Elan S. Nichols

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MS. ELAN STAVROS NICHOLS, ESQ.

2073 Lac Du Mont * Haslett, MI 48840 * (517) 512-0182 *

  • Michigan BarMember: Litigation,Appellate, Property, and Young Lawyers sections
  • Admitted to the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan
  • Member: American Bar Association;Clinical Legal Education Association

EDUCATION

Michigan State University College of Law: Juris Doctor Cum Laude, June 2000

  • Dean’s List, 1998-2000; Jurisprudence Achievement Award in Law and Medicine, 2000
  • Moot Court and other competition activities- Member, Moot Court Advocacy Executive Board; Quarterfinalist, Duke University Medical-Legal and New York Bar Nationals Moot Court competitions, 1999-2000; Finalist: Moot Court Class Competition, All-School Oral Advocacy Competition, and All-School ABA Negotiation Competition, 1998

The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor: Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, May 1997 (partscholarship)

  • Section Editor and Writer, TheMichigan Daily student newspaper, Arts section

LEGAL EXPERIENCE

MSU College of Law, Housing Law Clinic staff attorney and professor: August 2009-the present

  • Co-managing client caseloads and supervising student clinicians’ legal work on cases from the early stages of a matter, such as giving educational information and conducting negotiations, through litigation, settlement, trial, collections, and possible appeal
  • In the Housing Law Clinic I and II courses, teaching law student clinicians state and federal general housing and real estate law, as well as contract law, general civil procedure and litigation, client counseling, ethics, and writing skills, among other areas
  • Assisted students in obtaining the largest money judgments in lawsuitsthat the Clinic filed in the history of all MSU legal clinics-- $21,958.08, for example(since then we have eclipsed those numbers significantly)
  • Assisting student clinicians in preparing and conducting community presentations
  • Drafting and updating Clinic legal practice materials – templates, manuals, etc.
  • Editing and rewritinghousing articles written by students for publication
  • Publishing legal scholarship, conducting local, state, and national legal presentations, serving as an expert for various local and state media

McClelland & Anderson, LLP, Associate Attorney, Lansing: September 2004-May 2009 (list of appeal briefs posted on the Michigan Supreme Court website available on request)

  • Researched anddraftedappeals in the Michigan Court of Appeals and Michigan Supreme Court (as well a couple of federal appeals) for property rights advocacy groups
  • Conducted civil litigation and legal research in areas of the law such as real estate/property, landlord-tenant, commercial, construction, housing, land use, municipal, zoning, contract, and general business law in state and federal courts
  • Researched and drafted legal update articles and presentations for local and state REALTOR® and home builder publications and seminars

MichiganSupreme Court and MichiganCourt of Appeals, Lansing, research attorney and law clerk: January 2001-September 2004(list of published opinions available on request)

  • One-year clerkship to former Chief Justice Clifford W. Taylor, two-year clerkship to Judge Peter D. O’Connell, approximate two-year term as Prehearing Division Research Attorney

LEGALAND COMMUNITY SERVICE

  • Ingham County Bar Association: Member, 2000-the present;Young Lawyers Section Board of Directors, past Member and President; Ingham County Bar Association Publications Committee member and Writer, 2005-the present
  • Member, Michigan Bar Appellate Section Bench Bar Conference Committee, 2009-2010
  • Volunteer judge, Michigan Youth in Government and the Michigan Center for Civic Education high school appellate and mock trial competitions, 2004-2009, 2011
  • Volunteer judge, MSU College of Law and Cooley Law School Research, Writing, and Advocacy class competitions, Moot Court class competitions, All-School Oral Advocacy competitions, trial competitions, and negotiation competitions, 2000-the present
  • Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Christian Church: Member, Parish Council, 2007-the present; Member, women’s charity society and Board, 2007-the present; Member, Language and Culture Program and Board, 2000-the present
  • Listed as an MSU expert in housing and Michigan litigation,

PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS, AND MEDIA INTERVIEWS

  • Author, “Unanswered Questions under the PTFA: Exploring Protections for Tenants in Foreclosed Properties,” ABAJournal of Affordable Housing and Community Development, 2011
  • Session Presenter, “Drafting Checklists and Templates for Litigation Documents for the Busy Practitioner or Law Student Clinician,”the Capital Area Legal Writing Conference at George Washington Law School, 2011, Washington, DC
  • Facilitator, City of East Lansing Fair Housing Community Forums, February 2010
  • Author, the “Tenants and Landlords Resource Guide,” MSU College of Law (revised 2010)
  • Co-Author and Co-Recipient, 2007 Thomas M. Cooley Law School Distinguished Brief Award, Hartman & Eichhorn Bldg Co v Dailey, Michigan Association of REALTORS® Amicus Brief, Michigan Supreme Court No. 129733, published at 24 TM Cooley L Rev 629 (2007)
  • Interview, “Unpaid taxes on foreclosure investments take toll,” Lansing State Journal, November 2010
  • Interview, “East Lansing seeks comments on fair housing,” WKAR-FM, Michigan State University Public Radio, February 2010
  • Interview, “Resources and rights for renters; what to do when issues arise,” MidlandDaily News, January 2010