Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Blog

With Halloween just a few dark and dreary days away, many individuals have begun sharing ghost stories among their friends and family. Some stories may include tales about a neighborhood home that is suspected of having paranormal activity. While many times these stories are just stories, in some instances a homeowner may believe their house is, indeed, haunted and questioning whether disclosing this information is a must before putting their home on the market.

My Contracts students know how much I revere Justice Benjamin Cardozo (1870-1938). Teaching his opinion in Wood v. Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon has been a particular delight. And I have blogged about him here and here.

With campuses in Michigan and Florida, WMU-Cooley Law School professors are available to speak with members of the media regarding various issues facing the nation’s Nov. 3 elections. If you are interested in speaking with any of WMU-Cooley's legal experts, or securing their election night availability, please feel free to contact Tyler Lecceadone at SeyferthPR, the PR partner for WMU-Cooley Law School, at 616-776-3511 or email Lecceadone@seyferthpr.com

It has happened again. A candidate for the Michigan Supreme Court has declared, “It is incumbent upon our state’s highest court to enforce and not make the law.” I have written about this mischaracterization of the role of our state’s highest court before, but a reminder seems in order. Here is an abridged version of my op-ed column in the Detroit News several election cycles ago:

Blog author, Constitutional Law expert and WMU-Cooley Professor Brendan Beery gives his legal opinion on why the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg represents a death far beyond her loss as a human being. It may mean a death of her life's work. Professor Beery, a summa cum laude graduate of the law school, teaches Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Criminal Procedure at WMU-Cooley Law School, and is a frequent legal expert in the media.

Associate Dean and Ret. Brig. Gen. Michael C.H. McDaniel and Associate Dean Tracey Brame spoke during the The 18th annual West Michigan Community Day Day of Remembrance and Scout Salute to pay honors to those who died during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Below is the speech by Gen. McDaniel.

Blog author Marla Mitchell-Cichon, is the director of WMU-Cooley Law School’s Innocence Project. She has been recognized many times in her career for her commitment to right the wrongs in our criminal justices system. She has received the State Bar of Michigan’s Champion of Justice Award, Michigan Lawyers Weekly 30 Leaders in the Law, and Ingham County Bar Association’s Leo A. Farhat Outstanding Lawyer Award to name a few.

Blog author WMU-Cooley Distinguished Professor Emeritus Otto Stockmeyer devoted 35 years to teaching first-year law courses. In an update of a 2017 blog post he offers his thoughts on the important role of the first year in training successful lawyers.

This opinion blog piece was written by WMU-Cooley Law School Assistant Dean Victoria V. Vuletich. Professor Vuletich has expertise in legal ethics, the regulation of the legal profession and drafting and proposing administrative rules relating to the legal profession. She also has expertise in the restructuring of the legal profession and its implications for the profession and the public. You can listen to Professor Vuletich on Michigan's Big Show. 

Here at WMU-Cooley fall classes are beginning. New students will quickly learn that first-term courses do not include Vocabulary 101. Rather, students are expected to master the law’s terminology on their own, by looking up every word in their assigned cases that they don’t understand.