Ivy League Restaurant Entrepreneur Seeks Law Degree

(This posting is one in a series devoted to Boyd School of Law 2009 first-year law students who have unusual or especially interesting backgrounds. Boyd has been highly successfully not only in attracting students with outstanding academic credentials, but also in appealing to students with a noteworthy diversity of experiences.)

Michael Lafia ‘12

The way to law school for former footballer Michael Lafia was partly through his stomach. Upon graduating in 2005 from an Ivy League university with a B.A. in American studies, he opened and operated two restaurants in succession.

The first was Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches and the second Hungry Howie’s Pizza, both based in College Station, Texas, where Texas A&M University students regularly and enthusiastically ate their full.

After taking some law courses to earn his Texas Real Estate Sales License in 2008, though, Michael rediscovered an earlier fascination with law and applied to enter the 2009 class at the UNLV Boyd School of Law. He said that “the love of the challenge and complexity of the law” inspired him to seek a law degree.

Michael brought with him more than entrepreneurial skills and a prestigious undergraduate education at Yale. Like many students in this class, he likes to help others. He served as a volunteer for the Special Olympics and the American Red Cross, and participated in Brazos County Animal Shelter’s Wiener Fest, a festival of races and activities to help pets in need.

Another beneficial stop on his circuitous route to law school ran by the loving advice of his parents.

He writes (with a self-effacing touch of humor), “There are only two careers on this planet that I feel I could do with passion for the rest of my life. One is being an attorney and the other is being a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) superstar. My mom, who is the best mom in the world and passionate wrestling fan, was very supportive of me pursuing a career in pro wrestling. My Dad did not think I was the next Hulk Hogan and told me it’s time to go to law school or I wouldn’t be able to come home for Thanksgiving again.”

Although Michael is not sure at present what specialty he will pursue, he was sure where he wanted to go to study law when he arrived in Las Vegas.

He writes, “The second I walked on the Boyd campus on my first visit, I received a rush of excitement and knew it was the place for me. I introduced myself to Dean [Frank] Durand, and was impressed that he knew ‘who’ I was and about my background. That set Boyd apart from my other experiences. I cancelled my next two visits, went down to my rental car, and wrote out my check to secure my seat for the fall right there.”