WMU-Cooley Law School served 402 individuals during its “Michigan’s New Expungement Policies – Know Your Rights” Expungement Fair on Friday, April 28. Of those 402 who were screened for eligibility prior to and during the event, 151 individuals were eligible to have their records expunged under the current guidelines, including 77 walk-ins on the day of the event.

“At WMU-Cooley’s Expungement Fair, the people we served were grateful for the assistance we were able to provide. We were proud to work with the local legal community to help those whose lives may have been disrupted by poor decisions of the past that resulted in a felony or misdemeanor conviction,” said WMU-Cooley Law School President and Dean James McGrath. “Often people are passed over for employment or housing opportunities due to prior convictions. It is our hope that the people we served and educated during our expungement fair are no longer held back from achieving their goals. We want to make sure that they are recognized for the people they have become  - and not for some poor choices they made years ago.”

“WMU-Cooley’s Expungement Fair was outstanding because it showcased everything that is amazing about Cooley,” said Christi Henke, director of WMU-Cooley’s Academic Resource Center. “Our students  worked tirelessly, our graduates showed up to give back and various other members of the community served as attorneys, notaries and volunteers that helped to ease people through the process.”

The event was held in conjunction with Safe & Just Michigan, Legal Services of South Central Michigan, and Capital Area Michigan Works! Attendees and hosts included: State Representative Emily Dievendorf, State Representative Kara Hope, Senator Sarah Anthony, and Lansing Mayor Andy Schor.

Expungement removes arrests and convictions from a person’s public criminal record. Criminal offenses that have been expunged are no longer accessible to employers or landlords. Michigan law has always allowed for expungements, but the “Clean Slate” legislation enacted in 2020 made more individuals and offenses eligible for expungement. This process became available to the public in 2021. On April 11, 2023, the automatic expungement provisions went into effect, allowing for the automatic expungement of some felonies and misdemeanors. Under the new law, individuals with up to three expungement-eligible felonies and any number of misdemeanors can have their records expunged. Certain traffic violations and first-time operating while intoxicated offenses can be expunged. Additionally, misdemeanor marijuana convictions that would not have been considered crimes after recreational marijuana was legalized in Michigan can be expunged.

Photo 1: Pictured from left to right: State Representative Emily Dievendorf, State Representative Kara Hope, and Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, at the WMU-Cooley Law School Expungement Fair on Friday, April 28.

Photo 2: WMU-Cooley Law School President and Dean James McGrath with student Cindy Renteria at the WMU-Cooley Law School Expungement Fair on Friday, April 28.

Photo 3: 54B District Court Administrator Nicole Evans, left, and Senator Sarah Anthony at the WMU-Cooley Law School Expungement Fair on Friday, April 28.

Photo 4: WMU-Cooley Law School served 402 individuals during its “Michigan’s New Expungement Policies – Know Your Rights” Expungement Fair on Friday, April 28.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Florida will hold an all-women naturalization ceremony Friday, March 3, at 10 a.m., at Cooley Law School’s Tampa Bay campus, 9445 Camden Field Pkwy, Riverview, Florida.

The ceremony, which includes the Oath of Allegiance, will be the final step to citizenship for 55 candidates. Before the oath is administered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda Sansone, of the Middle District of Florida, Cooley Assistant Dean Katherine Gustafson will provide opening  remarks.

The 55 citizenship candidates originate from 30 countries: Albania, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Latvia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Venezuela and Vietnam.

On Thursday, Oct. 26, Cooley Law School hosted its annual Law Review Symposium, which featured an in-depth look at affirmative action. 

During the virtual symposium, panelists discussed the current and future consequences of the most recent Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. In their decision, the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and overruled 45 years of precedent established in prior Supreme Court decisions. The Court’s ruling continues to allow colleges to consider how race has affected a student’s life and their ability to contribute to the educational institution. Panelists for the event, who led a passionate discussion on the topic, included Cooley Law School Professor and retired Brigadier General Michael C.H. McDaniel and Loyola University Chicago School of Law Professor Juan Perea. Cooley professor Brendan Beery moderated the panel discussion.  

“The Supreme Court continues its attack on continuity, stare decisis and its own credibility,” said McDaniel. “In Dobbs, the Court rejected, after 40 years, the right of women in the U.S. to make personal medical decisions.  Since the landmark Bakke case in 1977, the Supreme Court has held that diversity of ideas and thought, the championing of debate in the search for both consensus and truth, was a compelling government interest that survived strict judicial scrutiny. Twenty years ago, in Grutter, the Supreme Court affirmed that decision, in a case involving admissions at the University of Michigan law school, noting that diversity does not refer to just racial and ethnic diversity.

“In Students for Fair Admissions, after 44 years of state institutions' efforts to achieve that salutary goal, the Court has rejected that diversity, has rejected the need for our public institutions to embrace a diversity of thought and opinions,” McDaniel continued. “The Court did so by rejecting the standard explicitly endorsed in Grutter. The disregard by the Court for its own precedents affects not just the credibility of the Court. Universities have expended millions of dollars since Grutter attempting to meet the Court's guidance and to build generations of students capable of working and leading in a multicultural society and a global economy.”

Perea added: “This symposium provided an excellent forum for discussing the Supreme Court’s most recent decision on affirmative action and its implications for higher education. Notwithstanding the Court’s decision and rhetoric, there has never been anything wrong with colleges and universities attempting to remedy their histories of race discrimination by including members of groups they previously excluded.”

Cooley Law School hosted its annual Law Review Symposium, which featured an in-depth look at affirmative action.

Cooley Law School’s Tampa Bay campus student chapter of the Florida State Bar Real Property, Probate, and Trust Section, (RPPTS) and the 10CORE® Law Society will host the forum “Redevelopment After Destruction for Tenants and Homeowners” on March 18, from 9 a.m.-noon.

In September 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated families living in Florida, particularly along its southwestern coast. To help families and neighbors in hurricane-prone areas, RPPTS and 10CORE® Law will host the virtual forum that will discuss available resources, and answer questions participants may have regarding hurricane damage and destruction to their homes. During the event, lawyers, real estate professionals, and other officials will provide information on FEMA rights, filing insurance claims, and how to avoid being defrauded.

The forum will be moderated by RPPTS President Jacob Goss and Professor Florise Neville-Ewell. Forum participants include:

* Jason Fletcher, Fletcher Legal Group

* John Lawless, disaster relief attorney, Bay Areal Legal Services

* Julie Torrez, Law Office of Richard D. Saba

* Yveline Dalmacy, Eviction Defense Unit of Nassau Suffolk Law Services

Founded by Housing and Real Estate Law Professor Florise Neville-Ewell, the 10CORE® Law Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that has provided public outreach in Michigan, Florida, Georgia and Maryland. Neville-Ewell teaches Contracts, Ethics, Property, and Real Estate Finance, leads student clinics, and is the host of the Housing Gap Podcast, a podcast dedicated to educating tenants and homeowners.

The event will be held Saturday, March 18, 2023, with the Homeowners Forum running 9 a.m.-10:25 a.m. and the Tenants Forum: 10:30 a.m.-noon.

Cooley Law School’s Moot Court team competed in the 32nd Annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition in New York City March 2-4. The Cooley team included William Bowman, Nick Prowse, and Stephanie McKinney. They are coached by Cooley graduates Coaches Lauren Simasko and Brandon Ayers.

Jointly sponsored by St. John’s Law and the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), the annual Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition is one of the nation’s preeminent moot court competitions. It promotes and recognizes the finest oral and written advocacy on significant issues in bankruptcy practice.

Student teams representing law schools from across the country argue in at least two preliminary rounds on alternating sides. Bankruptcy practitioners judge the preliminary rounds and briefs, and leading appellate and bankruptcy judges preside in the advanced rounds.

The legal situation posed to the competitors for this competition included whether post-petition, pre-conversion increase in equity in a debtor’s property inures to the benefit of the debtor or to the bankruptcy estate upon conversion of a case from chapter 13 to chapter 7; and whether Chapter 7 trustee may sell, as property of the bankruptcy estate, the ability to avoid and recover transfers.  

Bowman and Prowse, both second-term law students, competed as petitioner’s counsel in the first and third round. The two flourished and the judges recognized the pair with positive feedback noting their “ability to maintain a dialogue, high-level understanding of the issues, and impactful use of case law.”

In the second round, Bowman and McKinney competed as respondent’s counsel. Coach Simasko said, “they both had some of their strongest moments of the whole process. McKinney approached the argument with a no-nonsense demeanor that radiated throughout the round.”  

Though the team did not advance to the final round, Simasko said, “It was incredible to see so much growth amongst the team, both in skills and confidence. They approached the NYC rounds eager to show off their skills and each performed at the highest level we have seen so far. Ayers and I are so proud to have been their coaches and know they have bright legal futures ahead.” 

Photo Courtesy Kara Marie Photography: Pictured (left to right) William Bowman, Stephanie McKinney, Coach Lauren Simasko, Professor Martha Moore, Coach Brandon Ayers, and Nick Prowse.

Cooley Law School Professor Ret. Brigadier General Michael C.H. McDaniel spoke to a group of citizens about the importance of the U.S. military during a Veterans Day event hosted by the Lansing Board of Water and Light on Wednesday, Nov. 8.

“When you think about Homeland Security or Law Enforcement or Board of Water and Light workers, we are working best when the public does not think about us and they forget that we are even there, applying essential services,” said McDaniel, who served as Michigan’s first homeland security adviser. “That is true for the U.S. military worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of service members are in over 80 countries around the world, to assure peace, and if not peace, at least stability.”

The event focused on the importance of the nation’s military services throughout the years and how veterans are in need of support long after they’ve returned home.

“There are over 2.3 million American veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and at least 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD and/or depression,” said McDaniel, who detailed national data about veterans suffering from PTSD, substance abuse and suicide. “Fifty percent of those with PTSD do not seek treatment, and out of the half that seek treatment, only half of them get ‘minimally adequate’ treatment. These statistics are sobering and often ignored.”

McDaniel delivered message to the nation’s veterans, echoing the words of first U.S. President George Washington in his speech to the Connecticut troops before their enlistment ran out during the Siege of Boston in 1775:

“Your exertions in the cause of freedom, guided by wisdom and animated by zeal and courage, have gained you the love and confidence of your grateful countrymen; and they look to you, who are experienced veterans, and trust that you will still be the guardians of America. More human glory and happiness may depend upon your exertions than ever yet depended upon any sons of men. He that is a soldier in defense of such a cause, needs not title; his post is a post of honor, and although not an emperor, yet he shall wear a crown—of glory—and blessed will be his memory.

McDaniel concluded, “Veterans, blessed will be your memory. Thank you. God Bless the United States of America.

Cooley Law School Professor Ret. Brigadier General Michael McDaniel spoke to a group of citizens about the importance of the U.S. military during a Veterans Day event hosted by the Lansing Board of Water and Light.

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.

Attorney and advocate Robyn McCoy will be the keynote presenter during WMU-Cooley Law School’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Day commemoration.

McCoy has received numerous awards for her commitment to social justice and has traveled extensively for the organization of programs that promote equal justice for all people. The presentation is part of the law school’s monthly Community Conversations series and will be held virtually beginning at noon on January 17. 
McCoy, who was mentored by first lady Michelle Obama, is a part-time lecturer at Eastern Michigan University and teaches the course “Law and the African American Experience.” She was a legislative assistant to State Representative Ronnie Peterson and is currently a partner with McCoy & Associates, PLLC located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She specializes in criminal defense, family law, education advocacy, estate planning, probate, wrongful death, and personal injury. 

The virtual event will be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, noon-1 p.m. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the virtual event by signing up at https://info.cooley.edu/community-conversations

 

WATCH THE MLK DAY COOLEY COMMUNITY CONVERSATION HERE. 

The 32nd annual Cooley Classic Golf Benefit in support of the law school’s Student Scholarship Fund was held on June 20 at Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath, Michigan. The event had 90 golfers in attendance and raised $3,000 for the scholarship fund. The winning teams of the four-person scramble were DK Security and our all-student Cooley team, who both finished 15 under par. 

Photo on left: DK Security Senior VP and CFO, Zach Simmons (left) along with his teammates DJ Benedict, Shamus O'Keefe, and Bryan Cranston shot 15 under par to capture a first place finish in the 2023 Cooley Golf Classic.

Photo on right: All student team (L-R) John Carley, Jamie Linnell, James Ward, and Charles Bloomfield also came in first place with 15 under par. 

WMU-Cooley graduate Vincent Welicka (third from left) has played in every Cooley Classic Golf Outing since its inception.

(L-R) Cooley Alumni Association Immediate Past President Susie Harris, Cooley Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations Bill Arnold, Cooley President James McGrath, and Cooley ESS Professional Cynthia Brown. 

(L-R) Julie Brennan, with Cooley graduates the Hon. Thomas Brennan Jr., Liisa Speaker, and Jordan Sutton.

(L-R) Cooley graduate Larry Kish, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Terry Cavanaugh, Professor Ret. Brig. General Michael C.H. McDaniel, and Professor Dustin Foster.

 

Western Michigan University Cooley Law School has announced students Melissa Bianchi and Stephen J. Tobler have been appointed as fellows to the American Bar Association’s Legal Education Police Practices Consortium. They were selected to research public data about local and state law enforcement agencies.

Several dozen law school deans created the consortium in 2020 in response to police killings and use of force in primarily black communities and recognition of the need for a centralized database for much of this information, especially at the national level. The data shared could lead to better policing policies and practices, and promote collaboration, where appropriate, between law schools and local police departments. This term’s fellowship comprises 40 students from 28 law schools representing 18 states, including Washington, D.C. The consortium has 60 member law schools across the country.

Bianchi learned of the opportunity through the recommendation of a professor after writing a scholarly paper about how the “Defund the Police” slogan negatively impacts law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Her research highlighted that more effective training for officers is a better solution than defunding. If states can standardize training and operating procedures through their state’s attorney general, this solution might help resolve the misconduct issues, she explained.

A shared passion Bianchi has with the consortium stems from a Margaret Mead quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Bianchi hopes to accomplish a positive change for law enforcement agencies with her fellow Cooley colleague and the fellows across the country.

Tobler has conducted risk assessments of over 1,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide. He has provided use-of-force and other law enforcement training to individuals at the basic police academy, and in-service: basic, advanced, and instructor levels. Tobler also served on the WMU-Cooley Law review..

Tobler said he is excited about the opportunity to help keep officers safe while being appropriately effective in assisting their communities.