WSU Law student interned for congresswoman

Sarah Schade, a rising 3L at Wayne State University Law School, is pictured with Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and fellow interns during a 2017 undergraduate internship in D.C.
(Photos courtesy of Sarah Schade)


By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News

A graduate of Grosse Pointe North High School, Sarah Schade earned her undergraduate degree in international studies and Spanish from the University of Michigan.

After her junior year, she interned in 2017 for Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence in Washington, D.C., where she helped answer phones, respond to constituents' e-mails, gave tours of the Capitol and helped with other tasks.

“I was interested in legislation and government and I enjoyed learning more about how our government works and what our elected representatives and their staff do for their constituents,” Schade said. “I really enjoyed working for Congresswoman Lawrence, and one of the highlights of the summer was during our interns' last day Congresswoman Lawrence gave us a tour of Speaker Pelosi's office and we got to meet Speaker Pelosi.”

That fall, she interned with the Department of Education’s Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs as part of the “Michigan in Washington” program, gaining a different perspective on the work of Congress.

Schade worked on sending education news updates to the other people in the office, attended hearings in Senate and House committees, and helped to prepare the nominees appointed to leadership roles in the department prepare for their Senate confirmation hearings by conducting research on the members and compiling binders.

The following year, she spent four months as a legislative fellow in the office of Rep. William Sowerby at the state House in Lansing, responding to constituent e-mails and letters and attending committee hearings.

“While I enjoyed living in D.C., I wanted to return to Michigan and work on issues more relevant to the state,” she said.

Interested in the more substantive side of legislation and the law, Schade spent 15 months with the immigration law firm of Antone, Casagrande & Adwers, P.C. in Farmington Hills before heading to Wayne State University Law School in 2019.

Now a rising 3L at, she is enjoying her law school experience.

“I knew I wanted to stay in southeast Michigan but also go to a school with a great community,”?she said. “Wayne Law is so connected to the Detroit legal community and everyone I've met, whether in admissions when I was initially exploring Wayne State, professors in my classes, my classmates, and alumni have been extremely welcoming and supportive.”

She is spending the next few months as a summer associate at Honigman, learning about business/corporate law.

Last year’s judicial internship at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit helped Schade improve her legal research and writing skills and provided the opportunity to work on interesting and challenging cases.

With a passion for legal research and writing, Schade was excited to apply as an assistant editor for Law Review in her 2L year.

“It was a lot of fun to select a topic and see how my topic changed and evolved as I did more research and talked to my editors on Law Review, as well as my faculty adviser, Delores Mayer,” she said.

This coming 3L year, Schade will serve as the media and technology editor for Law Review.

“I'm looking forward to showcasing all the hard work of our members online and connecting with the community,” she said.

Schade also has enjoyed her Moot Court experiences.

“I’ve really improved my oral advocacy skills, as well as my legal research and writing skills, and have gained confidence in my abilities as a law student,” she said.

After her first semester on Moot Court, Schade tried out for one of Wayne’s national teams and competed on one of two teams for the Wagner National Labor and Employment Law Moot Court Competition. She and her partner advanced to the Octo-final round before being eliminated.

This coming academic year, Schade will serve as the problem writer on the Moot Court Executive Board, working on the problems members will research and argue during the fall and winter In House Competitions.

“I'm looking forward to creating challenging and interesting problems for our members and looking forward to working with the rest of the board as well,” she says.

After about a year of virtual learning, Schade is accustomed to having classes on Zoom and studying at home.

“Luckily at home I have an office I can study in, and it’s been helpful to have a space dedicated to school and classes so when I'm done for the day, I can leave that space and step away from school,” she said. “I also like to take walks around the neighborhood to have a change of scenery. I also have had virtual game nights with my friends to have social time and stay connected with them.” 

A native of Grosse Pointe Woods, where she currently is living at home, she has enjoyed reconnecting with family and friends in the Detroit area after living away from the Motor City during undergraduate studies and internships.

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