Photo courtesy of Janson Fu
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Janson Fu, a 2L student in the Dual JD Program at Detroit Mercy Law and the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, earned an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in astronomy and physics from the University of Toronto.
“I was drawn to the intellectually challenging and interesting material,” he said. “To think we could discover so much about the universe while stationed on this tiny rock of a home was stunning and I wanted to learn more about the theories behind stellar phenomena.”
He went on to earn a Bachelor of Education degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, inspired by past experiences with high school teachers.
“Teaching, mentoring and supporting students was their passion, and I wanted to be able to help others in a similar way,” he said. “In my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to teach STEM-oriented programs to grade school students and had a wonderful time bonding with students and colleagues.”
Fu noted that teaching is an exercise of effective and efficient problem-solving, requiring critical thinking, collaboration and, most importantly, empathy.
“Empathy allows you to understand the needs of your students,” he said. “Critical thinking allows you to draw from your knowledge, experiences, and resources to develop teaching approaches that help to facilitate student growth and success. Collaboration skills allow you to go beyond your skillset to learn from and work with others to meet or exceed your objectives.
“Being a successful lawyer and advocate requires a similar skill set, and I’m truly fortunate to have had the opportunities to develop these skills.”
While Fu ultimately did not pursue a career in teaching, his passion for problem-solving and using his knowledge, skills and experiences to help others never wavered. When he took time to plan out his next steps, his mind was drawn to practicing law.
“In many ways, I could accomplish what I wanted to do with teaching. I could work closely with clients and use my knowledge and expertise to help them accomplish their goals,” he said.
When he discovered the Dual JD Program, Fu said he was excited he could study American and Canadian law in a single program, “with the opportunity to pursue my passion and continue my education.”
At the completion of his 1L year, Fu was a summer student at Dentons in Toronto, a leading global law firm with offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
“What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to have a real lawyering experience,” he says. “The summer student program was rotational, allowing me to assist different groups.”
Fu said the Pro Bono Students Canada program during his 1L year also was a valuable experience.
Currently serving as senior editor of the Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues, Fu is particularly interested in litigation.
“I enjoy developing my oral and written advocacy skills and find being in court exciting,” he said. “It also feels like I’m more involved in assisting clients with their issues. I haven’t decided what area I want to focus my litigation interest in yet, but I know I want to be in court as much as possible.
Fu currently is interning at the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office and also interning at the Veterans Law Clinic at Detroit Mercy Law.
“I’m intent on developing my advocacy skills — nothing is more involved than being in a courtroom or actively developing a client’s claim,” he said. “By having both experiences, I hope to develop a broad perspective, grounded in empathy, on the practical impacts law has on people.”
Currently living in Windsor, Fu plans to return to Toronto after law school but, in the meantime, he enjoys spending time this side of the border in the Motor City.
Away from his studies, Fu’s principal hobbies are astrophotography and rock climbing.
“I love astrophotography because it’s all about planning things out and building up that anticipation for the ultimate reveal of your image,” he said. “It requires a lot of time tinkering, waiting for clear nights, acquiring good images, and processing all that data, but it’s always worth it in the end,” he says.
“I also enjoy rock climbing because it’s almost like a physical puzzle. You must figure out how to complete a route using your capabilities and unique climbing style, and sometimes it takes hours before you finally complete the climb. Like astrophotography, the end result is what makes me love the hobby.”
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