Photo courtesy of Mikaela Heck
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
In undergrad at Western University in Ontario, Canada, Mikaela Heck found her passions lay in international relations and international law—and went on to earn a master’s degree.
“In my master’s, I knew those were areas I wanted to explore further, culminating in writing my thesis on the law—or lack thereof—surrounding lethal autonomous weapons systems and how liability could be attributed to the different parties involved,” she says. “Writing that thesis knowing I would be in law school just months later was really amazing, and truly digging into legal scholars’ work made me even more excited to start.”
Actively involved in music and theatre, Heck wanted a career that allowed her to still utilize those creative skills.
“I also enjoyed the more critical and analytical thinking required in political science, and I really love research and writing, so when I found law allows you to meld those two seemingly different skills, it was a done deal,” she says.
During undergrad, Heck took more law-related classes and loved them.
“Learning how malleable the law is was intriguing—it was like solving puzzles all day,” she says.
Working closely with in-house legal counsel during a 2019 internship at the Royal Bank of Canada solidified her desire to pursue a career in law.
“Seeing the law in action when it came to copyright and disclosures, and seeing how creative you could still be while acting within the regulations and precedent, was really cool,” she says.
Heck is now in her 2L year in the Dual JD Program offered by the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, where in her 1L year she was a junior editor for the Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues.
Her family moved to the United States from Canada after she finished high school, and they achieved permanent residency four years ago. Heck stayed behind to pursue her undergrad and master’s degrees.
“I knew I wanted to come to the U.S., but wasn’t quite ready to give up on Canada just yet – it was my home,” she says. “So, when I found out about the Dual JD Program, it seemed like the perfect fit for me, and it’s proven that thus far. I’ve really enjoyed being able to learn both laws concurrently and comparatively, and have reaped the benefits of having access to expertise and opportunities from two incredible institutions.”
She enjoys the community of Detroit Mercy Law.
“Every professor I’ve had and each administrator I’ve interacted with are all so eager and willing to help you with anything you need,” she says. “They really want to see you succeed.”
This past summer, Heck did a two-month externship at Oakland University, focused on NCAA compliance; the nonprofit National Collegiate Athletic Association regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
“I grew up as an elite alpine ski racer, my brother is a competitive tennis player, and my family were avid supporters of both Alpine Canada and Tennis Canada, so sports have always been a big part of my life,” she says. “Coming from Canada, I didn’t truly know what an institution the NCAA and college sports in general were. When I learned about the opportunity to work in NCAA compliance as an externship, I thought it was a great chance to see what a career in sports law could look like. I really enjoyed the amount of interaction and constant problem solving that we had to do with coaches and student-athletes.
“I worked a lot on tracking practice hours, and ensuring all incoming freshmen and transfer students were eligible to start practicing and competing come the fall. Since we were coming up on the new year, I also worked on re-wording and synthesizing the bylaws into one-page reference sheets for coaches. Coaches and student-athletes would stop by the office all the time asking questions regarding incoming student-athletes, what kind of practices they were allowed to hold, and issues surrounding housing and scholarships.
Using the NCAA Legislative Services Database, which operates very similarly to LexisNexis and Westlaw, my team and I sought to find solutions to these problems by interpreting the bylaws and using best judgment practice.”
Heck currently is serving as vice president of the Sports Law Society at Detroit Mercy Law.
“Getting the opportunity to hear from industry professionals and those working in the sports arena with a law degree has been invaluable, and the SLS has given me that opportunity and we plan to continue providing other students with that opportunity through our upcoming events,” she says.
In March, she competed in the Tulane School of Law Basketball Negotiation Competition, and enjoyed meeting law students from across the country who all have a passion for sports and sports law.
“We also got the invaluable opportunity to meet industry professionals and learn from their experience,” she says. “I also gained valuable adversarial skills by being in a fast-paced environment and learning to work together with teams with opposing goals to come to a compromise that would benefit both the player and the NBA team.”
A current legal interest is sports law as it relates to immigration.
“With the number of athletes that come from across the world to play in the U.S., whether to be a permanent member of a professional sports team, to be a NCAA athlete, or simply coming to participate in a tournament or match, immigration is a huge part of sports law,” she notes. “Additionally, U.S. athletes travel to compete all around the world, so assisting them in pursuing their dreams would be a great way to join these two areas of interest. I would love to continue being involved in sports as a career in whatever capacity possible!”
With her dual degree, another area of interest is a career in transnational law representing Canadian clients/subsidiaries in the U.S.
“Since this program gives me a unique ability to serve clients on both sides of the border, I want to use that knowledge to act as an advocate for companies in this increasingly global space,” she says.
While remote classes were rather isolating, Heck had a few in-person classes.
“I am one of few in the Dual JD program that lives in Detroit, with most living across the border in Windsor, which made last year particularly isolating since I wasn’t really able to interact with my classmates outside of class due to the border being so restricted,” she says.
“Having an in-person learning environment, for me, was crucial, since I find I learn better being able to interact face-to-face with my professors and peers,” she says. “I also tried to spend as much time outside as possible, going for walks along the river while the weather was nice.
“I also made sure to make time for myself, as well as keep in touch with my friends and family back home, making an effort to FaceTime them whenever I could. Family and friends are incredibly important to me, and keeping up with them was a priority for me and my mental health.”
With her background in competitive ski racing, Heck loves to hit the slopes whenever possible. Music also has been a passion, since high school; classically trained in piano for over a decade, she has been teaching herself new instruments, including guitar and electric bass, and enjoys writing music and singing. She also enjoys the theatre, first treading the boards in elementary school and slowly finding an interest for backstage roles.
“I even got to write two plays while in undergrad, getting the opportunity to direct and stage one of them,” she says. “Now, I try to see a production whenever I get the chance, whether it be a touring company or a community show.”
The Toronto native now makes her home in Detroit, while her family lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“I love music, so being in a city with such a rich musical history has been really cool—there are so many live music spots in the city and I hope to hit as many as possible,” she says. “I also love all the history this city has—I feel like I’m still learning new things about it every day.”
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