At Khamo Law, our hard-working paralegals go above and beyond in their positions. Our paralegal, Stefan Tracenrider, is taking the bar in February, so we asked him a few questions about himself to learn more about his journey through law school.
1. Briefly describe why you want to become an attorney.
I wanted to be an attorney at a very young age, and when my mother passed away when I was 9 the notion of becoming an attorney slowly faded. It wasn’t until I started mentoring Students at Central Michigan University in the New Venture Challenge Program that I realized I could bring more value to the students and Entrepreneurs/Business owners as an attorney. I quickly discovered government regulation is the biggest barrier to entry for all start-ups and small businesses. Having the ability to represent people and help them along their journey to achieving their goals is tremendously rewarding and as an attorney, I will be able to help when a legal barrier arises.
2. What is your role in the office?
I’ll be taking the Bar Exam in February and currently, I am a Paralegal. My tasks include drafting motions, drafting Facilitation/Case Evaluation Summaries, drafting Complaints/Intervening Complaints, Filing documents with the courts, Delegate various tasks to law clerks, Scheduling Depositions and Independent Medical Evaluations, Getting required Signatures for Settlement Release Agreements, and various tasks that are assigned.
3. What are some of your greatest challenges and accomplishments?
I made the decision to attend law school 8 years after graduating from Central Michigan University. At the age of 35, I was a nontraditional law student, at first, I struggled with time management, I was not ready for the rigorous academic demands that are accompanied by law school, and working full time. To be a successful law student I had to make a lot of sacrifices. This included only seeing my family and friends during the breaks in between terms. I also had to spend every available minute studying. My normal day consisted of working from 8:30 to 4:30 then studying in the library until around 12:00 am (midnight) every weeknight and I went to the library on Saturday and Sunday from open to close. There was also a time when I had to incorporate a second job into my schedule to pay for law school. Graduation from law school has been the greatest challenge I have accomplished.
During law school, I was the president of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society at Cooley Law School, Lansing, Michigan campus, and during COVID-19 I had to use creative ways to keep members engaged in a virtual world. However, this also created tremendous opportunities. The Tampa Bay, FL campus of Cooley Law School did not have a Sports and Entertainment Society and due to Covid, everything moved to Zoom. This afforded me the ability to combine both campuses under one organization. During the fall term of 2022, I organized an event with the Detroit Pistons for the students in Michigan and an event in Tampa Bay with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Legal teams. These events included a meet-and-greet discussion panel, a tour of the facilities, and a meeting with those attending the game. This was the first time a student at Cooley Law School represented a student organization on both campuses let alone organize and set up events with major sports leagues in two different states.
4. What are your hobbies or current side projects that you have going on?
Spending time with friends and family is a big part of my life. Frequently I enjoy working on improving the performance of my car and hanging out with friends who are also interested in the car community. I annually attend the Woodward Dream Cruise and St. Ignace car show along with other local events. I also enjoy watching the Detroit Lions with friends and family, so many great memories of watching the game at my grandparent’s home; along with College Football (Fire Up Chips). Audio Engineering is also a passion of mine, trying to recreate the sound of music. After passing the Bar I would like to get back into the Start-Up / Venture Capital space.