Mentorship from Marquette to the Motor City

Mentorship from Marquette to the Motor City

Alpha Sigma Nu’s Mentor Program travel stipend offered mentee Jack Michaud (Marquette ’24) a day of mentorship alongside mentor Jonathan Witt (Marquette ’06, Georgetown Law ’09) at Foley and Lardner law firm in Detroit, Michigan.

At the Office

The two first connected in Spring 2025, while Jack finishing his first year at University of Wisconsin Law School. Jack was contacting attorneys for advice on transitioning from school to the workplace, choosing a practice focus, and building professional networks. Jon’s professional biography—which proudly featured Alpha Sigma Nu, Marquette, and his work in Detroit—stood out to Jack, who grew up in metro Detroit and had recently graduated from Marquette. The commonalities between Jack and Jon’s professional and personal stories made for meaningful conversation during a virtual networking call the two had arranged. During their chat, the Alpha Sigma Nu Mentorship Program came up in conversation. Jon and Jack, seeing the value in a formal mentorship program after their introductory call, both decided to sign up.

As luck would have it, Alpha Sigma Nu paired Jon and Jack together in its Mentorship Program just a few months later.

Following several more virtual conversations, Jack and Jon finally met in person over lunch at Townhouse in downtown Detroit in early January 2026. During lunch, they compared– and reminisced over– their respective Marquette and law school experiences, discussed how embracing personal skills and interests creates both professional and personal value, and how international work has become far more local as the world has become increasingly interconnected and interdependent.

After lunch, the two returned to the office to “get to work” on interactive mentorship. For Jack, now a second-year law student, the opportunity to sit alongside Jon during client meetings, ask questions, and absorb the nuances of a day at an international law firm in an informal context provided a rare glimpse into what a typical day in his future might look like following his 2027 graduation. Jon presented a series of lectures to Jack for part of the afternoon, modeling how professional development plays a continuous role throughout an attorney’s career. Drawing on lessons learned during his career, Jon regularly develops these presentations to equip attorneys at various stages of their careers with practical tools for the challenges ahead. With a new perspective on Jon’s legal specialty, Jack reviewed sample contracts, charts, and slide presentations and reflected on how his in-classroom studies translated to on-the-ground practice. Jon even simulated an informational update to an executive board of a hypothetical company to reinforce how teaching is an integral part of the legal profession, and how lifelong scholarship is essential for success.

Jack and Jon admired how the identities of businesses often reflect those of their owners and employees, which highlighted the importance of understanding people and their stories, even when working with large corporate entities. Appreciating the value of stories, they discussed Detroit’s inspirational urban revival and the city’s preservation and restoration of historic architectural landmarks like the Guardian Building, which was visible from Jon’s office, and the newly reopened Michigan Central Station, which Jack had visited with his family just days before.