DETROIT (Nov. 1, 2010) - It's no surprise that Louis Meizlish, '11, became editor in chief of The Wayne Law Review at Wayne State University Law School. He has been interested in the law since he was a child tagging along to work with his father, Sheldon Meizlish, a Detroit attorney. And, as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, Meizlish worked at the student newspaper and frequently wrote about legal cases and legislation. He was especially interested in Sept. 11-related matters, as well as two affirmative-action lawsuits involving the University of Michigan in 2003 (Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger).

Louis Meizlish

"I have always enjoyed reading and writing about the law and public policy," said Meizlish, who was invited to join the Law Review after participating in the publication's annual write-on competition for prospective members. "Now, as the leader of the organization, my job is to ensure that new members benefit from the same opportunities I had a year ago."

The upcoming issue of the Law Review will include a debate about the process of selecting state court judges who are elected in many states, unlike federal judges who are appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. The publication's Annual Survey of Michigan Law will discuss recent developments in Michigan case law since the 2008 election, when control of Michigan Supreme Court shifted from Republicans to Democrats.

"We are excited about our upcoming issues," Meizlish said. "One of our recent student works, or ‘Notes,' will include an analysis of Michigan's court rules relating to jurors' possession of cellular telephones and other electronic devices. Another Note will discuss Google Book Search and the difficult copyright issues involved when the authors of orphan works cannot be located or identified."

Writing truly seems to be his passion. Meizlish, who goes by Louie, is also an occasional columnist for the recently revived Law School student newspaper, Dicta.

Though classes and his work on the Law Review and Dicta keep him busy, Meizlish is used to an active schedule and also is involved with the Hispanic Law Students Association (HLSA), "HLSA is involved in the 313 Project, a collaboration of multiple student groups at the Law School that support needy organizations in Detroit. HLSA has been very successful in helping raise funds for these organizations and I am very proud to be a part of it."

Additionally, he currently is interning for Judge Robert H. Cleland of the U.S. District Court in Detroit, for whom he interned during his first summer in law school. His other work experience includes clerking for the Southfield law firm of Erman Teicher Miller Zucker and Freedman PC and the Troy law firm of Kemp Klein Umphrey Endelman and May PC.

According to Meizlish, he is not sure what area of the law he wants to pursue, but is leaning toward litigation and appellate practice, as they involve a combination of both oral and written advocacy skills. That said, he is confident that his education from Wayne Law will prepare him for his legal career.

"To those considering a legal career, I believe there are two aspects of the Wayne Law education that are of great benefit to future lawyers," he said. "First, the quality of the instruction is superb. In my three years I have had wonderful opportunities to learn about the law from scholars who are giants in their respective fields, such as Alan Schenk, John Mogk and Robert Sedler. My legal writing professor, Amy Neville, who has mentored many young lawyers in the Detroit area, did a tremendous job strengthening my writing abilities.

"Second, Wayne Law students really play essential roles in each other's learning process, and while many of us come from diverse social, economic and philosophical backgrounds, the sense of community here is very strong."

Meizlish is the recipient of a Board of Governors Scholarship, the John Cabiniss Endowed Scholarship, the Richard H. Rogers Scholarship, and, as editor in chief of the Law Review, the Jason L. Honigman Scholarship. "Law School alumni and friends have been very generous," he said.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.

For more information about Wayne State University Law School, visit law.wayne.edu.