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APRIL 2021

Dear WMU-Cooley graduates and friends:

Spring is in the air and the alumni office is planning to offer more opportunities for you to mix and mingle at one of our ONLINE VIRTUAL EVENTS or sign up for a virtual swearing in if you are a new bar passer. If you would like to organize and host an event in your region, contact me and let’s get the party started.  

We moved the date of the U.S. Supreme Court swearing in ceremony to Nov. 3 this year. President and Dean James McGrath will be making the motion for our group this year and he is looking forward to it. There are just a few open spots for that event, so please contact me soon to join. 

The alumni association is planning class reunions for this September and October; 10-year and 25-year reunions for the classes of 2011 and the classes of 1996, as well as a 40-year reunion for the classes of 1981. Help your class get a reunion organized for the fall. You can join the association HERE. 

Looking to find your fellow alumni? Go to the alumni directory HERE. 

Sincerely, Helen Haessly, Acting Director of Alumni Relations (Cushing Class, 2000) 
Joe Kimble_books

CLAIM TO FAME

Joseph Kimble, WMU-Cooley Law School Distinguished Professor Emeritus, was named to the Michigan Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame Class of 2021, along with 1979 graduate Susan M. Cook. We are not surprised. Their successful careers and valuable contributions to the community over the past 30 years have been outstanding and far-reaching. 
 
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JUDGE ROSEMARIE AQUILINA SPEAKS ON SEXUAL ASSAULT 

WMU-Cooley graduate and Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina was the featured speaker during WMU-Cooley Law School’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month Community Conversation, titled “How to Recognize Sexual Assault – and Take Action.”
 
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Aquilina Story

BE A DEI CHAMPION
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WMU-Cooley Law School has a long history of being an institution with a diverse and inclusive student body that we work hard to maintain. We believe that the student body we educate should reflect the communities they will serve. WMU-Cooley has continuously been a champion at educating a diverse group of future lawyers. Now, we are inviting organizations committed to access to justice to help us in our mission to ensure that all qualified students, regardless of their background or life situations, are able to pursue a legal career.
JOIN TODAY

CLEAN SLATE ACT ATTORNEY TRAINING
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With the Clean Slate Act going into effect on April 11, WMU-Cooley Law School Associate Dean Tracey Brame and the law school’s Access to Justice Staff Attorney Kamau Sandiford hosted a training session last month for attorneys to describe the current expungement statute and the changes as a result of the Clean Slate Act. 
TRAINING FOR ATTORNEYS

SHEMIA wASHINGTON: Shining and Breaking Barriers

When Shemia (Francisco) Washington was in fifth grade, she wanted to be like Clair Huxtable, the sophisticated and personable character played by Phylicia Rashad on The Cosby Show. Find out how this childhood inspiration lead to a successful legal career as the Senior Supervisory Attorney-Litigation and Claims, with the City of Atlanta Department of Law.
READ HER STORY
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30 TIPS FOR BETTER LEGAL DRAFTING 

Nearly 350 people signed up from around the world for this year's Kimble Center for Legal Drafting seminar called 30 Tips for Better Legal Drafting and Writing, The virtual event, held on April 1, 2021, was the Center's second seminar—free to lawyers, law students, and anyone else interested in improving their professional writing.
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KENNETH NIXON FREE

On Feb.18, 2021, the WMU-Cooley Innocence Project was responsible for securing the release of Kenneth Nixon from prison, after spending 15 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The WMU-Cooley Innocence Project is the only post-conviction DNA innocence organization in the state of Michigan.
FREE AFTER 15 YEARS

MARK YOUR CALENDAR 

Feel like you always find out about WMU-Cooley events after-the-fact? If you want to get notifications of our upcoming events and outstanding line up of speakers, take a quick moment to sign up for our notifications now. You don't have to miss out any longer. Or go to the law school's Events page on the website.
UPCOMING EVENTS

READ OUR OFFICIAL BLOG

Want to read more stories about your fellow graduates? We share your stories on the official law school blog page. 
VISIT THE BLOG

THE LATEST NEWS

Keep up with all the news coming out of WMU-Cooley by visiting the law school's What's New page on our website! 
WHAT'S NEW

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