their children and where they live. I find that because it’s so personal, it’s also very rewarding.”
Wanting to gain courtroom experience, Mock Trial was a great opportunity for Grimaldi, who was a member for the 2019-2020 academic year.
“I gained a lot of appreciation for trial work because so much preparation goes into it, but you also have to be able to deal with an unexpected ruling or testimony on the fly,” she says.
Co-president of the Italian-American Law Student Association, last year Grimaldi and co-president Jessica Biondo revamped the chapter with hopes of holding a networking event with Italian lawyers and judges. The pandemic put paid to those plans, for the spring semester.
“Looking forward, our goal as an organization is to hold a networking event remotely so we strengthen the connection between Wayne Law and both the legal and general Italian-American community of Michigan,” she says.
She also serves as president of the SBA Board of Governors.
“As a first-generation college student, there were a lot of things I didn’t know about the law school process when I started. I found the resources the Student Board of Governors provided such as their mentorship program and networking events to be incredibly helpful as a 1L,” she says.
“As president, I enjoy continuing those traditions and finding new ways to make this process easier for students. COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for our community but we’re working hard to find innovative ways to provide resources to the student body and bring Wayne Law together remotely.”
Like fellow students, Grimaldi has had to cope with the challenges of online learning during the pandemic.
“In college, I got into the habit of doing all my schoolwork at either a coffee shop or a library instead of my home. Keeping my studies and home life separate helps me be more productive because I have a list of tasks to accomplish before I can go home and relax,” she says. “I carried that habit into law school so up until the pandemic, I’d never done schoolwork at home.
Having to suddenly do my readings, classes and take finals from home has been a huge challenge because it’s so easy to get distracted. I’ve found that making an at-home office and only doing my classes and readings in that space has helped me adjust and stay more focused.”
A Plymouth native who now calls Royal Oak home, Grimaldi has watched Detroit evolve since she started law school in the city three years ago.
“In my free time I really enjoy checking out the new restaurants and breweries popping up all over the city,” she says.
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