Newlyweds Hans and Maggie Leisman, who were married on July 11, are pictured a year ago on Oval Beach in Saugatuck.
Photo by Brittany Postma, Postma Productions
Photo by Brittany Postma, Postma Productions
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Detroit Mercy Law School student Hans Leisman holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Environmental Studies from Calvin University where he was a member of the Student Senate; and earned a Master's of Environment and Sustainability in Environmental Policy and Planning from the University of Michigan. He was a member of Master’s Project team working for the Anishinaabek Caucus on studying the impacts of Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline; and drafted a policy memorandum detailing the environmental, economic, and indigenous rights impacts of the pipeline. The team was awarded the UM SEAS Environmental Justice Award for Outstanding Scholarship.
Now a rising 2L at Detroit Mercy Law School, Leisman continues his interest in environmental law, and also is interested in criminal law after taking a criminal law class and after shadowing prosecutors and defense attorneys in an internship.
“I'm passionate about the law because of the impact it has on people's lives,” he says. “It truly shapes the world we live in. I chose law school because I enjoy reading and writing and because I have an interest in shaping the law, and in doing so influencing the world around me.
“I chose UDM law because, from my first visit, I felt a strong sense of community. In addition to greeting me warmly, students seemed to care for and help each other. It’s the sense of community I enjoy the most. The first year of law school was challenging, but because of the community around me, I never felt alone. I also loved the location, being downtown Detroit and close to the waterfront.”
He is excited to be a junior member of Moot Court this upcoming school year. “It will be cool to have a chance to work on my public speaking and advocacy skills,” he says.
Before law school, Leisman got a good feel for his future career by spending three years interning at Mika Meyers PLC in Grand Rapids where his father Ross Leisman is a lawyer who focuses on a great deal of local government work.
“While my work mainly entailed digitizing case files, we had opportunities to network with lawyers in the firm and observe how they approached their work,” Leisman says. “What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to network and observe how a law firm operates.”
Leisman currently is a judicial extern to Judge Michael Gerou at the 35th District Court in Plymouth, and enjoys seeing the law in action.
“After spending a year studying the law, it’s rewarding to witness jury trials, hearings, motions, and examinations,” he says. “Part of the work has been observing court proceedings and shadowing defense attorneys, judges, and prosecutors. But we’ve also had opportunities to conduct legal research and write memorandums, briefs, and even a written opinion for Judge Gerou. Overall, Judge Gerou has done a great job of keeping us busy and giving us a variety of experiences. He's a good man and wants to put people in positions to make better choices going forward.”
Leisman has dipped a few toes in political waters, beginning in undergrad, when he spent a summer campaigning for State Senate majority leader Winnie Brinks.
In 2019, he was a legislative intern for Sen. Gary Peters, relishing the experience of being on Capitol Hill—giving tours of the Capitol, watching votes and proceedings on the Senate floor, and spotting Senators in the hallways of the Senate office buildings.
He then spent close to five years as a Staff Assistant/IRS Caseworker for Senator Debbie Stabenow, in Grand Rapids.
“I enjoyed the impact we were able to have on people's lives,” he says. “I helped manage the office's IRS casework, working with constituents to communicate their concerns to the Taxpayer Advocate Service. I helped over 100 constituents recover over $800,000 from the IRS. Beyond my work, our office was able to help countless people struggling with the Social Security Administration, Veterans Affairs, and United States Citizen and Immigration Services, among other federal government agencies.”
Originally from Ada near Grand Rapids, Leisman now makes his home in Royal Oak.
A huge sports fan, he loves watching the Lions, Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, and Michigan Wolverines. In his free time, he enjoys pickup hockey, and running—and in 2023, was part of a Ragnar runner team that ran collectively from Muskegon to Traverse City and raised over $125,000 for the nonprofit Living Water Ministries summer camp. He ran over 16 miles in two days, raising $2,101 (105% of $2,000 goal), and was the first runner to hit a fundraising goal.
The youngest of four siblings, this apple didn’t fall from the tree; in addition to his lawyer father, Leisman’s sister Hannah practices family law in Denver; and sister Dorthea does environmental research in Ann Arbor.
His brother Luke is starting a business in Chicago; and their mother is an artist, and a former chaplain with an MDiv from Calvin Theological Seminary.
“All my siblings are married to wonderful spouses who have added so much to our family,” says Leisman, who was married on July 11. His new wife Maggie Leisman (formerly Maggie Obermeyer) is a school social worker at West Bloomfield Middle School.
“She makes a huge difference in the lives of kids every day,” her proud new husband says.
Legal News
Detroit Mercy Law School student Hans Leisman holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Environmental Studies from Calvin University where he was a member of the Student Senate; and earned a Master's of Environment and Sustainability in Environmental Policy and Planning from the University of Michigan. He was a member of Master’s Project team working for the Anishinaabek Caucus on studying the impacts of Enbridge’s Line 5 Pipeline; and drafted a policy memorandum detailing the environmental, economic, and indigenous rights impacts of the pipeline. The team was awarded the UM SEAS Environmental Justice Award for Outstanding Scholarship.
Now a rising 2L at Detroit Mercy Law School, Leisman continues his interest in environmental law, and also is interested in criminal law after taking a criminal law class and after shadowing prosecutors and defense attorneys in an internship.
“I'm passionate about the law because of the impact it has on people's lives,” he says. “It truly shapes the world we live in. I chose law school because I enjoy reading and writing and because I have an interest in shaping the law, and in doing so influencing the world around me.
“I chose UDM law because, from my first visit, I felt a strong sense of community. In addition to greeting me warmly, students seemed to care for and help each other. It’s the sense of community I enjoy the most. The first year of law school was challenging, but because of the community around me, I never felt alone. I also loved the location, being downtown Detroit and close to the waterfront.”
He is excited to be a junior member of Moot Court this upcoming school year. “It will be cool to have a chance to work on my public speaking and advocacy skills,” he says.
Before law school, Leisman got a good feel for his future career by spending three years interning at Mika Meyers PLC in Grand Rapids where his father Ross Leisman is a lawyer who focuses on a great deal of local government work.
“While my work mainly entailed digitizing case files, we had opportunities to network with lawyers in the firm and observe how they approached their work,” Leisman says. “What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to network and observe how a law firm operates.”
Leisman currently is a judicial extern to Judge Michael Gerou at the 35th District Court in Plymouth, and enjoys seeing the law in action.
“After spending a year studying the law, it’s rewarding to witness jury trials, hearings, motions, and examinations,” he says. “Part of the work has been observing court proceedings and shadowing defense attorneys, judges, and prosecutors. But we’ve also had opportunities to conduct legal research and write memorandums, briefs, and even a written opinion for Judge Gerou. Overall, Judge Gerou has done a great job of keeping us busy and giving us a variety of experiences. He's a good man and wants to put people in positions to make better choices going forward.”
Leisman has dipped a few toes in political waters, beginning in undergrad, when he spent a summer campaigning for State Senate majority leader Winnie Brinks.
In 2019, he was a legislative intern for Sen. Gary Peters, relishing the experience of being on Capitol Hill—giving tours of the Capitol, watching votes and proceedings on the Senate floor, and spotting Senators in the hallways of the Senate office buildings.
He then spent close to five years as a Staff Assistant/IRS Caseworker for Senator Debbie Stabenow, in Grand Rapids.
“I enjoyed the impact we were able to have on people's lives,” he says. “I helped manage the office's IRS casework, working with constituents to communicate their concerns to the Taxpayer Advocate Service. I helped over 100 constituents recover over $800,000 from the IRS. Beyond my work, our office was able to help countless people struggling with the Social Security Administration, Veterans Affairs, and United States Citizen and Immigration Services, among other federal government agencies.”
Originally from Ada near Grand Rapids, Leisman now makes his home in Royal Oak.
A huge sports fan, he loves watching the Lions, Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons, and Michigan Wolverines. In his free time, he enjoys pickup hockey, and running—and in 2023, was part of a Ragnar runner team that ran collectively from Muskegon to Traverse City and raised over $125,000 for the nonprofit Living Water Ministries summer camp. He ran over 16 miles in two days, raising $2,101 (105% of $2,000 goal), and was the first runner to hit a fundraising goal.
The youngest of four siblings, this apple didn’t fall from the tree; in addition to his lawyer father, Leisman’s sister Hannah practices family law in Denver; and sister Dorthea does environmental research in Ann Arbor.
His brother Luke is starting a business in Chicago; and their mother is an artist, and a former chaplain with an MDiv from Calvin Theological Seminary.
“All my siblings are married to wonderful spouses who have added so much to our family,” says Leisman, who was married on July 11. His new wife Maggie Leisman (formerly Maggie Obermeyer) is a school social worker at West Bloomfield Middle School.
“She makes a huge difference in the lives of kids every day,” her proud new husband says.
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