Third-Year Taylor Mills Honored with Stell Award

By Jake Jenkins

Dec. 13, 2022

Taylor Mills, ’23, recently won the Carolyn Stell Award from Mid-Michigan Chapter of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan (WLAM). She was honored at the Stell Dinner in East Lansing last week.

Named after the late Ingham County Circuit Court Judge, The Carolyn Stell Memorial Scholarship was established by the Mid-Michigan Chapter of the WLAM. This scholarship provides financial assistance to deserving female law school students and enable them to apply, study for, and pass the Michigan Bar Examination, and to gain admission to the State Bar of Michigan.

“Receiving this award means not just alleviation of the financial burdens associated with preparing for the bar exam but also feeling welcomed into a supportive community of female legal practitioners who want to help me succeed,” said Mills. “I feel honored and privileged to be recognized by such an esteemed community of inspirational, diverse women.”

An aspiring public interest attorney with interests in Indigenous law, civil rights, and immigration, Mills is a dual degree student at MSU. Upon graduating from MSU Law, she will have one more year to complete her dissertation for a PhD in Philosophy with an area of specialization is Engaged Philosophy of Law & Policy.

During her time at MSU Law, Mills was an oral advocate finalist and a best brief finalist for MSU Law's 1L Advocacy Competition and a quarter finalist for the 2L Oral Advocacy Class. She competed in the McGee Civil Rights Moot Court Competition and was a semifinalist for the MSU Gender & Sexuality Moot Court Competition. Mills was also a member of the Indian Law Clinic

Mills interned as a clerk for Michigan Supreme Court's Justice Clement and for the Michigan Court of Appeals' Judge Swartzle during her first year and clerked for Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians' Judge Greenleaf Maldonado (recently appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals) and worked for the Tribe's General Counsel during her second year.

“I would recommend that students prioritize experiences that are meaningful and useful for their specific ambitions rather than chasing accolades for their own sake,” said Mills. “Let your passions and interests dictate where you put your energy while not forgetting about all those people who have helped you along the way. No one accomplishes anything alone.”