About Lana
Lana Panagoulia pursued a layered course of study that mixes language, education and law. She earned a B.A. in Communications and Foreign Languages from the University of Michigan in 1993 and later undertook intensive study of French at Université Laval. She completed a Master of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education at Wayne State University in 2001, holding endorsements in Early Childhood Education and French teaching. Panagoulia returned to law school and received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2005.
Her early legal training included several court internships. She served as a judicial intern at the Michigan Supreme Court and at the Washtenaw County Circuit Court. She also worked in the Child Abuse and Neglect Division as an intern with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. Those placements exposed her to trial procedures, case investigation and the procedural landscape of family and juvenile matters.
Between academia and administration, Panagoulia has moved in both scholarly and operational roles. At Wayne State University’s College of Education she was the assistant founding director and chief operating officer of the Institute for the Study of the African American Child (ISAAC). In that capacity she helped establish program structures and supported research and educational initiatives tied to the institute’s mission.
Panagoulia holds admission to practice in Michigan and before the Federal Circuit. She maintains an active presence in several professional organizations. She is the current president of the Hellenic Bar Association of Michigan and served previously as its secretary. Locally, she has taken leadership roles in the Washtenaw Association for Justice, including terms as president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. She also co-chairs the Family Section of the Washtenaw County Bar Association and participates in the Institute for Continuing Legal Education New Lawyers Advisory Board. Her memberships include the State Bar of Michigan, the Michigan Association for Justice and the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan.
She combines an educational background in early childhood and French with courtroom experience and organizational leadership. Her practice is based in The Goodyear Building. Her current practice in Michigan includes family law and civil justice matters.
