Legal News
After spending his academic and professional career on water, Cody Karbowski is planning to make a splash in the legal world.
A 1L student at Detroit Mercy Law School, a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and second mate on a tug boat on the Great Lakes, Karbowski earned his undergrad degree in Marine Operations and Technology from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), where he served as president of the Maritime Law Society.
“I’ve always had a desire to serve my country and the people of this country by joining the military—however, I wasn’t sure which branch I wanted to go into,” he says. “The Merchant Marine Academy provided me with an opportunity to learn more of the different branches, as it’s the only Federal Service Academy that allows you to go into any branch of the military as an officer upon graduation.”
In sophomore and junior years USMMA students perform aboard merchant vessels, sailing the world, doing assigned projects, and learning the trade.
“Essentially, they perform an internship at sea,” Karbowski says. “The desire to serve and give back, coupled with a strong sense of adventure, made USMMA the clear choice.”
Serving as a naval officer in Bahrain during the COVID pandemic, Karbowski put his time to good use, earning an MBA in Information Technology with remote studies from the American Military University, and an impressive 3.91 GPA.
“Like the rest of the world, I was stuck inside much of the time, so I wanted to find a way to be more productive while I was off duty. Pursuing an MBA in my off time gave me that opportunity,” he says.
His Navy career included three years in Manama, Bahrain; three months in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; three months in Naples, Italy; and various other two-week periods around the United States.
“My time in Bahrain was eye opening and something I couldn’t be more grateful for,” he says. “The only complaint I have about my time there is the heat. I’ve never felt heat like that in my life and have never been more thankful for working air conditioning.”
He adds that his time in Pearl was the most humbling.
“Oahu is truly a beautiful island and I was blessed to serve in such a lovely, tropical paradise,” he says. “However, each day stepping foot onto the base, seeing Battleship Row, and being able to serve my country and help make a difference was truly one of the greatest honors in my life.”
In a civilian career spanning the past decade, Karbowski has sailed tug boats on all the Great Lakes, pushing a barge that carried powdered cement to major port cities.
“There’s nothing more peaceful than a sunset on a calm summer day steaming down Lake Michigan – I look forward to experiencing that again, only this time on my own boat!” he says.
He currently is in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), not attached to a unit, nor doing a weekend of drills each month, but doing two weeks (minimum) a year, performing duties to make sure the Ready Reserve Fleet and its sailors maintain a state of readiness in case Congress activates it in a declaration of war. This includes ship keeping, navigational system updates, training incoming sailors and supporting the active duty, and more.
“For my part in the Navy, I enjoy the ability to experience and work within new cultures, while making new friends along the way, all the while, pursuing the goal of making a difference for good in the world with the work that we do together,” he says.
One of his original goals out of high school was to become a Navy JAG (Judge Advocate General).
“That goal was sidetracked a bit, but becoming a lawyer was reinforced while I was over in Bahrain,” he says. “Much of the work I did involved dealing with customs and immigration for incoming civilian mariners during COVID and I spent most of my time working with the Commodore’s in-house legal counsel on these issues, and multiple others.”
He is enjoying his time at Detroit Mercy Law, and what he terms the school’s family atmosphere.
He has found being a mature student with life experience makes a huge difference in his student life.
“I know what I want to do and why I want to do it. It removes a lot of indecision that others may not know how to deal with yet,” he says. “I also know what happens to me when I don’t stay on track or build in room for error. It makes life a lot harder and I want to avoid that as much as possible.”
A member of the UDM Veterans Law Society, and with a goal of making senior partner at a large law firm, Karbowski says his initial interest is in commercial transactions, with a focus on health care and real property—but he is passionate about the law in general.
“I believe people want to do what is right—however, I know people fail without accountability, me included,” he says. “One of the greatest things about our nation is the checks and balances provided throughout the government. Although Congress makes the laws, I see the judicial branch as the last stop. They are the ultimate accountability check down to even the small claims. I believe people should be held accountable for their actions—the ones who always get hurt are the innocents, the defenseless, and the inexperienced.
“If, through the law, I can help hold people accountable, while having others hold me accountable at the same time, then that’s what I want to do.”
A native of Rochester, Karbowski currently makes his home in Shelby Charter Township in Macomb County. In his leisure hours, he enjoys listening to audiobooks, writing when he has free time, taking his dog on hikes, snowboarding in winter, boating in summer, working out — “And travel, when I have free time and money!” he says with a smile.
A fan of the Motor City, he enjoys the local sports teams, and experiencing new food—or just getting a coney dog.
“Detroit is best in the summer though,” he says.
“Going on Lake St. Clair, having lunch on Belle Isle, or enjoying a concert at the Fillmore. It’s an exciting place to be and I love how much it has healed in the past 15 years and how it continues to heal.”
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