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JANUARY 2024 I  QUARTERLY PUBLICATON FOR COOLEY ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE

Dear Alumni and Friends, 

Cooley Law School has a long tradition of graduates whose successful legal careers include serving on the bench at the local, state, and federal levels. We are extremely proud of the contributions these individuals have made to the profession and to the communities they serve. 

Bill Arnold

In addition to maintaining a list of these individuals on the school’s website, the June 2024 issue of Benchmark magazine will include a new annual feature to celebrate all alumni who were elected or appointed to the bench this past year. 

This is where we are asking for your assistance. Please take a moment to review our list of judges and elected officials on the website.

If you or someone you know is a judge and your name(s) does not appear on the list, please complete the ONLINE FORM. Thank you in advance for helping us with this effort.

We look forward to celebrating these and other alumni in upcoming issues of Benchmark magazine.  Please scroll down to see information about upcoming alumni events and to meet the newest member of the Advancement and Alumni Relations staff.

Very truly, Bill Arnold, Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations

 
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WELCOME SHAMEKA!

Shameka Conwell is Cooley's new associate director of advancement and alumni relations. Working from the Tampa Bay campus, Shameka will assume responsibilities of working with the Alumni Board and Alumni Association, as well as managing alumni engagement activities and working on the annual giving campaign. A native Floridian, originally from Miami, she and her family have settled in the Tampa area. Shameka is a graduate of the University of South Florida with a Communications degree.

She has been working in the non-profit sector for most of her career and joins Cooley from her most recent position as a scholarship manager and development associate at the Hillsborough Community College Foundation in Tampa. 

DIALOGUE WITH DEAN JAMES MCGRATH 

We are launching a new Dialogue with the Dean series. This web-based series is an opportunity for alumni to talk with President and Dean James McGrath about some of the latest developments at Cooley Law School, as well as about national trends in legal education and the legal profession. Join us on Wednesday, March 27 from 5:00-6:00 p.m. (EST) for the inaugural event in this series.  
REGISTER NOW
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SHARE successes
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We know our alumni are making an impact and achieving incredible success in their communities. Whether it is achieving that big settlement for a client, waging a successful defense, closing a landmark deal, negotiating a great contract, or completing a significant corporate acquisition, we want to recognize and celebrate those successes broadly.

In April, we will begin Success Spots in the quarterly Benchmark Column newsletter and starting this June, the Benchmark magazine will include a new Success Stories section featuring several stories about noteworthy alumni successes.

Although modesty is a virtue, it is still okay to be proud of your accomplishments. Please take a moment to let us know about your latest big win success story so we can, in turn, Share Your Success with others in the Cooley community. 
SHARE YOUR SUCCESSES

COOLEY GOLF CLASSIC
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If you enjoy being on the greens, please mark your calendar to join us for the 33rd annual Cooley Golf Classic – Monday, June 17 at the Eagle Eye Golf Course in Bath, MI. Eagle Eye is one of the top 10 public golf courses in Michigan. 

This four-person team, best-ball scramble is a great opportunity to reconnect with former classmates and friends as well as meet other alumni, faculty, and staff. And perhaps best of all, all proceeds benefit the student scholarship fund. So not only are you getting to enjoy a round of golf on one of Michigan’s top courses, you are supporting the next generation of Cooley students.  

Keep an eye on your email. Online registration will open in March.
ALUMNI EVENTS

STUDENT FEATURE

Cooley Dean's Fellow Carter Lewis loved math and science growing up. Despite his father, John Lewis, being a lawyer, and his two siblings, Marco, and Camille, in law school, he decided he wanted to go in a different direction.

But after college and spending some time working in a law firm, Carter couldn't ignore the obvious. He was meant to be a lawyer.

Not only was Carter a chip off the old block like his father, who enjoyed a 30-year legal career as a no-fault attorney after graduating from Cooley Law School, he was ready to prove himself. 
READ MORE
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JUNE22

CHARTER DAY AND ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND 

Please make plans to attend this year’s Charter Day and Alumni Reunion Weekend festivities June 21-22, 2024.  Events will take place on both campuses starting Friday evening and continuing throughout the day Saturday culminating with a Charter Day Commemoration in the evening. All alumni are invited to return for the reunion weekend and there will be specific decade reunion gatherings for those alumni who graduated in years ending in four – 2014, 2004, 1994, 1984. 
MARK YOUR CALENDAR

OFFICIAL BLOG 

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

READ 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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