Sydney Rushing '11
Sydney Rushing graduated from the University of Detroit School of Law in 2024. She originally went into law school with the plan of becoming a Fortune 500 CEO. After 1L year, she interned at the Washtenaw Public Defender's Office where she represented clients charged with felonies. That sealed her passion and her trajectory immediately switched to becoming a criminal defense lawyer. After passing the Michigan bar exam on the first attempt and being sworn into the bar, she utilized her Business degree and immediately opened Rushing Law, PLC. She practices Criminal Defense both on the trial level and the appellate level. 2024 is Rushing Law's 10-year anniversary!
All her life the people around her told her she would make a great lawyer, but it was not a part of her original plan. When she attended Adrian College she was a double major in Biology and Chemistry with the plan to become an orthopedic surgeon. Unfortunately, blood and her did not agree, so she pivoted to a BA in Business and went to law school.
During her time at Adrian College, she was involved in ALPHA and SGA. She was the Senior Class President in 2011. At the time, there weren't very many resources in this area for students interested in law. She received letters of recommendation for her application from President Docking and her mentor/advisor Dr. Adam Coughlin. She has seen major increase and growth in the information and options available to students in recent years. As a member of the Law Advisory Board, she was pleased to see the progress the Pre-Law program has made.
“Internships are the best thing to determine if Lawyer Life is for you. Although it looks pretty on TV, it's not the same in real life. I love what I do, but I would be lying if I said it was glamorous 24/7. There are plenty of lawyers, especially in today's technological age, that would be more than willing to mentor you, let you shadow, or to just simply talk to them about being a lawyer (trust me, lawyers love to talk). Reach out to someone who practices in the area you are interested in. I'm always happy to chat or help point students in the right direction. At the end of the day, if you are going to law school just to go, you should truly think about your decision. However, if you are passionate and determined to become a lawyer, go all in and you can do it!”
