Law student DeLon Slaughter is a licensed estate salesperson and plans to earn a JD to complement a career in real estate.
Photo courtesy of DeLon Slaughter
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
TV shows such as “Flip-or-Flop” and “Million Dollar Listing” initially sparked DeLon Slaughter’s interest in real estate—leading to more than 8 years of YouTube binging on real estate-related videos.
“Videos ranging from ‘Life as a Realtor’ to ‘Different Careers in Real Estate’ kept me intrigued and eager to learn as much as possible,” says Slaughter, a licensed real estate salesperson for the past 6 years with MBC Real Estate Company in the Greater Detroit area.
“What I enjoy most about real estate is that you never stop learning—this has held true for me as both a Realtor and an investor. As a Realtor, no transaction is the same; and as an investor, no home is the same—once you tear down a wall, there's no telling what is behind it.”
So, it’s no surprise that real estate development is a particular interest for this 3L student at Detroit Mercy Law.
“There are more than 20,000 vacant lots in the city of Detroit,” he says. “As a developer, I will help revive my city by building homes, grocery stores, community centers, and other developments that will revitalize neighborhoods across the city, while simultaneously, not displacing any indigent residents.”
Slaughter began his academic career by earning his undergrad degree in sociology from the University of Michigan, with a minor in law, justice, and social change.
“I’ve always been interested in the study of humankind and different social groups,” he says. “My passion for social justice and change made declaring a major and minor that studied the intersection of all three an easy decision.”
As part of his studies, in 2018 Slaughter interned at the Washtenaw County Office of Public Defender in Ann Arbor, where he prepared case/client summaries for supervising counsel, and assisted in managing a caseload of over 50 families by scheduling court dates, drafting court notices, and following up with clients by e-mail and phone.
“What I enjoyed most was the daily face-to-face interactions with our clients,” he says.
“I also enjoyed getting a ringside perspective into the day-to-day operations and workloads of public defenders.”
In 2020, Slaughter headed to Detroit Mercy Law, drawn to the study of law by the versatility of a juris doctor degree.
“The skill set and knowledge we learn in law school can be applied in any professional and/or personal arena,” he says. “I’m excited to employ these in real estate practice post-graduation.
“What I enjoy most about Detroit Mercy Law is the sense of community—specifically, the wide range of student organizations on campus. There are several culturally and career-based student organizations that help instill a sense of both belonging and social connection amongst the students.
“My involvement in both the Black Law Student Association and the Student Bar Association have created this sense of community for my law school journey.”
In the winter semester of his U-M freshman year, Slaughter went to the Cooper Street Correctional Facility in Jackson weekly and discussed different financial literacy topics.
“I enjoyed this experience because it was not only me discussing the topics. Many times, they would educate me on various financial literacy topics as well.”
He also volunteered as a financial educator with Project Outreach.
“My primary function was to first survey the inmates at Cooper Street Correctional Facility that were in my class, see where interests in financial literacy lay, create a lesson plan that covered these areas effectively, and then finally reflect on how well they received the content each session for 15 consecutive weeks.”
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