By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
A 2L student in the Dual JD program at Detroit Mercy School of Law and University of Windsor Faculty of Law, Janson Fu earned an HBSc. degree in Astronomy and Physics from the University of Toronto.
He went on to earn a BEd from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, inspired by high school teachers.
While Fu ultimately did not pursue a career in teaching, his passion for problem-solving and using his knowledge, skills, and experiences to help others never wavered; and when he took time to plan out his next steps, his mind was drawn to practicing law.
“In many ways, I could accomplish what I wanted to do with teaching. I could work closely with clients and use my knowledge and expertise to help them accomplish their goals,” he says.
“I’ve always had a passion for learning, instilled in me by my mother, who loved to learn but was unable to continue her education after immigrating to Canada. When I discovered the Dual JD Program, I was very interested to learn I could study American and Canadian law in a single program, with the opportunity to pursue my passion and continue my education.”
Fu appreciates the community of Detroit Mercy Law.
“The students here are supportive of each other, as is the faculty,” he says. “Students are happy to help each other, and professors are happy to spend time outside classes to address questions or chat. A supportive community is very important to me, especially when it comes to learning, so I appreciate that I’m a student here.”
At the completion of his 1L year Fu was a summer student at Dentons in Toronto, a leading global law firm with offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
“What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to have a real lawyering experience,” he says.
“The summer student program was rotational, allowing me to assist different groups. I worked on transactions with lawyers, conducted legal research, and learned about a lawyer’s role in regulatory and transactional matters. The lawyers I worked with were also receptive to questions and provided detailed feedback. My cohort was wonderful, and the student program was well structured, making my summer at Dentons a valuable experience.”
In his 1L year, the Pro Bono Students Canada program was a valuable experience.
“I enjoyed working with other students to research interesting issues and learning how to effectively communicate that research to the public to make that information accessible,” he says.
Currently serving as senior editor of the Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues, Fu is particularly interested in litigation.
“I enjoy developing my oral and written advocacy skills and find being in court exciting,” he says. “It also feels like I’m more involved in assisting clients with their issues. I haven’t decided what area I want to focus my litigation interest in yet, but I know I want to be in court as much as possible.
“While my goals aren’t set in stone, I hope to be able to practice law at the highest level possible—whether that’s as a judge, partner, or in-house counsel will depend on circumstances that will change with time.
“One thing for certain is that I want to incorporate mentorship as much as possible in my career,” he adds. “Mentorship is very important to me, and I attribute a lot of my development and success to my mentors. I intend to incorporate mentorship into my long-term goals to support the generation of lawyers that will come after me.”
Fu currently is interning at the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office and also interning at the Veterans Law Clinic at Detroit Mercy Law.
“I’m intent on developing my advocacy skills—nothing is more involved than being in a courtroom or actively developing a client’s claim,” he says.
“By having both experiences, I hope to develop a broad perspective, grounded in empathy, on the practical impacts law has on people.”
Fu managed the challenge of remote studies during the pandemic by separating his time at home from work time, creating a schedule for class time, studying, and completing assignments or other class-related obligations.
“Obviously, being at home all of the time results in some spillover from personal obligations, but I tried to minimize that,” he says.
“Another way to deal with remote studying is to be flexible. This flexibility allowed me to meet any obligations and shift my priorities in order to stay on top of my school work.”
Currently living in Windsor, after graduation Fu plans to return to Toronto, but currently he enjoys spending time this side of the border in the Motor City.
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