Wayne Law student eagerly awaits competition

By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
 
A second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Fawzeih Daher carries that competitive spirit into her Moot Court experience at Wayne Law School.
 
“I love the competition aspect,” the 3L student said. “I really enjoy the back-and-forth discourse with judges and being challenged on what the parameters and consequences of the law may be. It’s one of the best ways to get practical skills — I’ve learned so much about oral advocacy, from honing my research and writing skills to crafting persuasive arguments and expressing them in front of judges.”
An associate justice of the Moot Court, who will represent Wayne Law at the NYC Bar National Moot Court competition, Daher is proud of how far the program has come in the past year. 

“I look forward to helping it grow even more,” she says. 

In her 2L year, she and her partner won an Outstanding Brief Award at the Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, placing in the top 5 of 48 briefs.

Their competition problem was based off of a real case that happened in the 6th Circuit. 

“I was lucky enough to practice my argument in front of attorneys that worked on that case and speak with them about the issue more thoroughly,” she said.

A Dearborn High School graduate, Daher earned her undergraduate degree in marketing and philosophy, magna cum laude, from Wayne State University, where she was involved in Beta Gamma Sigma and Golden Key International Honor Society.

She was president of the Lebanese Student Association and was chief marketing officer of the Business Student Senate for two years.

An undergrad internship at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office was a key factor in her decision to become a lawyer. 

“I was always interested in the law, but working at WCPO reinforced that idea,” she said. “I was drawn to the energy in the courtroom. For the first time, I was able to visualize the career I wanted and my future as an advocate.” 

Daher enjoys the camaraderie among Wayne Law students and approachability of the faculty. 

“So many of my professors want to get to know their students on a personal level, outside of the classroom,” she says. “I genuinely feel my professors are invested in my future and care about my success.”

Last summer’s externship at the city of Detroit Law Department was “an incredible learning experience,” she said. 

Her favorite, and most substantive assignment was drafting the city’s quadricycle ordinance, regulating commercial quadricycles in the city. 

She researched case law, laws of other municipalities and met with her supervising attorney to draft a law that ultimately encouraged business development and entertainment in the city. 

“I was able to go back during the fall and present the draft to city council, respond to questions from the body at public hearings, and watch it get unanimously adopted the following day,” she said.

Initially drawn to business law because of her educational and professional background, as she learns more about other areas, Daher — who currently is clerking at Vandeveer Garzia, PC in Troy — finds her interests expanding. 

“I very much enjoy oral advocacy and ultimately hope to develop those skills in litigation or appellate work,” she said. “My goal is to one day be in a position to give back to the community that helped shape me into the person I am today.” 

A first generation Lebanese-American, the lifelong Dearborn resident enjoys spending time in the Motor City. 

“Being a student here for the last six years has been incredible — it’s been exciting to see how far the city has come and knowing it will continue to advance,” Daher. “I love that there are always new restaurants opening up and I like to try them out whenever I have the chance.”

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