By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
In his teens, Jimar Cunningham dreamed of either a legal career or of playing football in the NFL.
He was a successful football player at Aquinas Institute of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., and a tight end for the Golden Knights football team at Gannon University in Erie, Pa.— named a PSAC Scholar-Athlete and won a D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award.
But Lady Justice won out in the end.
“I honestly have always wanted to be an attorney,” Cunningham said. “For as long as I can remember, it was either being an attorney or playing in the NFL. As I’ve grown, I’m learning the importance of what it means to command spaces such as in the legal field while being African American.
“Understanding there are not many of us in the legal field fuels my passion to always be that much better at my craft. This will aid the people who look like me and that will come after me. We can command more of these spaces.”
Wanting an understanding of how politics works, Cunningham earned his undergraduate degree in political science, with a minor in criminal justice.
“We see politics every day on our phones and on TV, so it piqued my interest,” he said. “And I felt like it was important for me to learn the history of our criminal justice system and how it should work. Especially being African American, getting a grasp of how citizens should be treated in our criminal justice system is vital for growth and education for my community.”
Now a rising 3L at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Cunningham is thoroughly enjoying his law school experience.
“I can’t stress enough that the people at Detroit Mercy Law make the school great,” he said. “It truly is a great learning experience when you enjoy the people you learn with and the professors who teach you. Coming from New York, I knew it would be an adjustment, not knowing anyone, but now I’ve made friends here that will last a lifetime.”
He adds that his previous time on the gridiron was a valuable asset for law school.
“Playing football at Gannon University provided me with some of the best memories of my life and also gave me lifetime friendships,” he said. “Being a student athlete has helped me tremendously in law school.
“I like to call them transferable skills such as punctuality, teamwork, discipline, and accountability. These skills are all very pertinent in the legal field.”
Cunningham enjoys the competitiveness of Moot Court and the ability to get better at litigating.
“Litigation is what I want to do and any opportunity to hone in on those skills is important to me,” he said. “Moot court adds that, with a fun and competitive aspect.”
A member of the Sports Law Society and currently 3L class president, he also will serve as vice president of the Black Law Students Association in the coming year, a role that has special importance for him.
“BLSA has given me a lot, socially and professionally,” Cunningham said. “Goals in mind for next year are to become more prominent in the community around us through acts of service and collaborating with more organizations within the Detroit Mercy Law community.”
The summer after his 1L year, Cunningham clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Gershwin Drain, Eastern District Court of Michigan.
“That experience was great and very eye-opening, and Judge Drain and his staff were great,” he said. “This summer, I’m currently working for Hewson and Van Hellemont PC and thus far it’s been a tremendous experience.”
Cunningham is still mulling his career goals after next year’s graduation.
“Prior to entering law school, I thought I had it figured out but as you learn, there are so many different practice areas of law — I became and remain open-minded but I did enjoy Torts so that might be a telling sign of my specific legal focus,” he said. “My career goal as an attorney is to be consistently great at my job and always putting my best foot forward for my clients.”
“A big aspiration of mine is to hopefully be able to work in the front office of an NFL team. I think down the line after my career as an attorney, my legal background blended with playing football throughout college can make me a great asset.”
Cunningham hails from Rochester, N.Y., on Lake Ontario, the fourth-most populous city in New York State.
“I take pride in where I’m from and always make sure to shout them out,” he said. “It’s a tough place to live but it made me who I am today. I currently live in Detroit and my favorite part of being here is having all the major sports teams around me. In my free time, I go to games and I also respect how passionate the Detroit fans are.”
In his leisure time, Cunningham enjoys weight lifting and playing basketball. He’s a regular at movie theaters, with horror/slasher movies as his favorite genre.
Cunningham also treasures time spent with his family.
“My mom Olga means the world to me,” he said. “Her constant support and love has been instrumental to my success so far.”
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