Career Planning Staff
Ramji joined the Office of Career Planning in 2015 as an Attorney-Counselor and now serves as the Assistant Dean for Career Planning. Ramji is a double Michigan grad, receiving his B.A. with distinction in English literature in 2002 and his J.D., cum laude, in December 2004. After graduation from Law School, Ramji joined the Chicago Office of Dentons where he was in private practice for more than 10 years. As a partner in the litigation and disputes resolution group, he litigated cases in state and federal courts focusing on complex commercial litigation, catastrophe and major claims litigation, and class action defense. Ramji was the co-chair of his Chicago office summer associate program and participated several times as an interviewer in Michigan's August on-campus interview program.
Lara is a proud double wolverine who joined the Office of Career Planning as the Public Interest Director in 2019. After receiving her J.D. cum laude from Michigan Law in 2013, Lara became an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), where she then became the Deputy Legal Director in 2015. While at IRAP, Lara successfully represented dozens of clients and provided training to hundreds of volunteer law students and pro bono attorneys on refugee and immigration law. In 2015, Lara was a part-time fellowship counselor for Michigan Law School, and from 2016 to 2019, she was a Visiting Clinical Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School. Lara is excited to bring her passion for mentorship and public interest to Michigan's current law students. Prior to law school, she spent a year in Ecuador researching Colombian refugees as a Fulbright scholar, received her B.A. in History with Honors from the University of Michigan in 2008, and her M.Sc. in Forced Migration from the University of Oxford in 2010. Lara's wife, Kylee Sunderlin, is also a '13 Michigan Law grad who was a Soros Justice Fellow and a senior staff attorney at Brooklyn Defender Services' Family Defense Practice. Lara and Kylee are the proud parents of a very smiley newborn and two highly anxious chihuahua/terrier mutts.
Melanie is a part-time government and public interest counselor with the Office of Career Planning. Melanie received her B.A. magna cum laude from Haverford College in 2002 and her J.D. cum laude from University of Michigan in December 2008. Melanie has been doing direct services work and mediation in the Detroit metro area since graduation, most recently at the Counsel and Advocacy Law Line, which serves low-income clients from across Michigan. Prior to that, Melanie worked at the Detroit Center for Family Advocacy, where she did problem solving of legal and social work issues with families in Wayne County facing involvement with the foster care system. Melanie is passionate about public service and is excited to work with Michigan students and alumni exploring all the variety and inspiration that government and public interest jobs have to offer. Over the course of her legal career, Melanie has taken time off, worked flexible schedules, and even brought her baby to work and is happy to discuss work-life balance and family considerations. Melanie's husband Ned also a Michigan Law graduate, works in the Legal Department of the United Auto Workers. They live with their three children, one Goldendoodle, and one cat in Royal Oak, where Melanie also serves as an elected City Commissioner.
Anna Nicol is the coordinator for the Geneva Externship Program as well as the International Law Advisor in the Office of Career Planning. In her capacity as the Geneva coordinator, Anna places Michigan Law students as externs at leading international, governmental, and non-governmental institutions in Geneva for an academic semester. In the Office of Career Planning, Anna advises students on careers in international public service. Anna works remotely from Geneva where she has lived for the past seven years. Before moving to Switzerland in 2008, Anna served as the director of the Office of Career Services at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. Anna received her JD from Georgetown Law in 1998 and her BA from Boston University in 1992.
Robin joined the office in August 2001. She provides career counseling to alumni and directs the MLaw Bridge Fellowship program for recent graduates. Prior to focusing exclusively on alumni, Robin provided thousands of counseling hours to Michigan students seeking careers in public service, non profits, judicial clerkships and the private sector. In previous years she served as OCP's government advisor, private sector counselor, and for over eight years, was the office's judicial clerkship advisor. She enjoys creative brainstorming with alumni about job transitions, identifying resources for the job hunt, and developing an individualized strategic career plan. She is particularly enthusiastic about helping job seekers connect to the broader Michigan legal community.
Prior to joining OCP, Robin lived in Chicago, where she was the legal compliance officer for a network of nonprofit environmental and consumer organizations, and a staff attorney for an international labor union, where she represented workers in arbitration and mediation settings, and advised the union on policy issues, regulatory matters, and contract negotiations. She also was a legal extern at the MacArthur Justice Center, working on habeas petitions for indigent defendants in capital cases. Before going to law school, Robin was a program officer at a foundation specializing in international and domestic human rights and civil liberties issues and before that as a development staffer for several Chicago area nonprofits. Robin received her JD from DePaul College of Law while working full time at the J. Roderick MacArthur Foundation, and her BA cum laude from Macalester College. She lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and very large golden doodle, and spends her free time texting her (somewhat) grown daughters, reading novels, and getting outside for biking, hiking or skiing (weather permitting).
Greta joined the OCP team in June 2013 as the Judicial Clerkship Advisor. She received her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School,
cum laude, and her bachelor of arts degree with honors in political theory and constitutional democracy from Michigan State University—James Madison College. After law school, Greta spent two years practicing commercial litigation and bankruptcy/restructuring with Bryan Cave LLP in Phoenix, Arizona. She relocated back to Michigan, where she spent three years in the litigation and eminent domain practice groups at Clark Hill PLC. She then clerked for former Michigan Court Justice Maura Corrigan. Just prior to joining OCP, Greta served as the Director of Career Services and Outreach at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law for almost five years.
Pyper graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in December 2002 after receiving an AB in psychology, also from the University of Michigan. During law school, she worked as a law clerk in the University of Michigan's Office of the General Counsel. After graduation, Pyper practiced law in the litigation group at a large Detroit firm and for a small Ann Arbor labor and employment law firm, and managed real estate and labor and employment affairs in-house for a property-management company. Prior to joining the Office of Career Planning in October 2013, Pyper worked in career services for six years at the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
Beth is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she earned an A.B. in psychology with honors, and of Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar and a member of the Journal of Gender and the Law. Prior to joining OCP, Beth practiced antitrust law at Clifford Chance in New York City, Washington, D.C., and remotely from home in Ann Arbor. She also practiced at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in Washington, D.C. While at Clifford Chance in D.C., she served on the hiring committee and volunteered as a peer counselor for the D.C. bar. Beth is also a life coach certified by Martha Beck. There is nothing she likes better than hearing someone's life story and planning a course of action to meet personal and professional goals.
Anne is a proud alum of Michigan Law, receiving her J.D. in December 2005. After graduation, Anne returned home to Washington, D.C. to begin her legal career as an associate at Chadbourne & Parke (now known as Norton Rose Fulbright) where she practiced reinsurance litigation and arbitration. After returning to Michigan, Anne litigated at smaller regional firms, worked as a solo practitioner, and served on the Representative Assembly for the State Bar of Michigan. Most recently, Anne served as the Assistant General Counsel for Orlans PC, one of the largest women-owned law firms in the country.
Shannon joined the OCP team as the Manager of Recruitment Programs in December of 2018. As Manager of Recruitment Programs, Shannon is managing numerous OCP events and programs including, on-campus interview programs, employer visits, career fairs, mentoring programs, employment verifications and reporting. Prior to joining the Law School, she served as the Director of Career Services, Director of Student Services and most recently, Dean of Student Life at the Art Institute of Michigan. Shannon holds a B.A.A. in Integrative Public Relations from Central Michigan University.
Tammy Sindlinger joined the office in June 1993. She received her BS in Psychology from Eastern Michigan University in August 1991. Tammy manages the Judicial database and serves as the OSCAR administrator for the Law School, oversees the Career Planning Resource Library, and develops and maintains the Careers website.
Katie Ulivi joined the office in November 2006. She received her BA in General Management from Michigan State University in 2001. Katie facilitates career planning events and handles administrative tasks for OCP.
Karen Parker joined the office in October 2019. She is working on completing her degree in law office administration with a BS in Paralegal Studies. Karen manages the job posting database, in addition to providing administrative support to the OCP staff.