Kylee Nemetz, ’21, is the only attorney in her family, but she comes from a growing lineage of law clerks – her predecessors (and, foreseeably, her successors) of the Michigan State Law Review (MSLR).

Nemetz joined the MSLR as a staff editor ahead of her 2L year, and the decision to get involved with MSU Law’s flagship journal has inspired the course of her career.

She enjoyed the experience of working alongside her peers, engaging with scholars from all over the world, and the challenge and responsibility that come with the pace of the journal. As someone who describes herself as academically motivated, the suggestion from at-the-time editor in chief (EIC), Emily Sosolik, ’20, to take over leadership of the MSLR was one that Nemetz was excited – albeit initially intimidated by – and willing to accept.

“It was a lot of fun getting to work with authors and oversee the whole journal,” she said. "It was such an incredible experience – probably the best experience I had at MSU Law.”

Her ambitions beyond law school had always been, and continue to be, pursuing private practice, but with her experiences in Law Review and guidance from Professor David Blankfein-Tabachnick (DBT), the journal’s faculty advisor, she ventured in the direction of clerkship immediately following her graduation.

“After I got the EIC position, Professor DBT really encouraged me to apply for federal clerkships. He thought I would be a good candidate,” she said. “I’m a first-generation attorney, so I was like, ‘What makes a good clerk? Are you sure that I would be good for this position?’ He really encouraged me because I did well in law school, and the EIC position really boosted my resume and gave me a lot of important skills that clerks use as well.”

She began a two-year clerkship with Judge Paul L. Maloney, Western District of Michigan, in 2021, and she recently accepted the opportunity to clerk for Judge Richard Allen Griffin, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, starting in 2023.

“I was thrilled when Kylee asked me to write in support of her ultimately successful clerkship applications,” Professor Blankfein-Tabachnick said. “Obtaining such a clerkship is rare. We are all incredibly proud of Kylee and all she has accomplished and contributed to the intellectual community at the Law College.”

Nemetz’s predecessors, Sosolik, ’20, and Chris Kozak, ’17, also completed clerkships following their stints as MSLR’s editor in chief. Sosolik served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Kathryn H. Vratil of the U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, and she is currently serving as a judicial law clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Kozak clerked on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, where Nemetz will be clerking, and today he is an associate with Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP in Indianapolis.

To rising Spartan lawyers considering the clerkship route, Nemetz advised taking the leap, doubling down on your research and writing skills, engaging with groups, like MSLR, and specific coursework as a law student, and that “as scary as that sounds, you actually do have to use the bluebook after law school,” she joked.

“The most important asset as a clerk is your writing ability. Even if you excel at contracts, that’s great, but that’s going to be five percent of what you work on. You’re going to be writing all day, every day. If that’s something you’re interested in, I would definitely say go for a clerkship and don’t discount state court clerkships either, because that’s still such a great experience – getting to work alongside a judge, being able to view the legal system from the judicial side is such a unique experience.”