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.
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 is also a Michigan Law graduate, and they live with their three legal eaglets, one Goldendoodle, one cat, and one million children's toys in Royal Oak.
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.
Kindra is a proud alum of Michigan Law, receiving her J.D., cum laude, in December 2008. Following law school graduation, she joined Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., where she litigated high-stakes IP matters and a variety of complex commercial disputes. In 2014, Kindra was recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star for Intellectual Property Litigation. While at Covington, she served on the firm’s Associate Advisory and New Associate Integration Committees. In addition to her time at Covington, Kindra also worked for a mid-size law firm in Atlanta—her native city—handling First Amendment and media law cases. Throughout her legal career, Kindra has maintained an active pro bono practice focused on civil rights cases, including representing female soldiers challenging the military's former combat exclusion policies. Kindra previously worked as an Attorney-Counselor during the 2014 academic year. She rejoined OCP in 2016 after serving as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Georgia, where she was Chief of the Financial Litigation Unit.
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. 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.
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.
Ruthie Freeman joined the Office of Career Planning as the front desk receptionist in July 2014. In addition to those responsibilities, she handles all job postings and manages our Job Bulletin. Ruthie is a 2006 graduate of the Residential College at the University of Michigan and a 2008 graduate of the School of Information. She's worked in student services in Chicago, Detroit, and Ann Arbor, and is happy to call UM home once again.