By Julie Freer
Legal News
As an administrative legal assistant for the past year at Reeder Murphy P.C., Matthew Moller fulfilled the “Swiss Army knife” role of the Grand Rapids firm, according to partner Bryan Reeder.
Versatile and adaptable, Moller performed a wide variety of tasks in the office, from fielding phone calls and scheduling appointments, to communicating with the courts and helping organize, draft and file pleadings. His tasks were often ever-changing, but he did whatever was needed to help support the attorneys and fellow legal assistants.
It’s an experience that has been invaluable for Moller, who graduated from Grand Valley State University last year with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Legal Studies. He is now a 1L student at Michigan State University College of Law.
Although it’s too early to pin down what type of law he will ultimately like to practice, Moller knows he wants to be able to use the law to help people with whatever challenges they’re facing. Thanks to his time at Reeder Murphy, as well as an internship at the Ionia Public Defender Office while at Grand Valley, Moller has seen clients overwhelmed with joy when the respective offices achieved favorable outcomes.
“Nobody wants to call their attorney, so working with attorneys who have been able to relieve some of the burden that people/clients face has been a huge moment for me where work feels important and fulfilling,” said Moller.
Moller grew up in Holly with three older siblings – two brothers and a sister who are triplets. When he went off to college, he thought he wanted to be a forensic scientist, and planned on double majoring in criminal justice and chemistry. However, during his first year of the criminal justice program, he took a class in constitutional law and pivoted from chemistry to legal studies.
Moller’s favorite experience during college was participating in – and winning – a mock trial in a Civil Litigation II class with Professor Adrian Copeland.
“The class was split into two groups, plaintiff and defendant, and we were given a fact pattern and some discovery and had to strategize together in order to try to present the best case given the patterns,” said Moller. “After weeks of preparation and teamwork, I had gotten to know some really amazing people and formed relationships and memories that will last forever.”
Moller’s internship at the Ionia Public Defender Office allowed him to see the legal profession up close and personal.
“You can learn about it in school, but it’s really hard to understand what attorneys do on a daily basis without seeing it in action,” said Moller, who drafted his first pleading in that role, and performed administrative work for the office.
“I think the most important thing I learned/developed was my soft skills which I think are overlooked by a lot of people,” said Moller. “Being able to easily communicate with clients when answering the phone was something I was forced to learn quickly. I also learned a lot about being in an office environment and communicating with the paralegals and attorneys; because I was answering the phones, they relied on me a lot to obtain and convey proper information so that the right people have access to the right information.”
Moller looks forward to meeting new people and he hopes to participate in MSU’s Public Defense Clinic, which allows students to get hands-on experience working with clients.
“These next three years will likely be one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I am extremely excited and motivated to give it my all,” said Moller. “With my experience, I have received lots of advice.
Associate attorney Rick Conklin always tells me, ‘The biggest lie you will ever tell yourself is: I will brief that case in the morning.’ This line of advice is a nod to being prepared and managing your time effectively.
He also told me to use three calendars. Some other advice I have received is to enjoy the ride. It’s not going to be easy, so remembering why you’re putting yourself through this type of school can be the light at the end of the tunnel which you need to make it through.”
Currently, he is most interested in criminal defense, specifically public defense, but he’s aware that interest may shift along the way.
“With my background in criminal justice and my previous experience with the Public Defender Office, I find that criminal defense is an extremely important area of the law,” said Moller. “In my opinion, people accused of crimes are the ones who need representation the most and they often have nowhere to turn for help. When I tell people about what area of law I am interested in, they usually follow with questions about getting bad people out of jail or whatever else. It is not about that to me. In my opinion, it is about protecting the constitutional rights of the accused because unfortunately they have nobody else to look out for them. I have enough faith in the adversarial court process that the proper outcome will be reached.”
In his downtime, Moller enjoys playing golf – he played in high school and at the club level in college, in addition to having worked at various Michigan golf courses over the years. He loves snowboarding, having been to Colorado and Montana, and tries to go with friends as often as he can.
He’s also a Detroit sports fan, and particularly enjoys following the Lions.
“I think I have seen pretty much every snap from every game since 2020,” he quips. “I also really love to read and spend time with my friends. I am very close with my brothers and my family is extremely important to me.”
Legal News
As an administrative legal assistant for the past year at Reeder Murphy P.C., Matthew Moller fulfilled the “Swiss Army knife” role of the Grand Rapids firm, according to partner Bryan Reeder.
Versatile and adaptable, Moller performed a wide variety of tasks in the office, from fielding phone calls and scheduling appointments, to communicating with the courts and helping organize, draft and file pleadings. His tasks were often ever-changing, but he did whatever was needed to help support the attorneys and fellow legal assistants.
It’s an experience that has been invaluable for Moller, who graduated from Grand Valley State University last year with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Legal Studies. He is now a 1L student at Michigan State University College of Law.
Although it’s too early to pin down what type of law he will ultimately like to practice, Moller knows he wants to be able to use the law to help people with whatever challenges they’re facing. Thanks to his time at Reeder Murphy, as well as an internship at the Ionia Public Defender Office while at Grand Valley, Moller has seen clients overwhelmed with joy when the respective offices achieved favorable outcomes.
“Nobody wants to call their attorney, so working with attorneys who have been able to relieve some of the burden that people/clients face has been a huge moment for me where work feels important and fulfilling,” said Moller.
Moller grew up in Holly with three older siblings – two brothers and a sister who are triplets. When he went off to college, he thought he wanted to be a forensic scientist, and planned on double majoring in criminal justice and chemistry. However, during his first year of the criminal justice program, he took a class in constitutional law and pivoted from chemistry to legal studies.
Moller’s favorite experience during college was participating in – and winning – a mock trial in a Civil Litigation II class with Professor Adrian Copeland.
“The class was split into two groups, plaintiff and defendant, and we were given a fact pattern and some discovery and had to strategize together in order to try to present the best case given the patterns,” said Moller. “After weeks of preparation and teamwork, I had gotten to know some really amazing people and formed relationships and memories that will last forever.”
Moller’s internship at the Ionia Public Defender Office allowed him to see the legal profession up close and personal.
“You can learn about it in school, but it’s really hard to understand what attorneys do on a daily basis without seeing it in action,” said Moller, who drafted his first pleading in that role, and performed administrative work for the office.
“I think the most important thing I learned/developed was my soft skills which I think are overlooked by a lot of people,” said Moller. “Being able to easily communicate with clients when answering the phone was something I was forced to learn quickly. I also learned a lot about being in an office environment and communicating with the paralegals and attorneys; because I was answering the phones, they relied on me a lot to obtain and convey proper information so that the right people have access to the right information.”
Moller looks forward to meeting new people and he hopes to participate in MSU’s Public Defense Clinic, which allows students to get hands-on experience working with clients.
“These next three years will likely be one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I am extremely excited and motivated to give it my all,” said Moller. “With my experience, I have received lots of advice.
Associate attorney Rick Conklin always tells me, ‘The biggest lie you will ever tell yourself is: I will brief that case in the morning.’ This line of advice is a nod to being prepared and managing your time effectively.
He also told me to use three calendars. Some other advice I have received is to enjoy the ride. It’s not going to be easy, so remembering why you’re putting yourself through this type of school can be the light at the end of the tunnel which you need to make it through.”
Currently, he is most interested in criminal defense, specifically public defense, but he’s aware that interest may shift along the way.
“With my background in criminal justice and my previous experience with the Public Defender Office, I find that criminal defense is an extremely important area of the law,” said Moller. “In my opinion, people accused of crimes are the ones who need representation the most and they often have nowhere to turn for help. When I tell people about what area of law I am interested in, they usually follow with questions about getting bad people out of jail or whatever else. It is not about that to me. In my opinion, it is about protecting the constitutional rights of the accused because unfortunately they have nobody else to look out for them. I have enough faith in the adversarial court process that the proper outcome will be reached.”
In his downtime, Moller enjoys playing golf – he played in high school and at the club level in college, in addition to having worked at various Michigan golf courses over the years. He loves snowboarding, having been to Colorado and Montana, and tries to go with friends as often as he can.
He’s also a Detroit sports fan, and particularly enjoys following the Lions.
“I think I have seen pretty much every snap from every game since 2020,” he quips. “I also really love to read and spend time with my friends. I am very close with my brothers and my family is extremely important to me.”
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