Benchmark | Winter 2019

She reminisced about reading stories describing ancient Roman orator Cicero’s life during a Latin class. She loved how, as a lawyer, he was able to intellectually parse out arguments and fine-tune words to razor-sharp perfection.

“I knew a few chemists who were in a term above me, and I saw that they were busy all the time. I decided to check it out.

What I discovered was that they all spent their term breaks in labs developing algae.”

“Language is a scalpel, not an axe,” explained Nattler. “In my work, it is our goal to get the best and broadest protection available, not just give into the arguments. That’s what I love most about my job.”

That unseemly discovery entirely changed Nattler’s direction.

Instead of going into chemistry, she learned that the physics students not only seemed happier, they were less busy during break.

Today, Nattler is a shareholder and patent attorney in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, office of Brinks Gilson & Lione, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States.

This year, she was honored by being named a 2019 Michigan Rising Star

by Michigan Super Lawyers, as a top up-and-coming attorney in the state who excelled in her field of legal expertise.

As much as law school was always something Nattler aspired to do as a career, it wasn’t until much later in life that she was given the opportunity to follow that dream.

Born and raised in Germany, Nattler said most decisions, especially hers, were made through logic, not on dreams.

“Right out of school in Germany, when I graduated from high school, I wanted to study law, but I found that the field was fairly overrun,” Nattler recalled.

LIFE IS A MATH PROBLEM Nattler worked through her options like a math problem. She looked at other areas of interest, like science and math, because she knew she would do well in those disciplines. She also looked at medicine, although she preferred a science where she could work with things, like you would in chemistry.

Nattler also understood that it was very hard, and there were no women in the field.

She thought about it for about one second and said to herself, “Why would that bother me?”

At that moment she made the decision to become a physicist.

“I had to work on a very sensitive laser system for my thesis,” recalled Nattler. “I was studying hydrogen bonds and bridges for ethanol, like the drinkable alcohol. I worked a lot. I remember that I wasn’t able to work during the day due to all the commotion going on, so I had to do my measures at night.

I was studying alcohol from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. One late night I thought to myself, “This isn’t what I signed up for,” and started looking for other opportunities. It was when I saw an ad for a physicist with an emphasis in mechanical engineering that I woke up. They also wanted someone who had an interest in technology, law and languages. I thought, yes, this is perfect for me.”

Her local assignment in the United States turned into employment. That job happened to be near WMU-Cooley Law School.

Her dream of becoming a lawyer was now possible.

(continued)

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Reflecting back, Nattler recognizes that it was her perseverance and belief in her abilities that totally made going to law school “well worth the investment.”

Nattler’s determination kicked in. She thought, “If I can do that well when I’m sick, then I know I can do better when I am healthy.”

It was her third attempt in February of 2007 when Nattler won her full-ride scholarship with a score of 165. She started at WMU-Cooley three months later.

Reflecting back, Nattler recognizes that it was her perseverance and belief in her abilities that totally made going to law school “well worth the investment.”

LOVE OF LANGUAGE Nattler always believed that her love for language and her aim for precision has shown through in her life and in her work.

“For me it’s very important that my language is unambiguous,” stated Nattler, “unless, of course, I plan for it to be, which happens. Language should always be intentional and literate. I don’t like sloppy language that could be misinterpreted.”

These qualities are essential in a good attorney, especially a patent attorney.

Not only does Nattler excel in language, she also has a mathematical understanding that is enhanced by her fluency in other languages. She not only is a native German speaker, she knows Latin, French and English.

It was also important to Nattler, with English as her second language, to reassure her future employers that she was proficient in the language.

Not only did she pass her English assessment test entering the United States with 100/100, she went on to win the coveted John D. Voelker award for being the editor who made the most significant writing and leadership contributions to the WMU-Cooley Law Review that term.

HARD PATH PROOF POSITIVE Nattler’s journey is not one you would consider an easy path to success, but it was right for her.

Each move in her journey resulted in invaluable lessons and skills she uses today at work and with clients. She now trains other attorneys how to write patent applications that withstand scrutiny, and tutors associates on how to become great prosecutors. She teaches them how to sharpen their arguments, claim assessments, and other useful pieces of knowledge they need in and outside of the courtroom.

Nattler didn’t always believe in herself, especially growing up with her twin sister in the shadow of their older brother.

Once on her own, Nattler vowed she was going to prove her worth to others, but especially to herself.

Nattler worked her way through college, finding employment in a factory because they paid for her tuition.

The hard road led her to a physics degree and an understanding that challenges make people stronger.

“Being intelligent isn’t enough. I think it’s better to have to work for it, and not to have things come too easily or supported too much. It teaches you to stick to it, and believe in your own abilities. If you put your best effort forth, you will excel. I think that mentality helped me much more than I was ever aware.”

Nattler is enjoying her life in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is so proud of her daughter who is now in medical school.

She loves seeing her daughter’s drive to thrive.

Nattler’s path to success is one that she can be very proud of, and she can also take great pride in seeing how that path has paved the way for a great future for her daughter.

“What fascinates me is grammar. It’s like a skeleton, filled with vocabulary and idioms. It took me a long time to learn them all, but it is learned knowledge that has helped me dissect sentences and understand the relationships in each sentence.”

GERLINDE NATTLER

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“I love that everything I have done and do now, has somehow neatly fit into the puzzle of life, including being able to teach law students at WMU-Cooley Law School.”

ED STERNISHA

Sternisha is accustomed to being a jackof-all-trades. He started out as an intern with the Grand Rapids Police Department out of high school, attended the police academy, and earned his associate’s degree in criminal justice. He joined a Public Safety Department in the Detroit area, and completed his firefighter certification and Emergency Medical Services training.

He then switched directions and responded to a friend’s request for help at a Grand Rapids insurance agency. The friend sent Sternisha to “insurance school.” In 1994, Sternisha earned his insurance agent license and opened his own agency, eventually founding offices in Grand Rapids, Dorr, and Hastings, Michigan, while working as a part-time police officer, by this time in Ionia County.

He explored paralegal school, then altered course again and obtained his private detective license. Keeping his insurance offices open, he started a separate business in bail bonds, private detective work, and security.

Still searching out new horizons, Sternisha sold his insurance offices, obtained a bachelor’s degree in business management with an emphasis in criminal justice, and enrolled at WMU-Cooley Law School.

Several years later, he is now an attorney, reserve police officer, and an adjunct professor. He’s kept all his licenses current and his experience in so many different areas has come in handy in the courtroom, the classroom, and out in the field.

“It’s all that I’ve done that connects everything together,” explained Sternisha.

“Combining my experience as a police officer, private detective, bail bondsman – all those things – have collectively helped me create who I am today. Even my experience as an insurance agent has proven to be invaluable to my clients, especially those who may have been

involved in a drunk driving crash, and the insurance company is involved. I make sure to keep all my licenses active.” And even though he is no longer certified as a police officer, by working as a reserve officer, Sternisha keeps his investigative skills sharp.

Sternisha has become extremely well-versed in the field of drunk driving defense, speed limit issues, and the often surprising way the two can interact. One case, Sternisha recalled, started out as a simple speeding violation as the reason for the traffic stop, then mushroomed into so much more. A complicated mix that alleged speeding, state speed limit laws, municipal issues with speed limit signage, a drunk driving situation, and a weapons charge. All his areas of expertise and his penchant for putting the pieces of a puzzle together would combine to deal with a case that bounced from district court all the way up to the Michigan Supreme Court and back again, with frequent stops in between at the circuit court, the Court of Appeals, and even the county clerk’s office.

It took long enough for the dust to settle that, by the time the opinion came down, Sternisha and his client were the only original participants left in the proceeding.

Prosecutors had come and gone, deputies had moved on – even some of the judges were new. But Sternisha had won the drunk driving-speeding violation case and had obtained enough in the opinion from the state Court of Appeals, that other attorneys will be able to get some support in the future with their own clients’ speeding issues and municipal violations of state speed limit signage requirements. Even though the prosecutor’s office has filed an application for leave to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court, Sternisha, after filing his brief in response, does not believe the case will be overturned. “The Court of Appeals wrote a pretty good opinion. They really understood the issues in this case

so I don’t believe there is any room for a reversal,” Sternisha commented.

In another case, Sternisha picked up on procedural errors from an officer’s bodycam video, and was able to get the judge to throw out a breathalyzer test result. This then caused the prosecutor’s office to dismiss the case because they no longer had any evidence to support a DUI conviction. The client dodged a legal situation, but it was clear to him at that point that he needed to make some hard life changes – and do so quickly. Sternisha points out proudly that, to this day, the client is still not consuming alcohol.

Although he has been able to have many cases dismissed due to his investigations, Sternisha makes it clear that he does not defend the act of driving under the influence. “I don’t defend drunk driving,” he explained. “I defend the client and make sure their rights are protected.” He’s even brought clients in as guest speakers, so that his students can see the people behind the charges – good people who’ve made mistakes and learned from them.

For Sternisha, it’s easy to reconcile the seemingly impossible divide between his defense attorney career, his work as a reserve police officer, and his tenure as an adjunct professor of law that he feels bridges the gap.

“I love that everything I have done and do now, has somehow neatly fit into the puzzle of life, including being able to teach law students at WMU-Cooley Law School.

I’m teaching future defense attorneys and future prosecutors how it all comes together. And that’s what I love about teaching – I get to teach them the law and how to use it.”

Sternisha and his wife, Jennifer, have three children, Noah, a high school freshman; Isabelle, a seventh grader; and Jacob, a third grader.

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ALUMNI NEWS

Michigan Governor Appoints Graduates to State Posts

Since being sworn in as Michigan’s 49th governor in January 2019, Gretchen Whitmer has appointed seven WMU-Cooley alumni to various roles.

• KRISTEN (GARY) SIMMONS (Hilligan Class, 2012) – judge, 54-A District Court, Ingham County.

Simmons replaces Judge Hugh Clarke Jr. (Wiest Class, 1979)

• DANIEL B. BAIN (Carpenter Class, 1993) – judge, 53rd District Court, Livingston County

• HEIDI WASHINGTON (Toy Class, 2003) – director, Michigan Department of Corrections

• TERRENCE P. BRONSON (Campbell Class, 1976) – member, Military Appeals Tribunal

• JASON E. BITZER (Sharpe Class, 2008) – judge, 71B District Court, Tuscola County

• LISA MCCORMICK (Steere Class, 1995) – ombudsman, Office of Children’s Ombudsman

• ZANETA ADAMS (Todd Class, 2014) – director, Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency

the school. She also served as an associate professor and professor, and lastly as Associate Dean of Marketing and Communications until 2014.

based organizations.

The Alumni Association and the Office of Alumni Relations congratulates Helen Pratt Mickens on receiving this esteemed award.

Distinguished Alumni Service Award The annual meeting of the WMUCooley Alumni Association was held on Nov. 21, 2019 at the Cooley Center in Lansing with a networking reception following.

Helen Pratt Mickens, (Bushnell Class, 1980), received the Distinguished Alumni Service

Award for her tireless service, dedication and support to WMU-Cooley Law School.

Mickens served WMU-Cooley in numerous capacities beginning as the first Dean, appointed by the late Hon. Thomas E. Brennan Sr., founder of

She is a member of the Thomas M. Cooley Society and is involved in countless community

Distinguished Student Award The WMU-Cooley Law School Alumni Association proudly announces the winning recipients of the Distinguished Student Award (DSA) for Michaelmas Term 2019. This award is presented to thirdyear students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement,

service to others, and student involvement while at WMUCooley Law School. They are nominated by their peers and faculty and are interviewed and selected by the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association.

awards were presented at their respective campus honors convocations. The recipients are Alexis Morris and Derek Grisard (Tampa Bay), Arturo Alfaro (Auburn Hills) and Amia Banks and Arthur Ried (Lansing).

Five outstanding students were selected this term and

“The Alumni Association congratulates these deserving

students for their hard work, commitment and success while students at WMUCooley Law School. We wish them future success as they follow their dreams of becoming lawyers,” said Pamela Heos, Director of Donor Relations.

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