Comedy, Canines and Courtrooms: A UVA Law Student’s Unconventional Journey

Before stepping into the halls of the University of Virginia School of Law, first-year student Michael Napoles had already worn many hats: business owner, entrepreneur, stand-up comic and father.

The Miami native ran a dog day care and a pesticide company before deciding to chase his longtime dream of going to law school. As a first-generation American whose family emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, and the first in his family to attend college, Napoles has taken a journey of perseverance, ambition and reinvention.

UVA Today talked with Napoles about his unique path to law school and what drives him forward.

Q. What was your life like before law school?

A. I was washing dishes in a pizzeria in Bushwick, New York, in exchange for $8 an hour and a storage closet they let me and my 100-pound dog, Rocco, live in. I was trying to make it as a comic in New York, and it was going pretty well, except that you have to be funny to do stand-up comedy. That’s where it fell apart for me.

I was also walking dogs and working in a dog day care for a few years, and that is where I met my wife. I’m pretty sure I delivered her a pizza before that, though. Eventually, the guy who owned the dog day care wanted to sell, and I told him I was interested, even though I had no money. I saw a lot of red flags when I looked at the balance sheet and backed out. But that put owning my own business in my head, and as luck would have it, a location not too far away went up for rent, and I was able to work it out with the landlord. I opened my dog day care and dog walking service in 2018 and sold it in 2022.

Q. How did you become involved in pest control?

A. My wife and I moved from New York to Miami when my dad was diagnosed with cancer. It was worse than originally believed, and he passed away four months later. My dad was the best man I’ve ever known, and his unexpected death left a vacuum in the family.

Our family pest control company was left without a licensee, and the Department of Agriculture was going to shut it down. My family relied on the business as the sole means of income, so it would have been devastating if we were unable to continue operating. I had about two weeks to study and take the exam. I was lucky enough to pass, get my license and keep the business running. I spent the next couple of years running the company and making sure things were stable enough for me to take a step away and go to law school. It is now in my sister’s and brother-in-law’s capable hands.

Portrait of Michael Napoles.

Napoles says the more he learned about the work his company’s attorney did for his business, the more he wanted to go to law school. (Photo by Julia Davis, UVA School of Law)

My wife and I welcomed our baby boy in February of 2022. It is one of the great tragedies of my life that my dad never got to meet my son. But he came at exactly the time I needed him most. He brought so much joy, happiness and love to our family when we were in such profound mourning. If I can be half the man and father my dad was, he is going to be a happy kid.

Q. Why law school?

A. I realized I wanted to go to law school shortly after starting my business in New York. The work the company attorney did for us was really interesting to me, and the more I learned about what a lawyer does, the more I knew it was what I wanted to do. I knew the way you know about a good melon.

My business took off pretty quickly, so I put law school dreams on hold and focused on growing my business. Every time it seemed like I was going to be able to pursue going to law school, something happened that put the plans on pause again. It was frustrating, but the fact that I remained interested in going to law school for six years before getting a chance to study for the LSAT and apply made me feel good about how much I wanted it.

Q. How have your business skills served you in law school?

A. The buck stops with you when you’re the boss, and you have to sort out a whole range of issues. You don’t get to quit because it gets hard; you have to keep going.

Excellence Here Goes Everywhere, To Be Great and Good In All We Do
Excellence Here Goes Everywhere, To Be Great and Good In All We Do

I had 17 people working for me and hundreds of clients at the time I sold my business in New York. Conflicts are inevitable when you’re working with that many people. I learned to have uncomfortable conversations with people and how to give them bad news. It was never fun, but it benefits nobody to let resentment fester. Just be respectful and try to understand that the other person probably feels as sure of their position as you do. You don’t have to end up loving each other. You don’t even have to keep working with each other. But you have to be decent and above board with each other.

Q. What’s something your classmates don’t know about you?

A. I played bass in a garage rock band in high school, and we were pretty successful for a bunch of kids without a clue. We were doing paid gigs, touring locally and recorded an album. We broke up and moved on with our lives, but we all keep in touch. They are actual musicians and are all in different bands now. I was just up for a fun time and haven’t played a bass guitar in years.

Q. What do you want to do with your law degree?

A. The plan is to do corporate work at a law firm. I liked my contracts class a lot, and I liked working through business-related legal issues when I was a business owner. I just want to do work that is stimulating and pushes me to learn new things.

I’m not making many plans beyond the next five to seven years except to be a devoted husband to my wife and a loving father to my son. I’ve called an audible on the path my life was taking so many times that I’ve decided to call the rest of the game from the line of scrimmage.

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