Jacob Stropes started his academic trajectory with a business degree from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, receiving an education from global leaders in everything from marketing to capital markets.
“It was an opportunity I felt I couldn’t pass up,” he says. “I was drawn to the fact that everything in our country, and our world, is a business at its core. From law firms, to professional sports teams, to hospitals, each organization has to be successful as an underlying business to continue providing value to society.”
Although he enjoyed the concepts he was learning and working through, he wanted to engage with those concepts from more of an advisory and advocacy perspective.
“Pursuing something like corporate law, as opposed to solely business is going to provide me with the opportunity to engage with a variety of those business concepts with a number different clients and organizations,” he says.
Now a rising 3L at Wayne Law and in a summer associate program at Honigman, his immediate goal is to integrate himself into the law firm, meet as many people there as possible, and gain more substantive legal experience.
“From there, I’m looking forward to continuing to grow as an attorney, and a person, who significantly contributes to the firm’s goals and organizational growth, as well as to the greater Detroit community,” he says.
As a 2020 Wayne Law Levin Center Fellow, Stropes clerked remotely last summer, albeit in D.C., on the Investigations team for Ranking Member (now Chairman) Gary Peters’ Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC).
“I worked with some of the most highly qualified and talented investigative attorneys in Zachary Schram and Soumya Dayananda, amongst others, and learned first-hand how an investigation that had implications ranging from the 2020 election to national security matters in Eastern Europe should be handled,” he says.
In Zoom calls with Sen. Peters and (former) Sen. Carl Levin, Stropes found both were very down to earth and supportive of the work being done for the Committee and in the furtherance of oversight in general.
“Oversight was something I really enjoyed because, in theory—and typically in practice—it’s supposed to be objective, fact-based, and collaborative across the aisle,” he says. “Former Senator Levin was very talented and influential in ensuring that oversight occurred in that way and Senator Peters has done a great job in helping to further that goal.”
Stropes’s longstanding interest has, and continues to be a position in corporate law, primarily M&A or PE work.
“However, I’ve also developed an interest in antitrust law through my course work and in investigations—such as government, internal—through my work in the U.S. Senate,” he says.
“Luckily, Honigman’s summer associate program is going to allow me to explore many different practice areas. I’m hoping to also have an international component to my practice as the world continues to become more and more interconnected.”
Stropes developed tight-knit friendships with some fellow 1L students when classes were in person, and specifically, with his Wayne Jessup family during 2L year.
“Our Jessup chancellor did a phenomenal job of encouraging us to socialize as much as possible in the virtual environment and that group of people has become exceptionally important to me,” he says.
“And all of the faculty at Wayne—but specifically, the international law faculty I’ve had the opportunity to work with through Jessup—are incredible and have made my time at Wayne very enjoyable.”
Now the new chancellor of the Jessup International Law Moot Court Team, Stropes notes Jessup has been, by far, the most enjoyable experience of his law school journey.
“The team we had this year grew to be extremely close and the members will continue to be incredibly important to me, even after the competition with them has ended,” he says. “The problem—fact pattern—dropped in September and we worked non-stop until mid-April. It felt amazing to achieve the level of success we did nationally with the 2nd Place Memorial Award and our raw point total as well. We also had an incredible run in the Global Rounds where we finished in the Top 48 in the entire world, our respondent team finished number 15 overall, and we collected an assortment of individual oralist awards all around. We committed an entire school year of work and time to the competition so to see all that hard work pay off for my teammates and me was a wonderful feeling.”
As the newly selected executive articles editor on the Wayne Law Review, Stropes enjoys being surrounded by other highly motivated students working to produce a tangible item.
“A lot of the work we do in law school culminates in a test you take and then it disappears,” he says. “The opportunity to help create something that will last and that you can physically hold in your hands is something I’m very much looking forward to.”
During his U-M undergrad years, Stropes worked for Professor Anne Choike supporting her project of creating a compilation of prominent corporate legal opinions rewritten from a feminist legal perspective, as well as commentaries on those rewritten opinions. He was involved in the setup of the project, helping to identify authors, editors, and advisors for the book. Now that Choike is at Wayne, Stropes is continuing that same research with her.
“My role is primarily research and editing, and it’s been a great experience working on such an important issue that sparks conversations that, hopefully, will lead to meaningful change,” he says.
Stropes looks forward to returning to the classroom this Fall after more than a year of remote classes.
“The professors did a good job teaching over Zoom but there was, of course, that lost feeling and connection that you get with an in-person education,” he says. “Luckily, the vaccination efforts should hopefully suggest that we’ll be back in-person in the fall.”
A native of Canton, Stropes now makes his home in Detroit. Leisure pastimes include reading, movies, music, golf, snowboarding, and returning to Canton to visit his family and two canine companions—a Golden Retriever and a Shih Tzu/Poodle mix.
“The movie I most recently enjoyed is ‘Tenet’ and I just finished the book ‘The Splendid and The Vile’ which follows Churchill’s life and leadership throughout The Blitz in World War II,” he says.
His mother is a senior marketing director at Comcast, his father a recovery coach assisting individuals recovering from substance abuse, and his older brother works for the Detroit Lions in corporate partnerships.
“My family has been invaluable in not only setting me up for success throughout my entire life but also in supporting me unconditionally in whatever I chose to do with each new opportunity along the way,” he says.
“There are also a number of fellow law students who have helped me succeed throughout law school, but there are two I’m especially grateful for—Erin Gianopoulos, who was the Chancellor, and an indispensable member, of our Jessup team this past year and someone I greatly admire and look up to; and Katelyn Maddock, a close friend and a fellow Levin Center intern with me in D.C. These two have been invaluable in making my experience what it has been so far.”
During his time at Ross, Stropes was involved with the Detroit Revitalization and Business Initiative, helping conduct financial sustainability analyses for a start-up in Detroit looking to make better use of vacant lots.
“I’m planning on getting involved in a number of community initiatives around Detroit as my career continues to progress,” he says. “I’m interested in getting involved with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the DIA, and utilizing my experience in Michigan’s writing minor program by getting involved with various writing initiatives and organizations throughout the state.”
Stropes appreciates the pride Detroiters have for the city, its growth and development, and its future. “Being able to see, first-hand, the physical and cultural development of the city is something I really appreciate and enjoy,” he says.
He also has wonderful memories of his undergrad role as Head Manager of the U-M Women’s Basketball Team coached by Kim Barnes Arico.
“An incredible time commitment that was worth every second,” he says. “From traveling as far as Kentucky and Texas for the NCAA Tournament, to the hours of rebounding and preparation before and after practices and games, it was an experience that taught me a great deal about working with people from all sorts of different backgrounds who have come together to achieve a common goal.
“I got to work with some of the best coaches, players, and managers in the history of the program, and college basketball in general, and it was an experience I’ll always value and reflect fondly on.”
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