Ms. Rhonda Stowers is currently an associate attorney in the Flint office of Plunkett Cooney. The former Maize and Blue Scholar received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School in 2001 and strongly believes that she would not be where she is today without the Honors Program. “It’s not easy to get into the University of Michigan Law School, which is where I wanted to be. I think the Honors Program assisted greatly in that regard.”
Her Off-Campus Study took place in Tempe, Arizona where she gathered data from circuit court files to assist Arizona State University Psychology professor Dr. Sanford L. Braver in his research concerning divorce. She later reviewed the manuscript of his book. Divorced Dads: Shattering the Myths, and offered suggestions for revisions.
Ms. Stowers focuses her practice in the areas of general litigation, municipal law, and title insurance law. She has defended numerous municipalities on a wide range of topics, including the Freedom of Information Act, Open Meetings Act, federal and state constitutions, civil rights, zoning charter amendments and revisions, ordinance drafting, employment-related issues, and use of excessive force and has also handled numerous misdemeanor prosecutions. Ms. Stowers also represents homeowners, lenders and mortgagors in real estate litigation, focusing on title claim related issues such as vesting title-clearing and access issues, as well as boundary disputes. In addition to practicing law, she has also taught classes on search warrants and civil litigation for the Law Enforcement Officers Regional Training Council.
For several months of the year, she works for three to four hours as a volunteer in the Legal Services of Eastern Michigan’s legal aid clinic where she meets with individuals in the Flint community who have met the organization’s financial hardship criteria. She assists them with a variety of legal issues including driver’s license restoration, guardianships, adoptions, estates, landlord/tenant disputes, lawsuits, and contracts. Her work was recently acknowledged by Legal Services of Eastern Michigan, who named her the 2013 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year.
She loves what she’s doing now, and plans to continue working at Plunkett Cooney and raising her three boys. Once the boys are older, she may spread out a bit more professionally. Ms. Stower’s advice for current and future Honors students: “Make the most of every opportunity. It’s never too late. Find a good mentor and surround yourself with positive role models.”