DETROIT (Jan. 29, 2010) - Dan Ringo is a shining example of the quality of law students enrolled at Wayne State University Law School. A United States Air Force veteran and a Detroit Public Schools graduate, Ringo has already made a name for himself in the labor law and Detroit-area communities.
In addition to his role as a part-time law student at Wayne Law, Ringo serves as executive director of the Stationary Division for the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 324, providing leadership and representation to more than 500 Detroit Public School employees, two Wayne State University engineering labor bargaining units and six labor bargaining units with the city of Detroit. He was also elected to serve as the union's recording corresponding secretary for the entire Local 324, which includes 17,500 members statewide.
According to Ringo, his experiences growing up in Detroit and working as a Detroit Public Schools engineer for more than 11 years instilled in him a deep-rooted commitment to improving the lives of working class individuals while at the same time helping employers navigate in an ever-changing economy.
"Labor and employment law is very important because it governs and regulates a large aspect of American life," Ringo said. "Studying the relationship between various people, players and entities within an organization has always fascinated me. I enjoy interacting with people and the challenge that this area of law provides in acting on another's behalf."
Ringo, a 2007 graduate of Wayne State University's Interdisciplinary Studies Program, applied to Wayne Law after heeding the advice of a number of labor and employment law professionals.
"Many practicing professionals recommended Wayne Law to me because of my interest in labor and employment law," he said. "Wayne Law was my first choice. Now in my second year, I would recommend Wayne Law above any other law school. I'm learning the law from some of the most renowned legal minds in the nation. And I'm gaining access to opportunities I otherwise wouldn't have had."
Ringo has gained additional work experience through a clerkship in the State Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules, an internship with the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan and an internship with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
He is also a member of the Wayne Law External Labor Board and Labor@Wayne, and has worked with the Wayne Law Black Law Students Association, National Lawyers Guild, American Civil Liberties Union- Student Group and the Student Board of Governors.
As if his professional obligations, memberships and other engagements weren't enough to keep him busy, Ringo was also recently named to the Detroit Public Schools' (DPS) $500 million Bond Oversight and Fiscal Responsibility Committee. He was selected by Robert Bobb, DPS emergency financial manager, to the three-year project along with only 14 other members. As a member of the committee, he will help oversee the Bond's disbursement and provide oversight to ensure the money is not abused or wasted.
"I am honored to be appointed to the DPS Bond Oversight Committee and look forward to providing any kind of assistance possible to ensure that dollars are used appropriately and efficiently within Detroit schools," he said.
Ringo expects to graduate from Wayne Law in 2011 and looks forward to making his mark in the legal profession.
"I love being a student at Wayne Law," he said. "The support and encouragement I've received from faculty members such as John Dolan, Lance Gable and Amy Neville, as well as Wayne Law staff members and my fellow students, has been incredible. But, like the Law School's motto, I look forward to passing the bar next year - and then raising it in the future."
No doubt he will do just that.
About Wayne Law
Wayne State University Law School has educated and served the Detroit metropolitan area since its inception as Detroit City Law School in 1927. Located at 471 West Palmer Street in Detroit's re-energized historic cultural center, the Law School remains committed to student success and features modern lecture and court facilities, multi-media classrooms, a 250-seat auditorium, and the Arthur Neef Law Library, which houses one of the nation's 30 largest legal collections. Taught by an internationally recognized and expert faculty, Wayne Law students experience a high-quality legal education via a growing array of hands-on curricular offerings, client clinics, and access to well over 100 internships with local and non-profit entities each year. Its 11,000 living alumni, who work in every state of the nation and more than a dozen foreign countries, are experts in their disciplines and include leading members of the local, national and international legal communities.