At 19 years old, just days after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, Michael V. Levin began his first year of law school at Columbia University. After that, he transferred to Stanford Earth’s Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER), “a perfect complement to my law studies,” he said.
“So much had to go right for this to happen,” said Levin, MS-JD ’19. “It’s more than just my hard work. Lots of people work hard, but not everyone gets so lucky.”
Levin is a first-generation college graduate who holds an AA in mathematics from College of the Canyons and a BA in economics from Berkeley. At Stanford, he took classes and participated in activities that developed his interests in clean energy resources, climate migration and human rights. He also found opportunities for public-private sector collaboration on sustainability projects. “I could spend ten lifetimes at Stanford and still not get to do everything I want to do," he said.
After graduating, Michael joined Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe's technology companies practice group in Santa Monica, Calif. Orrick counsels many of the world's most innovative emerging technology companies, including those in cleantech and energy resources development.
“It's a privilege to work alongside brilliant entrepreneurs who are innovating solutions for the world’s most intractable problems,” he said. “I’m grateful to be able to help founders succeed because their success means we’ll be helping people and the planet, too.”
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