LANSING, Mich — Alexander Rusek, president of the Ingham County Bar Association, is working to help rehabilitate teens facing criminal charges in the justice system.
- Teens involved in an attempted robbery that led to a shooting in Lansing are now facing criminal charges.
- Attorneys representing minors spend significant time working with families and reviewing the minor's history.
- The juvenile justice system focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment for young offenders.
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"Some of my bigger cases: I represented 45 survivors of Larry Nassar's sexual abuse," said Rusek, who has been practicing law for 12 years.
Rusek has extensive experience working with teenage clients. Clients that are like the two teens facing charges in Lansing after an attempted robbery that led to the shooting of a man on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Pierce Road over the weekend.
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"It's not a fun discussion that parents are going to have," Rusek said. "But we need to start addressing the violence in our communities."
According to Rusek, cases involving minors typically take longer to resolve than adult cases. Attorneys must dedicate substantial time to working with family members and thoroughly examining the minor's background and history.
"Representing a minor can be some of the absolutely most rewarding work that there is. But it can be very tough," Rusek said.
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The primary objective in juvenile cases is to reduce the likelihood of teens repeating their mistakes and becoming repeat offenders.
"We have this real strong policy of wanting to rehabilitate children. Not just punish them," Rusek said.
The emotional toll of these cases can impact an attorney's mental health, Rusek acknowledged, but he and his colleagues remain committed to this important work.
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Rusek told me what motivates him to continue being an attorney.
"A lot of it falls back into these cases where I can really help a young person get things back on track," Rusek said.
For Rusek, the most fulfilling aspect is seeing the positive long-term outcomes of his work with young clients.
"It's really great to hear about them going to college, getting a great job, and that's very rewarding to know that my work is actually having an impact in the community," Rusek said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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