By Julie Freer
Legal News
Alexander S. Rusek is a shareholder with Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C. in Lansing. Rusek’s practice focuses on complex mass action and class action civil litigation, business law and litigation, criminal law, government relations, and appellate law. Rusek has represented businesses, nonprofits, professionals, and individuals involved in multi-party, mass action, and class action litigation, notably representing more than 100 survivors of sexual assault in the Michigan State University/Larry Nassar and University of Michigan/Robert Anderson litigations. He also represented a client charged in the Flint Water Crisis, winning dismissal of all charges. Rusek is a graduate of Oakland University and the Michigan State University College of Law, cum laude.
In addition to his robust legal practice, Rusek is also President-Elect of the Ingham County Bar Association as well as a member and Past-President of the Ingham County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section. He is a founding member of The Army of Survivors, Inc., an organization which works to prevent sexual violence against athletes. He is also a board member of Highfields, Inc., Downtown Lansing, Inc., the Capital Area Humane Society, the State Bar of Michigan Litigation Section Governing Council, and the State Bar of Michigan Criminal Law Section Council. Rusek is a fellow of the Ingham County Bar Foundation, a member of the State Bar of Michigan Civil Procedure & Courts Committee, and Past-Chairperson of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners Equal Opportunity Committee.
Rusek was the recipient of the 2024 Shared Resources Super Volunteer Award, the 2023 Ingham County Bar Association’s President’s Special Recognition Award, a 2018 recipient of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce 10 Over the Next 10 Award, a 2018 recipient of Oakland University’s Young Alumni 10 Within 10 Award, and a 2016 recipient of the Ingham County Bar Association Top 5 Under 35 Award. He has authored multiple articles that have appeared in the State Bar of Michigan Journal and other State Bar of Michigan publications, American Bar Association publications, the Detroit Bar Association’s Detroit Lawyer, the Ingham County Bar Association’s BRIEFS, and others. Rusek was Mental Health First Aid USA certified in 2019 and seeks to incorporate trauma-informed principles into his practice every day.
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What would surprise people about your job? How much diversity there is in my practice. On any given day I can be working on a number of matters in the civil, criminal, and administrative arenas.
Why did you become a lawyer? I became a lawyer because I learned about how much lawyers contribute to their communities and how much they can assist people and entities in need.
How long have you been involved with the Ingham County Bar Association and what do you find beneficial about it? I have been involved with the Ingham County Bar Association and its Young Lawyers section for more than a decade. Through the Ingham County Bar Association, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with many attorneys in a wide variety of fields that I normally would not because of our differing practice areas. For the business minded, the Ingham County Bar Association and its members can be a great referral source for new and experienced attorneys alike.
What’s your favorite law-related TV show, movie, and/or book? My favorite law-related, but not necessarily realistic, TV show is “Suits” while “My Cousin Vinny” takes first place as my favorite film. As to my favorite law-related book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes the top spot.
Who are your law role models - real and/or fictional? I have been very fortunate to have many legal role models and mentors. One of my biggest role models and mentors was Webb “Tony” Smith, who recently passed. I did not necessarily learn the law from Tony, but rather how to practice law and how to be an upstanding member of my community.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would that be? Whoever is currently President! I can only imagine the insight that can be learned through the position, even if for just a day.
What advice do you have for someone considering law school? There is (generally) only one way to become a lawyer: going to law school and passing the bar. However, this is not a decision to rush into; you must be cautious of the massive debt that can be accrued through student loans.
What’s your proudest moment as a lawyer? It is very difficult to choose only one proudest moment, but my proudest moments as an attorney have been representing survivors of sexual abuse in litigation against the institutions and perpetrators that permitted and carried out the abuse; representing a defendant in the sprawling Flint Water Crisis civil litigation and criminal proceeding over the course of nearly a decade; and earning a complete dismissal of homicide and other criminal charges against a client who had previously been convicted of homicide in the case.
What do you do to relax? I enjoy reading, playing golf, volunteering, and working on my house during my free time.
What other career path might you have chosen? I have long thought that I could have gone down the path to become a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I chose to be a different type of counsellor.
What would you say to your 16-year-old self? Keep your head down and keep putting in the work — it pays off eventually.
Favorite music? Rap, Hip Hop, Blues, Singer/Songwriter, and most other genres.
What is your happiest childhood memory? My happiest childhood memories are from the many trips and adventures I went on with my parents growing up.
What is your most treasured material possession? My watch collection.
What do you wish someone would invent? A teleportation machine, or, more realistically, super-efficient rechargeable batteries for cars, phones, and other electric devices.
Legal News
Alexander S. Rusek is a shareholder with Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C. in Lansing. Rusek’s practice focuses on complex mass action and class action civil litigation, business law and litigation, criminal law, government relations, and appellate law. Rusek has represented businesses, nonprofits, professionals, and individuals involved in multi-party, mass action, and class action litigation, notably representing more than 100 survivors of sexual assault in the Michigan State University/Larry Nassar and University of Michigan/Robert Anderson litigations. He also represented a client charged in the Flint Water Crisis, winning dismissal of all charges. Rusek is a graduate of Oakland University and the Michigan State University College of Law, cum laude.
In addition to his robust legal practice, Rusek is also President-Elect of the Ingham County Bar Association as well as a member and Past-President of the Ingham County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section. He is a founding member of The Army of Survivors, Inc., an organization which works to prevent sexual violence against athletes. He is also a board member of Highfields, Inc., Downtown Lansing, Inc., the Capital Area Humane Society, the State Bar of Michigan Litigation Section Governing Council, and the State Bar of Michigan Criminal Law Section Council. Rusek is a fellow of the Ingham County Bar Foundation, a member of the State Bar of Michigan Civil Procedure & Courts Committee, and Past-Chairperson of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners Equal Opportunity Committee.
Rusek was the recipient of the 2024 Shared Resources Super Volunteer Award, the 2023 Ingham County Bar Association’s President’s Special Recognition Award, a 2018 recipient of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce 10 Over the Next 10 Award, a 2018 recipient of Oakland University’s Young Alumni 10 Within 10 Award, and a 2016 recipient of the Ingham County Bar Association Top 5 Under 35 Award. He has authored multiple articles that have appeared in the State Bar of Michigan Journal and other State Bar of Michigan publications, American Bar Association publications, the Detroit Bar Association’s Detroit Lawyer, the Ingham County Bar Association’s BRIEFS, and others. Rusek was Mental Health First Aid USA certified in 2019 and seeks to incorporate trauma-informed principles into his practice every day.
—————
What would surprise people about your job? How much diversity there is in my practice. On any given day I can be working on a number of matters in the civil, criminal, and administrative arenas.
Why did you become a lawyer? I became a lawyer because I learned about how much lawyers contribute to their communities and how much they can assist people and entities in need.
How long have you been involved with the Ingham County Bar Association and what do you find beneficial about it? I have been involved with the Ingham County Bar Association and its Young Lawyers section for more than a decade. Through the Ingham County Bar Association, I have had the opportunity to meet and work with many attorneys in a wide variety of fields that I normally would not because of our differing practice areas. For the business minded, the Ingham County Bar Association and its members can be a great referral source for new and experienced attorneys alike.
What’s your favorite law-related TV show, movie, and/or book? My favorite law-related, but not necessarily realistic, TV show is “Suits” while “My Cousin Vinny” takes first place as my favorite film. As to my favorite law-related book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes the top spot.
Who are your law role models - real and/or fictional? I have been very fortunate to have many legal role models and mentors. One of my biggest role models and mentors was Webb “Tony” Smith, who recently passed. I did not necessarily learn the law from Tony, but rather how to practice law and how to be an upstanding member of my community.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would that be? Whoever is currently President! I can only imagine the insight that can be learned through the position, even if for just a day.
What advice do you have for someone considering law school? There is (generally) only one way to become a lawyer: going to law school and passing the bar. However, this is not a decision to rush into; you must be cautious of the massive debt that can be accrued through student loans.
What’s your proudest moment as a lawyer? It is very difficult to choose only one proudest moment, but my proudest moments as an attorney have been representing survivors of sexual abuse in litigation against the institutions and perpetrators that permitted and carried out the abuse; representing a defendant in the sprawling Flint Water Crisis civil litigation and criminal proceeding over the course of nearly a decade; and earning a complete dismissal of homicide and other criminal charges against a client who had previously been convicted of homicide in the case.
What do you do to relax? I enjoy reading, playing golf, volunteering, and working on my house during my free time.
What other career path might you have chosen? I have long thought that I could have gone down the path to become a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I chose to be a different type of counsellor.
What would you say to your 16-year-old self? Keep your head down and keep putting in the work — it pays off eventually.
Favorite music? Rap, Hip Hop, Blues, Singer/Songwriter, and most other genres.
What is your happiest childhood memory? My happiest childhood memories are from the many trips and adventures I went on with my parents growing up.
What is your most treasured material possession? My watch collection.
What do you wish someone would invent? A teleportation machine, or, more realistically, super-efficient rechargeable batteries for cars, phones, and other electric devices.
What’s the most awe-inspiring place you have ever been? Taking the first boat in the morning to explore the Phi Phi Islands off the coast of Thailand was absolutely awe inspiring. In second place would be visiting the historical sites in Istanbul Turkey, ranging from Greek ruins, remnants of the Ottoman Empire, beautiful mosques (such as the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque), and other significant historical sites.
If you could have one super power, what would it be? I think the ability to fly would be amazing!
What’s one thing you would like to learn to do? I am (slowly) teaching myself how to weld right now and the next project/hobby is learning how to keep honey bees.
What is something most people don’t know about you? Most people do not know that I come from a background where I did not know any lawyers until nearly the end of my undergraduate studies.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? The legal profession is a tight knit group and your reputation means everything in it.
What is your motto? I cannot say that I have a single motto, but three quotes have stuck with me over the years: (1) “With gratitude, optimism is sustainable;” (Michael J. Fox); (2) “An officer should never put himself in a position where he takes anything from the men,” (Major Dick Winters); and (3) “If you wish to build a ship, do not divide the men into teams and send them to the forest to cut wood. Instead, teach them to long for the vast and endless sea” (authorship disputed).
Which living person do you most admire? Barack Obama — he embodies many of the traits that I aspire to have, such as leadership, compassion, a drive to serve our communities.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement? Another difficult question, but co-founding and serving on the board of directors for The Army of Survivors, Inc. is an achievement that I am very proud of. Since its founding in 2018 by survivors of Larry Nassar’s prolific sexual abuse, it has grown to have multiple employees and is now an internationally recognized authority on child sexual abuse in sport. Through this organization, I have had the opportunity to assist survivors, lobby for change in our state and nation’s capital, and to present on trauma-informed interviewing skills and best practices to the United States Center for Safe Sport. More information about The Army of Survivors, Inc. can be found at www.thearmyofsurvivors.org.
Alexander Rusek received the 2024 Shared Resources Super Volunteer Award last fall. He is pictured with Webb “Tony” Smith, who served as a mentor to Rusek, and Madelyne Lawry, of Shared Resources, Inc.
Alexander Rusek cites the Phi Phi Islands off the coast of Thailand as one of the most awe-inspiring places he’s visited.
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