Career Planning Staff
Susan Guindi was hired as Director of Career Services in August 1998, and became Assistant Dean in 2001. After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in 1990, Susan clerked for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Dennis Archer and, after he resigned from the bench, Justice Conrad Mallett. She then moved to Washington, D.C., in 1991, and practiced law for four years, first at a large firm and then at a small litigation boutique. Susan returned to the Law School in 1995 and served for three years as the associate director of the Office of Public Service.
Alyson Robbins joined the Office of Career Planning as the Public Interest Director in August 2011. Most recently, Alyson was a Staff Attorney at the Family Law Project, an office of Legal Services of South Central Michigan, where she represented low-income victims of domestic violence in civil matters (family law, housing, immigration, and public benefits). She also supervised the law student volunteer program and served as the advisor to FLP's student organization at MLS. During law school, Alyson was a student attorney at the Northeastern's Prisoners' Rights Clinic and Domestic Violence Institute, the Committee for Public Counsel Services of Massachusetts' Youth Advocacy Project, Lawyers for Children in New York City, and the Law Offices of Deborah LaBelle in Ann Arbor. Alyson is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law (JD), Bank Street College of Education (MSEd), and the University of Michigan (BS).
Kim LeClair joined the Office of Career Planning as the Recruitment Manager in March, 2012. Kim manages our three interview programs: Early Interview Week, Fall Interview Program, and Winter Interview Program. She also tracks student employment statistics for the department. Most recently, Kim worked at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment doing career advising and event planning. Kim is a graduate of Grand Valley State University (MPA), Oakland University (BS), and holds a Global Career Development Facilitator certification.
Carolyn Spencer comes to the office with a background in private firm practice, public service, and academia. She graduated from the University of Connecticut Law School after receiving her AB from Brown University. After law school, Carolyn worked for a medium-size firm, practicing mainly in the areas of medical malpractice and insurance defense. She next worked as an assistant city attorney for the City of New Haven before joining the faculty at Quinnipiac College School of Law, where she taught in the Legal Practice Program. While teaching, Carolyn served as a magistrate, hearing small-claims cases and minor motor vehicle infractions. In 1996, she became assistant director of the Legal Practice Program here at Michigan Law. Carolyn joined our office in March, 1999. She is available for student and alumni counseling.
Robin joined the office in August 2001. Previously, she served as the Vice President of an e-commerce company in Ann Arbor. Before relocating to Michigan in 1999 from Chicago, 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. Before going to law school, Robin had a career in Chicago's nonprofit community, serving as a program officer at a foundation specializing in international and domestic human rights and civil liberties issues. Robin received her JD from DePaul College of Law, and her BA cum laude from Macalester College.
Beth Wickwire joined the office in May 2008. She graduated from the University of Michigan Honors College in 1999 and the University of Michigan Law School in 2002. Upon graduation, Beth clerked in Michigan's 26th Judicial Circuit Court and concurrently taught legal research and writing at Alpena Community College. Following her clerkship, Beth worked for four years as an associate with Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook in the litigation and appellate practice groups. Her public-sector experience includes work with the Children's Defense Fund in Washington, D.C., Legal Services of Southeastern Michigan, and the Child Advocacy Law Clinic as a Bergstrom Fellow.
Laura Scott joined the team in September 2010 as a Government Attorney Advisor, after practicing law in both the public and private sectors. Laura began her legal career as a law clerk for D.C. Superior Court Judge Paul Webber. After her clerkship, she was hired as an Honors Attorney with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division. During her tenure at the Antitrust Division, Laura served as a Special Assistant to the Directors of Operation and was a recipient of the Attorney General's Outstanding Contribution Award. She also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico. After leaving DOJ, Laura worked as a senior associate at Jenner and Block and later Dickstein Shapiro in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining our office, Laura worked for the state of Michigan's Department of Community Health and was appointed to serve on the Governor's Council on Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She counsels students and alumni who are interested in pursuing a career in the government. Laura is originally from the Washington, D.C., suburbs and is a graduate of Howard University School of Law.
Gary McGinnis joined OCP in September 2011, from the law firm of Sidley Austin in Chicago. As an associate in the Insurance and Financial Services Litigation Group, his practice focused on reinsurance arbitrations and class action defense. His pro bono work has involved litigating Section 1983 prisoners' rights claims in the Northern District of Illinois, as well as assisting asylees and refugees in their attempts to gain permanent legal resident status. He earned his JD at the University of Virginia School of Law in 2009, where he served on the editorial board of the Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, and a BA, magna cum laude, in political science and French from Albion College in 2006.
Amy Sankaran became director of externship and pro bono programs in 2011. In her externship capacity, Professor Sankaran serves as the externship faculty supervisor for full-time externship placements, not including the South Africa and Geneva externship programs. In Fall 2011, she launched Michigan Law's part-time externship program for students working in local government, non-profit, or judicial placements. As director of the Pro Bono Program, Professor Sankaran identifies pro bono projects for which law firms and organizations need law student assistance, and then recruits and guides Michigan Law students involved in the projects. More
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.
Annie Poling joined our staff in February, 2012. After receiving a BA in Psychology from University of Michigan in 2008, she began her career at an e-Commerce Service Provider Start-up in Ann Arbor specializing in client services and people operations. Annie manages Student and Alumni job opportunities and counseling appointments with Attorney-Counselors and Dean Guindi.
Public Interest/Public Service Faculty Fellows