By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Lindsey Jemison graduated high school and headed to Wayne State University just as police brutality cases, protests, and Black Lives Matter movement became major focal points in the news.
“I’ve always been passionate about helping others—I went into college planning on going into graphic design but by my second semester I was taking Intro to Criminal Justice to see if it was what I was looking for and found myself inspired and driven in a way I hadn’t felt before in school,” she says.
“I was seeing racism and injustice constantly and I got to the point I couldn’t cope with feeling helpless and like I wasn’t doing anything. I wanted to understand why things are the way they are and what I can do to help work toward a better present and future.”
Still curious and wanting to learn more, Jemison was drawn toward studying law.
“I didn’t feel like I was done learning about the legal system and the social mechanisms associated with it,” she says.
“The other push was the sense that maybe I could get into law school – I wasn’t the most spectacular student in high school, and I would be the first person in my family to attend law school. That drive I felt when I chose criminal justice was still there pushing me to see what I could do to build the skills and gain the tools I needed to shape me into the best advocate I can be.”
Now ending her third of five years at Wayne State University Law School, Jemison has particularly appreciated the support system of classmates, faculty, and the administration.
“I’ve gone through some of the most difficult times in my life while in law school and have been met consistently with support and kindness,” she says. “I think law students are competitive by nature, we like to be right, and we like to know everything, but I also know that I can always reach out to my classmates for help.”
Her particular interest is anything advocacy-focused—especially criminal law, family law, juvenile justice, and public interest.
“There are a lot of systemic and social mechanisms at play within the criminal legal system that intersect in each area of the law, and my interests tend to land somewhere within that web,” she says.
She enjoyed last summer’s work—albeit remotely—at Lakeshore Legal Aid, and at the Elder Law & Advocacy Center.
“I enjoyed—more looking back, but I managed to appreciate it in the moment too—how it pushed me out of my comfort zone,” she says. “It was my first time doing legal work and being able to figure out how my personality, skills, and legal knowledge I’ve accumulated during law school inform my work in the field was an important experience for me. It was difficult and intimidating, but it was also a big boost in my confidence that I’m working toward the correct thing and that I’m in the right place.
“Working as a student lawyer involved a lot of communicating with my clients, fielding questions, and getting information from clients. Everything I did was under the supervision of my supervising attorneys. I also worked on getting paperwork ready to be filed and conducted legal research to better understand the context of my clients’ issues and what was necessary, legally, to solve those issues.”
After serving as an article editor and then executive article editor for the Journal of Law in Society, Jemison has served since March as managing editor.
“Coming out of my 1L year I was almost completely burnt out, and the Journal of Law in Society is such an amazing opportunity to focus on something you’re interested in and passionate about, which I think is a valuable thing after the struggle of the first year of law school,” she says.
“I’ve always loved writing—I really wanted to be an English teacher my senior year of high school—and being able to dedicate time to work on my Note that I wrote my first year on the Journal and for that to go toward course credit was great. It’s a comfortable niche for me in law school where I can be an academic and work with an amazing group of people toward our publications.”
While open to her career path, Jemison wants to be a consistent positive impact on the communities and systems she is working for and within, and that involves a focus on advocacy and community outreach.
“I’m trying to stay as open-minded as possible so I can be open to whatever opportunities might come my way,” she says.
Jemison admits remote studies are hard.
“I tend to be a homebody by nature, so the realization I actually thrive on being able to study outside of my home was unexpected,” she says. “I miss all the little conversations that happen before and after class and being able to hang out and study in coffee shops, the Student Center, or one of the libraries.
“My husband is pursuing his Ph.D. in Medical Physics at Wayne State, so during the week we tend to avoid each other so we can stay focused on schoolwork, otherwise we’ll end up hanging out with each other. We’ve had some major life changes, including my recent inheritance of a house which has helped in giving us a better environment for remote studies, but has brought on its own set of challenges.”
Her family is incredibly important to her, she adds.
“Who I am today has been greatly shaped by my family. My mom and dad are both hardworking and have always supported me and pushed me to be my best self. I get the same support from my husband, Chris. I feel very lucky to have such an amazing support system in both my immediate and extended family and friends.”
Jemison’s big goal this year is to develop her green thumb.
“Last year my mom and I planted a garden in my parents’ backyard—she had a garden most summers when I was young—and we’ll be starting this year’s garden soon, and I’m hoping to fill my home with houseplants and have an herb garden.
“I also enjoy baking and when I have extra free time—or extra ingredients—I’ll deliver goodies to my friends and family. My husband and I cook together a few times a week and we’re always on the lookout for new recipes to try. I’m a bit of a history nerd and I love listening to podcasts about history and folklore. And I love music. Music is a huge part of my life—I’m always making new playlists and looking for new music and bands. I’m looking forward to being able to go to live shows again.”
Originally from Belleville and now living in Ypsilanti, Jemison enjoys the fact there is always something happening in the Motor City.
“I think that comes from the fact I grew up in a small town, like the kind of Midwest small town where your options after 11 p.m. include driving around back roads or going to Denny’s,” she says.
“Detroit is an amazing, inspiring place to be, especially during college and law school, because it always feels like everyone else is working toward something and hoping for the best outcome too. It feels like more than a city, it feels like home to me.
“A big part of the personality and energy of Detroit is this sense of frustration mixed with optimism and hope for the future, and I felt a kinship with the city in that feeling and that feeling is a major part of what drove me toward criminal justice and law.”
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