MARCH 2023

That changed around 2018 when
her daughter Sabrina, who has had
a long-standing interest in the legal
profession and will be attending law
school in August 2023, told her about
law school. You can attend, she said,
as long as you have a bachelor’s degree
and a decent Law School Admission
Test (LSAT) score.
The first law school she found, after
a quick Google search, was Cooley in
Auburn Hills. She met with a counselor
there and they confirmed what her
daughter said. In fact, they preferred
students with science backgrounds,
because they possess analytical thinking
skills.
Rita’s first attempt at the LSAT was
quick, and she sat for it without knowing
much. Although she applied with a
stellar GPA, her low test score only netted
her a 10% scholarship from Cooley.
With a tuition near 200k, this wouldn’t
work. Her plans were on hold until she
could retake the test.
Rita became an LSAT fanatic. She
signed up for a rigorous, three-month
course that gave her the resources
she needed to become an expert. She
spent almost all of her free time studying,
even her lunch breaks at work.
With hard work comes results, and
that’s what Rita got.
She received a full ride from Cooley
and a 70% merit scholarship from
Wayne State Law School, both of which
she turned down, as well as a personal
phone call from the dean of UDM’s law
school inviting her to a fellowship interview.
After the interview and shadowing
some schools, she decided UDM
was the right fit for her: its Catholic
program and intimate learning setting
is just what she wanted. She accepted
UDM’s offer for 100% of tuition paid.
Rita started school in August and,
despite being older than most students,
quickly rose to the top of her
Clockwise from top of page: Rita Samir Soka’s extended family joined her
at the Michigan Supreme Court for the swearing in ceremony. Rita Samir
Soka is sworn in by Justice Brian Zahra. Justice Zahra poses with Rita and
her family, from left: Sabrina Soka (daughter), Luke Soka (son), Justice Brian
Zahra, Rita, Steve Soka (Rita’s husband), and Celena Soka (daughter).
Rita Samir Soka with her mother, Najat Elias, and father, Samir Elias.
class. After the first semester, she
ranked 21 out of 100 students, but she
was still unhappy. In her second year,
after a clerkship in Detroit with the
prestigious Federal Judge Nancy Edmunds,
her ranking shot up to 11. She
attributes the change to “embracing
the gray area” that exists in law. Seeing
the world in black and white was
something she had to unlearn.
Finally, she graduated in 2022,
ranking 8th in her class, magna cum
laude. She was sworn in as an attorney
on November 11 by Justice Brian Zahra
and was hired by the prestigious firm
Secrest Wardle to work with municipalities
like West Bloomfield, Bloomfield
Township, and Bloomfield Hills.
Soon after she was admitted to practice
in Michigan, her former professor
connected with her and decided to work
in collaboration by forming a new law
firm. Rita and her partner, Alexandria
Taylor, a seasoned attorney, practice
family law, criminal defense and real estate.
Rita wants to bring her cultural and
linguistic knowledge to the courtroom to
help judges and the government understand
her client’s objectives and unique
culture-based circumstances, and she
wanted to start her own practice to focus
more on helping other people.
In one example, Rita most recently
helped a student attorney at UDM who
was representing a woman from the
Middle East. His client had unique cultural
circumstances that only natives
can understand and relate to. Rita
assisted by interpreting for this client
and translating documents, but more
importantly, communicating the specific
cultural importance and meaning
of the client’s circumstances to the
judge. Ultimately, this helped in her
successful bid for asylum.
Rita currently serves on the Associate
Alumni Board at UDM and is a
committee member for the Students
Relations and Mentorship Committee
at UDM and is happy to assist and
mentor students wishing to pursue a
career in law.
MARCH 2023 CHALDEAN NEWS 23