By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Law student Ali Assi is following in the footsteps of his mother, who was a lawyer in Brazil.
“I’ve always admired the profession,” he said. “I’m passionate about the broad opportunities one can get with a law degree, and being able to study law is definitely a privilege.”
Assi launched his academic trajectory by earning an associate’s degree in political science from Henry Ford College, then a bachelor’s degree in political science and law from Wayne State University.
“I was interested in the political field,” he said. “I wanted to understand how it works, and how changes can be made.”
During undergraduate studies, Assi worked part-time as a legal assistant for Dakhlallah Law in Dearborn, that specializes in business law, commercial litigation, personal injury, real estate, and estate law.
Before entering law school, he worked as a legal assistant for The Rickel Law Firm in St. Clair Shores, specializing in HOA/condominium association law and delinquent assessment collection.
“I enjoyed seeing the daily routine of lawyers, and it was with an eye to eventually go to law school,” Assi said. “The first one was to see if this was actually what I wanted to do in the future, and the second was to learn more.”
Before law school, he also worked full time as a quality assurance specialist for Proof, a legal technology company that instantly connects law firms with independent process servers nationwide.
Now a Dean’s Fellow at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, on the Dean’s List for Fall 2025 and ending his 1L year, Assi appreciates the community — where he is a member of the Muslim Law Students Association, and the Immigration Law Association — and the school’s ties to Detroit.
“The school is well known for being at the heart of Detroit and having strong ties with many firms in the region,” he said.
Assi’s current interest is in the fields of business law, immigration law and real estate law, but he wants to gain more experience in these areas to make a more definite decision.
After graduation, he would like to work with a law firm, and at later point open his own practice.
A recent highlight was attending the State Bar of Michigan's Young Lawyers Summit, where Assi had the opportunity to connect and learn from members of the bench and bar.
Born and raised in São Paulo Brazil, in a Lebanese family, Assi speaks Portuguese, Arabic, English, and conversational Spanish.
His experience as an immigrant to the United States was good — “although it was hard to adapt to a different culture, weather, style of life, and language in general,” he said.
Legal News
Law student Ali Assi is following in the footsteps of his mother, who was a lawyer in Brazil.
“I’ve always admired the profession,” he said. “I’m passionate about the broad opportunities one can get with a law degree, and being able to study law is definitely a privilege.”
Assi launched his academic trajectory by earning an associate’s degree in political science from Henry Ford College, then a bachelor’s degree in political science and law from Wayne State University.
“I was interested in the political field,” he said. “I wanted to understand how it works, and how changes can be made.”
During undergraduate studies, Assi worked part-time as a legal assistant for Dakhlallah Law in Dearborn, that specializes in business law, commercial litigation, personal injury, real estate, and estate law.
Before entering law school, he worked as a legal assistant for The Rickel Law Firm in St. Clair Shores, specializing in HOA/condominium association law and delinquent assessment collection.
“I enjoyed seeing the daily routine of lawyers, and it was with an eye to eventually go to law school,” Assi said. “The first one was to see if this was actually what I wanted to do in the future, and the second was to learn more.”
Before law school, he also worked full time as a quality assurance specialist for Proof, a legal technology company that instantly connects law firms with independent process servers nationwide.
Now a Dean’s Fellow at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, on the Dean’s List for Fall 2025 and ending his 1L year, Assi appreciates the community — where he is a member of the Muslim Law Students Association, and the Immigration Law Association — and the school’s ties to Detroit.
“The school is well known for being at the heart of Detroit and having strong ties with many firms in the region,” he said.
Assi’s current interest is in the fields of business law, immigration law and real estate law, but he wants to gain more experience in these areas to make a more definite decision.
After graduation, he would like to work with a law firm, and at later point open his own practice.
A recent highlight was attending the State Bar of Michigan's Young Lawyers Summit, where Assi had the opportunity to connect and learn from members of the bench and bar.
Born and raised in São Paulo Brazil, in a Lebanese family, Assi speaks Portuguese, Arabic, English, and conversational Spanish.
His experience as an immigrant to the United States was good — “although it was hard to adapt to a different culture, weather, style of life, and language in general,” he said.
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