Meet Our Summer 2025 Law Clerks

We are thrilled to welcome four law clerks to Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers for the summer. These accomplished individuals are joining the firm to gain firsthand experience working on complex employment and civil rights litigations. As future attorneys, they are committed to advocating for a more just society.

Amy Surdu

Amy is a rising third-year law student at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and has interned with Pitt McGehee since March 2024. While at the firm, she has worked on the Flint Water litigation, working with class members to prepare documentation for settlement claims, and on civil employment issues. Amy was named a 2025 Miller Canfield Professionalism Scholar. She holds a BS from Spring Arbor University in Organizational Management.

Elijah McCoy  

Elijah is a rising second-year student at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. She was selected by the Wolverine Bar Association for its competitive Judicial Externship Program. She is joining us this summer to gain first-hand experience on how attorneys can serve and support underserved and marginalized communities. She has previously interned at the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office and is a member of the Black Law Student Association and the National Lawyers Guild. She will serve as the secretary of the Black Law Students Association in the upcoming school year. She holds a BA from Wayne State University.  

Raphael Blake  

Raphael is a rising third-year student at Wayne State University, and he has interned with the firm since November 2024. His work has focused on our discrimination and civil rights practice areas. Raphel has previously interned with the Federal Community Defenders Office as a holistic defense intern, where he worked to support indigent clients facing felony charges. He is currently on the board of the American Constitutional Society and National Lawyers Guild at Wayne State. He holds an MS in Urban Planning from Wayne State University and a BA from James Madison College, Michigan State University.  

 Ioana Pushani  

Ioana Pushani is a rising junior at Vanderbilt University, double majoring in Political Science and English on the pre-law track. She serves as President of the Vanderbilt UNICEF Chapter, where she leads advocacy campaigns and community outreach initiatives. She is also the Head of Strategic Research for the Vanderbilt Pre-Law Society, developing academic resources to support students pursuing law school, and a member of the Professional Development Committee for Women in Government.  She speaks fluent Albanian and plans to attend law school to become an attorney focused on equity and access to justice.