Cooley Law School Associate Dean of Academics and Professor Tonya Krause-Phelan has been selected as a member of Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2023 Class of Influential Women of the Law. Each year, the Women of the Law program honors women attorneys and judges for their excellent work on behalf of the justice system and for their clients, their commitment to their communities and their service to the profession.
In addition to Criminal Law, Krause-Phelan teaches Criminal Procedure, Defending Battered Women, Criminal Sentencing, and Ethics in Criminal Cases. She is currently making strides to improve the law school community and student curriculum by actively engaging with faculty on identifying the key objectives, as well as roles and responsibilities of a full-scale curriculum review.
“Dean Krause-Phelan’s leadership reaches beyond the classroom,” said Tracey Brame, Cooley professor and director of the Cooley Law School Innocence Project. “She is a mentor to students, a committed change-maker, and a servant to the law. Evidence of her commitment and passion can be seen in public defender, prosecutor, and public service offices across our community, where her former students are carrying on her torch.”
Before joining the ranks of academia, Krause-Phelan began her legal career working as an assistant public defender at the Kent County Office of the Defender. While a defender, she handled and tried all types of felony cases ranging from shoplifting to murder. After three years as a defender, she moved to private practice, specializing in criminal defense where she represented both appointed and retained clients in both state and federal courts. While still practicing, she began her teaching career as an adjunct professor at Ferris State University where she taught both Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure to criminal justice majors
In addition to Krause-Phelan, Cooley graduates Stephanie Arndt, Christensen Law; Jennifer Hetu, Bodman; Mary Pat Meyers, Meyers Law; and Lori K. Smith, O’Reilly Rancilio are among the 35 lawyers selected for this year’s honor.
An awards luncheon honoring the nominees will be held on Sept. 22 at Petruzzello’s in Troy.