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Ryan Thomsen
May 2010
The VLP is pleased to announce
that Ryan Thomsen has been
selected as our Outstanding Law
Student Volunteer for the month
of May. As a 2L, Ryan has
volunteered in the VLP’s
Bankruptcy Reaffirmation and
Domestic Relations clinics.
Ryan impressed VLP staff right
off the bat with his intellect and
discerning questions during the
clinic training at the beginning of the semester. He continued to
impress at his
volunteer dates by immediately jumping into the fray without the
slightest sign
of nerves. Ryan was incredibly considerate with clients and handled his
court
appearances masterfully. The VLP is quite fortunate to have him as a
volunteer.
Ryan is originally
from a small town in Michigan near “the middle of the mitten.”
He attended the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, majoring in political science
with a
concentration in contemporary American politics. After graduation,
he
gained excellent
legal experience working for a solo practitioner for three
years, in which he
researched and interpreted the U.S. Code, assisted in
drafting legal
documents such as wills and real estate deeds, prepared
Medicaid
applications and interacted with clients on a regular basis. During
the following
summer of 2009, Ryan worked as an Arizona Law Camp
Instructor for
high school students at the Arizona Youth University.
Ryan
chose to volunteer with the VLP in order to give back to the
community.
Furthermore, Ryan stresses, “I believe access
to quality legal services should
not be a privilege—it should be a right—so anything I can do to
expand the
group of individuals who have such access is worthwhile.”
Being a law student has helped Ryan realize the significance of the
political
process in the United States in order to achieve fundamental change
in the
courts. Ryan says:
One thing I have
learned is that courts are only empowered to
interpret the law,
and often the only avenue to achieve change
is through the
political process. Lobbying your Congressman
may not help the
individual with his/her immediate problem,
but it could help
society prevent the problem from recurring.
To that end it
behooves us all to be informed and reactive
to actions of our
legislators.
Such comprehensive thought has led Ryan to be selected as the Ares
Fellow for
Professor Ellen Bublick this year. “Professor
Bublick has been an excellent role
model
for me…she was a brilliant instructor and a warm person,”
Ryan remarks.
Ryan enjoys running, cycling, and spending time with his Bordie
Collie whenever
he can take a break from studying. His favorite place to eat is
Rosa’s, but if he’s
feeling fancy, Guadalajara Grill or Café Poca Cosa is
where you’ll find him. Every
now and then he visits his older brother in Los Angeles and always
has a great
time there, but his favorite vacation has been going on an Alaskan
cruise.
When thinking about the future Ryan admits, “I
could find myself happy in a
lot of different
types of legal jobs.” Ryan’s dream job however is “to retire on
the bench, at any
level.”
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Past Outstanding Volunteer
Student Awards |
