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title: Benchmark Column Quarterly Newsletter - April 2022
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 Benchmark Column is a seasonal publication from the WMU-Cooley Offices of Communications and Alumni Relations.

| Not rendering correctly? View this email as a web page here. APRIL 2022 With so much to do and to celebrate, it is a great time to be a part of the WMU-Cooley community! We are thrilled to share with you a sampling of the latest news, updates, and events in this issue of The Benchmark Column. For a complete take on upcoming events as well as the latest blogs, news stories, and announcements be sure to visit the school's website. If you are on social media, be sure to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and/or Instagram. You can also use the direct links at the bottom of this newsletter. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions, need/want more information, or if you are interested in hosting an alumni event in your area. Sincerely, Bill Arnold, Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations SIGN UP TODAY FOR THE NATIVE AMERICAN PANEL DISCUSSION Join the Native American Panel Discussion on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at noon. First, watch the PBS Documentary Warrior Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred Justice, then join the WMU-Cooley Community Conversations Native American panel discussion with the Hon. Allie Greenleaf Maldonado, Chief Judge, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians; John Morseau, Tribal Relations Manager for a sustainable energy company; Stacey Rock, Assistant Court Administrator/Clerk of the Court at Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Tribal Court; and host WMU-Cooley Professor Joan Vestrand. 20TH ANNIVERSARY WMU-COOLEY INNOCENCE PROJECT GALA We are celebrating the life-changing impact of the WMU-Cooley Law School Innocence Project on Friday, May 6, 2022, at the Country Club of Lansing.   Mr. Anthony Ray Hinton, will provide the evening's keynote address. Mr. Hinton was one of the longest serving death row prisoners in Alabama and the longest-serving condemned prisoner to be freed.   All proceeds from this event will go to support the continued work of the WMU-Cooley Innocence Project.   HERE COME THE WMU COOLEY JUDGES! Have you been noticing all the WMU-Cooley alumni judicial appointments lately? Here's just a few of the most recent WMU-Cooley Law School graduates, now judges: Aaron Hubbard (2007) Gerald Boston Class Anthony Flores (1992) John W. McGrath Class William Paul Nichols (1989) Samuel Douglas Class Todd Morgan (2010) James Witherell Class Sara Strach Schimke (2008) Clark J. Adams Class Brett Hurst (2008) Thomas G. Kavanagh Class LaToya Lee (2013) Alfred Moore Class Patrick O'Sullivan (1993) Joseph Moore Class Joshua Bannister (2015) Joseph Story Class Who are we missing? Please reach out at alumni@cooley.edu with your judicial appointment to public office. We would love to include all of our graduates.  golf outing is back Getting "back to normal" and celebrating WMU-Cooley's 50th Anniversary with the Cooley Annual Golf Classic.   Hit the links on Monday, June 13, 2022; 10:00 a.m. start time. Register yourself or a team, or support students with a sponsorship. The Cooley Golf Classic is an opportunity for alumni and friends of Cooley Law School to enjoy a fun (and mildly competitive) day on the links, while also supporting the success of the next generation of Cooley students.   All proceeds from the outing go directly to the Law School's student scholarship fund.  FINALLY FREE AFTER 25 Years of wrongful imprisonment On March 22, 2022, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Martha D. Anderson set aside the conviction of George and Melvin DeJesus. “We are happy that George can say he has been fully exonerated after nearly a 25-year struggle to prove his innocence,” Tracey Brame, the director of the WMU-Cooley Innocence Project, said. “George has  steadfastly maintained that he had nothing to do with this terrible crime. We are grateful to Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Conviction Integrity Unit team for their willingness to listen to the brothers and reinvestigate the case. Today, George and his brother, Melvin, have finally received justice.” tips for improving multicultural communication Have you ever said something and discovered that your listener felt attacked, when that was not your intent? Have you ever had someone say something to you where you felt misunderstood, stereotyped, or disrespected? When those kinds of mis-communications occur, how do you respond? When the other person is from a different culture from you, have you ever felt like the mis-communication is even more fraught? become an alumni association member Join WMU-Cooley's worldwide network of over 21,000 colleagues, experts, and friends. Benefit from the national and international conversation by becoming a member of the WMU-Cooley Alumni Association. career counseling for law school graduates WMU-Cooley Law School works hard to help alumni reach their professional goals. You are encouraged to utilize the Career and Professionalism Office as a graduate of the Law School. advance your career with an ll.m. degree Advance your legal career by earning a Master of Laws degree. When it’s time to give your legal career a boost, you can do it in less time with our innovative LL.M. programs. Whether you’re a recent law graduate or a current practitioner, an LL.M. degree from WMU-Cooley allows you to advance your legal knowledge in as little as one year. 50th anniversary special edition of benchmark magazine WMU-Cooley Law School will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary milestone for the law school, starting with the day the law school was incorporated on June 19, 1972. The theme for the June 2022 edition is Looking Back to See the Future. The focus for the December 2022 Benchmark Special Anniversary issue is Looking Forward to Honor our Past. We encourage you to send us 1-20 words to honor the history of Cooley Law School and your support in both issues. Plus, if you have any good news to share in Class Notes, please send it to communications@cooley.edu no later than May 15 to make it in the June 2022 Benchmark Magazine. CONNECT WITH US       WMU-Cooley Law School 300 S. Capitol Avenue \| Lansing, MI 48933 USA You received this email because you subscribed to WMU-Cooley Alumni from WMU-Cooley Law School. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. Unsubscribe from all future emails   |
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