Law Student Finds Her Calling at Deuterman Law Group
(Greensboro, NC - August 2008) Michele Cybulski, a member of the inaugural class at Elon University School of Law, has joined the Deuterman Law Group as a summer associate and part-time law clerk.
Michele, who begins her third and final year of law school this fall, didn’t follow the normal route to a legal career.
Instead of going straight to law school after graduating from Appalachian State University, Michele took a job with the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro. While there, she earned a master’s degree in higher education administration from UNCG. Finally, after 10 years, Michele left her job to pursue the dream that had always been in the back of her mind.
“My father is an attorney in Raleigh, so I had always wanted to attend law school to follow in his footsteps,” she said. “But I didn’t go right after college, and life definitely happened. I found myself married with two children, two mortgages, PTA and Scouts. I thought my opportunity to attend had passed..”
Then, Elon University announced that it was opening a law school in downtown Greensboro. That provided all the incentive Michele needed. Now, she’s juggling married life, parenthood, volunteer work, all her family’s extracurricular activities, a part-time job at the Deuterman Law Group and law school – and she loves it.
“Dan always wants me to put school first,” Michele said. “They’re very flexible. I have to take off 2 weeks during exams and Dan has always supported that. I usually work two afternoons a week during the school year, and DLG always allows me time off if I need to attend a school event.”
But Michele has packed a lot of experience – and learning – into those part-time hours and her summer internship with the Deuterman Law Group. She assists attorneys and paralegals with legal research and interacts with clients on a regular basis.
“I’ve sat in on mediations. I’ve been to depositions,” Michele said. “I’ve actually accompanied a client to a job analysis where the insurance company hired an ergonomic consultant to see if her job could have contributed to her carpal tunnel.”
Working in a law office has helped Michele gain an appreciation for how the more theoretical parts of law school function in a real world context. “When you’re a first-year law student and you’re learning about civil procedure, at the time, it’s hard to see how it applies beyond the cases you read. But when you’re working on cases, you see how that actually comes in to play every day.”
Before joining the Deuterman Law Group, Michele wasn’t sure how she would use her law degree. But working with the attorneys and the rest of the staff here has provided her with a deeper understanding of the importance of workers’ compensation law. It’s definitely shaping her career plans.
“When I started here, I knew very littledidn’t know anything really about workers’ compensation,” she said. “I was not aware of the rights of employees. It’s been a lot to learn, but I’ve really enjoyed it. I see that injured people need attorneys who are on their side.”
When she graduates from law school, Michele would like to specialize in workers’ compensation. And there’s a good chance that she’ll be practicing alongside her mentor, Dan Deuterman, and the other attorneys at the Deuterman Law Group.
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Reported WC Cases
The following cases are reported Deuterman Law Group Workers' Compensation cases and are available for the public to access in the N.C. Court of Appeals. Reported cases tend to be signifcant cases.
