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.
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.
