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Amicus
M I C H I G A N
S T A T E
U N I V E R S I T Y
C O L L E G E
O F
L A W
SPRING 2014
Alternative Dispute Resolution
TRAINING TOMORROW’S PROBLEM-SOLVERS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Kelley Institute Hosts Senator Levin Talk on “Nuclear Option”
MSU Law Honors TPI Founding Director John Pirich
Leader Cultivates DCL–MSU Affiliation, Finds Spartan Roots
MANAGING EDITOR
Erika Marzorati, ’13
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Tina Kashat Casoli
April Jones
Erika Marzorati, ’13
Diane Mattick
Brett Polen
Sheila Pursglove
Ann Marie Scholten
PHOTOGRAPHY
Tom Gennara
Ann Marie Scholten
Kimberly Wilkes
MSU Communications and Brand Strategy
Jeffrey Zenner
In This Issue
DESIGN
Brenda J. Sanborn
Marina Csomor, Intern
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lou Anna K. Simon, President
Linda M. Orlans, ’87, Chair
Frederick D. Dilley, ’75, Vice Chair
Raymond R. Behan, ’60
Hon. M. Scott Bowen
Elaine Fieldman, ’76
Clif Haley, ’61, President Emeritus
Charles A. Janssen
Maurice G. Jenkins, ’81
Charles E. Langton, ’87
Douglas Laycock
Hon. David W. McKeague
Richard D. McLellan
Colleen M. McNamara
Michael G. Morris, ’81
Bryan T. Newland, ’07
James M. Nicholson
Donald Nystrom, ’00
Stacy L. Erwin Oakes, ’01
David L. Porteous
G. Scott Romney
TRUSTEES EMERITI
Hon. Marianne O. Battani, ’72
Joseph J. Buttigieg III, ’75
Richard W. Heiss, ’63, President Emeritus
Edwin W. Jakeway, ’61
Hon. Norman L. Lippitt, ’60
John D. O’Hair, ’54
Peter J. Palmer, ’68
Kenneth J. Robinson
John F. Schaefer, ’69
David J. Sparrow, ’51 (posthumous)
Hon. Richard F. Suhrheinrich, ’63,
President Emeritus
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Brian Hall, ’07, President
Howard Victor, ’77, President-Elect
Karolyn Bignotti, ’09, Vice President
Bryan Melvin III, ’77, Treasurer
Octavio Duran Jr., ’11, Secretary
Daniel Bliss, ’87, Parliamentarian
Anthony Beckneck, ’11
Ugo Buzzi, ’08
Sherri Marie Carr, ’07
Mario Cascante, ’10
Jerome Crawford, ’12
Ronald Estes, ’05
Kimberly Gehling, ’11
James Geroux, ’70
Colleen Kelly Gomos, ’07
Beverly Helm, ’80
Elinor Jordan, ’11
Todd Levitt, ’92
Aaron Lloyd, ’10
Brian T. Lynch, ’05
Jeffery Sattler, ’08
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Alternative Dispute Resolution
TRAINING TOMORROW’S PROBLEM-SOLVERS
20
35
A Message from the Dean..................................................................................2
Kelley Institute Hosts Senator Levin Talk on “Nuclear Option”..........3
Board of Trustees Welcomes New Members..............................................4
MSU Law Honors TPI Founding Director John Pirich.............................5
Congratulations, Graduates!..............................................................................6
Outstanding Advocates......................................................................................8
MSU Law Welcomes New Faculty Members.............................................. 11
ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION:
TRAINING TOMORROW’S PROBLEM-SOLVERS...................................... 12
Scholarly Events................................................................................................... 18
6 26
MSU Law on the Road....................................................................................... 29
»» Los Angeles Area Grads Gather around Holidays
»» BLSA Honors Alumni and Members
»» MSU Law Heads to Boca Raton
»» Honigman Sponsors Kalamazoo Alumni Reception
»» Macomb County Alumni Show Support
»» Foster Swift Hosts Law Review Reception
»» Spartan Supporters Mingle in DC
»» JLS Raises Scholarship Support
»» MSU Law and the Great Outdoors
»» Host an Upcoming Event!
Law Firms and Businesses are Up for a Challenge................................35
Class of 2014 Gives Back..................................................................................35
Alumni Association Pledges $100,000 to MSU Law............................ 36
Public Interest Law Society Raises $5,000 for Scholarship............. 36
Talsky Center News............................................................................................. 21
ReInvent Law Laboratory News..................................................................... 21
Faculty Highlights.............................................................................................. 22
A Message from the Office of Advancement.......................................... 24
Sports and Entertainment Law Experts Share Stories........................ 25
Alumni Create LGBT Scholarship................................................................. 25
Archer to Chair ABA Task Force on
Cost of Attending Law School....................................................................... 25
Leader Cultivates DCL–MSU Affiliation, Finds Spartan Roots.......... 26
Alum Grateful For Law Degree, Supports DCL Plaza.......................... 28
Classmates, Fellow Alumni Raise Funds
to Remember Carole Youngblood................................................................37
Donors Support Scholarships, Reduce Student Debt.......................... 38
»» Barrister’s Ball Scholarship
»» Alton “Tom” Davis Moot Court Scholarship
»» Faculty Endowed Scholarship
»» Jackson Lewis Labor and Employment Law Scholarship
»» Michigan State Law Review Scholarship
»» Noah Dobson Cooper Indigenous Law Scholarship
»» Joseph A. Lupton Jr. Memorial Scholarship
Passionate about Public Service..................................................................40
Alumni Notes......................................................................................................... 41
In Memoriam......................................................................................................... 43
Circle of Friends..................................................................................................44
Upcoming Events.............................................................................. Back Cover
Amicus is published by Michigan State University College of Law, Law College Building, 648 N. Shaw Lane, Room 320, East Lansing, MI 48824-1300. Reproduction or use, in whole or in part, by
any means and without the express written consent of the publisher, is prohibited. Manuscripts, artwork, and photographs are submitted at the sender’s risk; please enclose a self-addressed,
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any editorial material. Submission of letters implies the right to reproduce same in magazine. Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of this magazine or the Law College. No article herein
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financial obligation incurred by Michigan State University College of Law. The Law College is an independent institution that is not financially supported by MSU or the State.
A MESSAGE from the Dean
Today’s successful lawyers
are defined by their ability
to effectively advocate for
clients well beyond the
courtroom. They are skilled
listeners, communicators,
and collaborators. They are
problem solvers.
Th is issue of Amicus
highlights our Alternative
Dispute Resolution program.
The program—led by Professors Mary Bedikian and Brian
Pappas—offers Michigan State Law students the tools to solve
clients’ problems. Students learn negotiation, mediation, and
arbitration techniques in program coursework, and practice
their skills through school-sponsored ADR competition teams,
externships, and clinics.
The practice pays off. Our arbitration team brought home
their fifth straight regional championship last fall. The spring
semester was our mediators’ turn to shine, with students
earning a total of ten individual and team awards at two
mediation tournaments. Our trial and appellate moot court
teams also won numerous honors and our Black Law Students
Association was named the region’s “Chapter of the Year,”
rounding out an impressive season for MSU Law students.
This issue also features many Law College community
members who work to solve important problems for their
clients, communities, and profession. Professors Barbara
O’Brien and Benjamin Edwards made national headlines
with new studies revealing dramatic failures in the criminal
justice and securities regulation systems, respectively. O’Brien
uncovered a disturbing rate of wrongful death sentences in
her work, while Edwards’ study showing holes in protections
for investors sparked calls for reform.
Professor Anne Lawton is working on U.S. Bankruptcy
Code reforms. Her goal is to make sure solutions are
appropriately tailored to actual—rather than perceived—
problems. Professor Adam Candeub has his eye on problems
that are just starting to percolate around popular mobile
medical applications.
The efforts of our alumni are similarly inspiring. Many—
including President Emeritus Clif Haley—made generous
donations to support key programs at the Law College.
Prominent alumnus Dennis Archer will address the crippling
problem of student debt at its roots as he leads an American
Bar Association task force on controlling the costs of
law school.
I am pleased to share the stories of Nida Samona, who paved
the way for Chaldean-American women in southeast Michigan,
and Maureen Thomas, often the only female in the room in
her construction field work. Both help solve problems through
tireless volunteer work within their communities. Our
students are fortunate to have so many dedicated supporters
and outstanding role models.
As always, thank you to the many alumni and friends who
support Michigan State Law, both financially and with gifts of
time. Your generosity inspires us all and ensures the continued
success of MSU Law and our future problem solvers.
Warm regards,
Joan W. Howarth
Dean, Michigan State University College of Law
KELLEY INSTITUTE
Hosts Senator Levin Talk
on “Nuclear Option”
U.S. Senator Carl Levin
Michigan State University College of Law’s Frank J. Kelley
Institute of Ethics & the Legal Profession hosted U.S. Senator
Carl Levin on December 6, 2013, for a talk on the political
tactic known as the “nuclear option.”
Last November, Senate Democrats used the hotly
contested procedure to prevent filibusters on certain
judicial nominations. Frustrated by Republican efforts to
block President Barack Obama’s nominees, the Democratic
majority changed the Senate rules to enable themselves
to cut off debate and allow confirmation votes with a
simple majority, rather than the two-thirds supermajority
previously required.
Levin, who voted against his party’s use of the nuclear
option—which he calls “changing the rules by violating the
rules”—discussed the ethical dimensions of a process that
allows the majority to alter Senate rules at will.
“Most people are interested in outcomes and results, and
don’t focus on process,” he observed. “But as lawyers—and
in this particular institute named after Frank Kelley, which
focuses on ethics—the question of how you accomplish
something becomes very, very critical. It’s not just whether
you do it, but how you achieve it.”
Unlike the House of Representatives, Levin noted, “the
Senate is not a place, until now, where the majority rules
because the Senate is a place that protects the minority.”
Quoting Vice President Joe Biden, he added, “The nuclear
option abandons America’s sense of fair play.”
www.law.msu.edu
(from left) Frank Kelley and
U.S. Senator Carl Levin
Levin closed the Institute’s annual lecture by urging current
and future rule-makers to find ways to compromise. “What
all of us have to do is now look for ways that we can, through
justifiable means, try to achieve the ends of government,
which is to govern.” Citing other recent debates involving
the government shutdown and credit ratings, he added, “I
hope we can learn enough from those painful lessons to bring
about a more civil, a more thoughtful, and a more restrained,
approach to the problems that we must face together.”
Michigan’s longest-serving U.S. senator, Levin has won
six U.S. Senate elections, the first in 1978. His first legal job
after graduating from Harvard Law School was under then
Michigan Attorney General Frank Kelley. Levin also served
as general counsel for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission
and spent seven years on the Detroit City Council.
“We were delighted to host Senator Levin for this year’s
lecture,” said Professor Hannah Brenner, who co-directs
the Kelley Institute. “Senator Levin’s firsthand connection
with our Institute’s namesake made this year’s lecture
particularly special.”
(from left) Frank Kelley, Professor Renee Knake, Professor Hannah Brenner,
Dean Joan Howarth, and U.S. Senator Carl Levin
Frank J. Kelley
institute of ethics
& the Legal Profession
Named for Frank J. Kelley, the longest-serving attorney general in U.S.
history, the Kelley Institute builds upon the dedication, professionalism, and
ethical code that marked Kelley’s career, including his 37 years of service to
the State of Michigan. The Institute’s annual lecture is a cornerstone of the
effort to bring legal thought leaders to the MSU Law campus.
3
Board of Trustees Welcomes
NEW MEMBERS
The Michigan State University College of Law Board of
Trustees welcomed three new members this winter. All three
are Law College graduates.
“We are delighted to have three distinguished members of
the legal community join the Law College Board of Trustees,”
said Board Chair Linda Orlans, ’87. “Our new trustees
attribute much of their personal and professional success to
their legal education. Our commitment to supporting our Law
College has never been more important.”
Cary McGehee, ’89, a founding
partner of Pitt McGehee Palmer
Rivers & Golden, specializes in
employment and civil rights
litigation. She has successfully tried
cases involving retaliation and
sexual harassment, Family and
Medical Leave Act violations, and
all other forms of discrimination.
McGehee won the Public
Justice Foundation’s Trial Lawyer of the Year award and other
honors for her work in Neal v. Michigan Department of
Corrections—a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of more than
500 female prisoners who were sexually assaulted by male
guards. A former professional basketball player and current
NCAA Division I women’s basketball official, McGehee was
elected Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment
Lawyers in 2012. She chairs the Michigan Coalition for Human
Rights Board of Directors, serves on the Michigan Association
for Justice Employment Law Committee, and is on the
advisory boards for the American Civil Liberties Union and
Michigan Interfaith Trust Fund.
Mayer “Mike” Morganroth, ’54,
i s t he s e n ior p a r t ne r o f
Morganroth & Morganroth,
which he formed in 1989 with his
son, Jeffrey. A recognized expert
in a wide range of practice areas,
Morganroth has handled legal
matters in virtually every field of
law during his six-decade-long
career. He has performed both
4
plaintiff and defense work and has handled arbitrations,
mediations, and appeals in jurisdictions across the United
States and in Europe, the Middle East, Canada, and Latin
America. He also has served as a court-appointed facilitator
and expert witness.
Morganroth has also worked as an entertainment industry
consultant on several motion pictures and represented highprofile clients in many widely publicized cases. His clients
have included lawyers, judges, politicians, professional athletes,
celebrities, and prominent union officials and businessmen.
Morganroth served as lead counsel in numerous high-stakes
cases, including several that resulted in multi-million-dollar
judgments and settlements in favor of his clients.
Jennifer Poteat, ’04, has a solo
legal practice in estate planning
and small business matters.
Poteat, who worked as a German
teacher specializing in advanced
placement t utor i ng be fore
attending Michigan State Law,
has long and varied experience
with nonprofit and philanthropic
organizations.
She has been a trustee of the Harry A. and Margaret D.
Towsley Foundation since 1991, has served as an associate
trustee of the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, and
is a trustee and board secretary for the Ann Arbor Area
Community Foundation. Poteat also sits on the Government
Relations Committee of the Council of Michigan Foundations
and the boards of the Michigan AIDS Coalition and the
Michigan League for Public Policy.
McGehee and Poteat were elected by the Law College Board in
December and March, respectively. Morganroth was appointed by the
MSU Board of Trustees in December.
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
MSU LAW HONORS
TPI Founding Director John Pirich
Michigan State Law honored John Pirich, founding director
of the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute, at a wellattended breakfast reception on April 17.
Professor Pirich this year stepped down as director of the
Trial Practice Institute, a position he held since the program’s
creation 14 years ago. He also teaches courses in the rigorous
two-year certificate program known as one of the most
comprehensive trial practice programs in the country.
“We celebrate and thank John for the extraordinary work
he has done and continues to do for the Trial Practice
Institute,” said Dean Joan Howarth. “TPI is an incredibly
important program—not just here in the building, but one to
be emulated nationally.”
Howarth remarked on the “fundamental values of
friendship, family, work, and love” that exemplify Pirich’s
commitment to the program. “When John Pirich became a
teacher here at MSU Law, when he developed this program,
he fell in love with it,” she noted. “He is deeply engaged, and
he loves working with his students and seeing their best
futures ahead of them.”
“I know I speak for all of us today when I say thank you for
being a true mentor and for guiding us to success,” said
Veronica Valentine McNally, ’04, director of trial advocacy
and Pirich’s former student. “We are, without a doubt, better
people because you were our professor. You have created a
legacy in this program that will last for decades to come. It
is an honor to follow in your footsteps.”
Pirich spoke of launching the intensive program just weeks
before the 2001 World Trade Center attacks. “It was a very
difficult time,” he recalled. The day after the attacks, Pirich
talked to his students about Robert Kennedy’s speech on the
night Dr. Martin Luther King was killed. “Kennedy said, ‘Let
us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years
ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life
of this world.’”
Thanking the crowd of current and former students, faculty
members, trustees, family members, and friends, Pirich offered
his hope for the future. “Let this be our goal: Make this a
better world. Be friendly and helpful and less judgmental, and
make it a better world.”
www.law.msu.edu
1
2
3
4
1. (from left) Dean Joan Howarth, Veronica Valentine McNally, ’04,
and Professor John Pirich
2. (from left) Professor John Pirich and David Foltyn, partner and
CEO of Honigman
3. (from left) Professor Michael Lawrence and Professor John Pirich
4. ( from left) Professor John Pirich, the Honorable Barb Byrum, ’04,
and Charles Lawler, ’04
John Pirich is a partner at Honigman, where he represents clients in
a variety of high-stakes matters. An extremely experienced litigator
who regularly argues cases in state and federal courts at both the
trial and appellate levels, Pirich served as assistant attorney general
for the State of Michigan for three years before entering private
practice. In 2012, he was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder as chair
of the State of Michigan Board of Ethics after 11 years as a member.
5
CONGR ATULATIONS,
GR ADUATES!
Spring 2014 Commencement
Michael Morris, ’81
(from left) Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian Zahra, Professor Philip Pucillo, Alumni Association Board President-Elect
Howard Victor, ’77, Board of Trustees Chair Linda Orlans, ’87, Class President Jason Lee, ’14, Dean Joan Howarth, and student
speaker Anthony DeClercq, ’14
“To the whole world, your clients are just people—
but to your clients, their cases are the whole world.
You are the key to making things right.
You are their champion.”
— Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian Zahra
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Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian Zahra emphasized
the importance of civility and integrity in his spring
commencement address to the Class of 2014 at Michigan
State University’s Breslin Center on May 9.
“What you say and do reflects not just upon you, but upon
the entire legal profession. Remember always that even if
your cause is right, you have no excuse to be rude or insulting.
Even if your cause is right, you have no excuse for not playing
by the rules,” Justice Zahra cautioned. “We all learned the
Golden Rule in kindergarten, and it applies here as well—
treat others as you want to be treated.
“To the whole world, your clients are just people—but to
your clients, their cases are the whole world,” he added. “You
are the key to making things right. You are their champion.”
Zahra was appointed to Michigan’s highest court by
Governor Rick Snyder and won election in November 2012.
He previously served on the Wayne County Circuit Court
and the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Michigan State Law Board of Trustees Chair Linda
Orlans, ’87, and Dean Joan Howarth presided over the spring
graduation exercises. Law degrees were conferred on 325
spring graduates, including two Master of Jurisprudence,
13 Master of Laws, and 310 Juris Doctor candidates. A total of
62 fall 2013 and summer 2014 graduates also were recognized.
Michael Morris, ’81, received the Honorable George N.
Bashara Jr., ’61, Distinguished Alumni Award at the ceremony.
Morris, a member of the MSU Law Board of Trustees, pledged
$100,000 to create the Morris Family Scholarship. He recently
retired as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of
American Electric Power and previously held top positions
www.law.msu.edu
at several other major utility companies. He serves as a
director of the boards of Alcoa, Battelle, Limited Brands,
The Hartford Financial Services Group, and Spectra
Energy Corporation.
“Give back to those who have given to you the opportunity
to be a lawyer,” Morris said to the new class of alumni as he
accepted the honor. “Twenty-five years from now when you
stand in front of graduates who are just as eager as you to go
forward and change the world, remember to whom you owe
that gratitude.”
This year’s faculty speaker, Professor Philip Pucillo,
congratulated graduates for their “mind-blowing” will and
determination and offered words of encouragement on
challenges yet to come. “There will be times when again you
feel the uncertainty, when you feel the exhaustion, when you
feel like you just can’t give anymore. And sometimes you’re
just going to get knocked down,” he said.
“But sooner or later, with your face pressed firmly on
the floor, you will remember what you did here. You will
remember what you are made of. You will remember that
you have been here before, and you have succeeded,” Pucillo
continued. “And you’re going to get up, and you’re going to
dust yourself off, and you are going to keep going. And you’re
going to do that again and again, and you will be successful
again and again.”
New graduate Anthony DeClercq also spoke at the event,
and class member Michael Dagher-Margosian performed the
national anthem. Class President Jason Lee presented the
class gift—a donation to support the Detroit College of Law
Plaza and Legacy Scholarship.
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OUTSTANDING Advocates
Impressive Debut at National
Hispanic Bar Competition
Top Team Mediation Prize at
International Tournament
Michigan State Law 2Ls Jeanette Lugo and Kean
Zimmerman made an impressive showing at the Hispanic
National Bar Association’s 19th Annual Uvaldo Herrera
National Moot Court Competition.
Lugo and Zimmerman—the first team ever to represent
MSU Law at this national competition—won the Best
Petitioner Brief award and individually tied for Best Oral
Advocate. A total of 34 teams participated in this year’s
competition, which was held in Orlando. Professor Tiffani
Darden and several other professors helped the team
prepare for the event.
MSU Law topped 51 teams to win first place in the mediation
category at the INADR International Law School Mediation
Tournament in Chicago. Students competed as both
mediation advocates and mediators at the event.
Team members included 2Ls Sarah Peters, Jessica
Saddler, and Erin Sweeney. Sweeney placed 7th out of 156
individual mediators. The trio advanced to the semifinal
round of 16 in the advocate/client category.
MSU Law’s team of 2L Brian Pike, 3L Lauren Prew, and 2L
Justin Williams also competed as mediators in the semifinals.
Second-year students Dennis Malecki and Annie Norwood
served as student coaches for the tournament.
(from left) Lugo and Zimmerman
Two Teams Make Moot
Competition Quarterfinals
The Law College boasted two of the top eight teams in the
10th Annual Williams Institute Moot Court Competition.
The event is the only national competition dedicated
exclusively to sexual orientation and gender identity law.
The event, held at UCLA School of Law, started with 32
teams; both MSU Law teams that competed placed in the
quarterfinals. Professor Nancy Costello coached the teams,
which included 2L Cameron Day, 3L Rachel Gruetzner,
3L Mary Elizabeth OShei, and 3L Kevin Stokes.
(from left) Pike, Prew, Sweeney, Williams, Peters, Saddler, Malecki,
and Norwood
Students Win Multiple Midwest
BLSA Honors
Michigan State Law earned a range of honors at the 2014
Midwest Region of the Black Law Students Association
(MWBLSA) Convention in Minneapolis. Cortenous (CJ)
Herbert Jr. and Tyler Soellinger—both 2Ls—won the Best
Respondent Brief award out of 74 submitted in MWBLSA’s
Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition.
A team comprised of 3L Ariel Lett and 2Ls Curtis Doster
Jr., Vanessa Henderson, and Calvin Boyd took fourth place
in the conference’s Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial
Competition. MSU BLSA president, 3L Ndidi Okeagu, also
received a trophy for “outstanding leadership and service.”
MSU Law BLSA members later learned they were named
“Chapter of the Year” for the region, which includes more than
50 member schools across 12 states. The honor recognizes the
chapter’s contributions to the Law College and community.
(clockwise, from top left) Stokes, Day, Costello, Gruetzner, and OShei
8
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
The “Best of the Best” championship is an elite competition
open only to the top 16 schools based on 2012–13 rankings.
This was the first year MSU Law, which was ranked 15th in
2013, earned an invitation.
(from left) Soellinger, Herbert, Doster, Henderson, Lett, Boyd, and Okeagu
2nd Place Finish in Niagara
International Competition
MSU Law 3Ls Jason Bart, Dustin Kamerman, and Chelsey
Winchell and 2L Emma Gardiner took second place in the
Niagara International Moot Court Competition held in
Washington, DC.
The competition draws teams from Canada and the United
States to address a hypothetical dispute before the
International Court of Justice. This year’s issues involved
same-sex marriage under international law and paying
ransoms to terrorist groups. Judges included a former
Ambassador to Belgium and former U.S. Secretary of
Transportation Ray LaHood. Professor John Reifenberg and
Reference Librarian Janet Ann Hedin coached the team.
(from left) Copland, Milligan, Miller, and Anthony
Arbitration Team Regional Champs
for 5th Straight Year
The Law College’s arbitration team won first place in the
regional American Bar Association Law Student Division
commercial arbitration competition. This was the fifth
straight year MSU Law claimed the regional title.
Team members included 3L Jalisa Foster, 2L Erin Frazer,
2L Paul Robertson, and 3L Samantha Schnoerr. Foster,
who was the competition alternate, had less than one week to
prepare after being asked to join the team for its trip to White
Plains, New York. Professor Mary Bedikian coached the
team, which placed second after the preliminary rounds, won
the semifinals, and swept the final round before a panel of
three trial judges and a Westchester County prosecutor.
(from left) Gardiner, Winchell, Hedin, Bart, Kamerman, and Reifenberg
Moot Court Team Cements Spot in
National Rankings
(from left) Schnoerr, Robertson, Foster, and Frazer
The MSU Law Appellate Moot Court team finished strong at
the Andrews Kurth Moot Court Best of the Best National
Championship in January. Third-year students Lian
Anthony, Corinne Miller, and Scott Milligan placed fifth,
earning points toward the team’s national ranking.
www.law.msu.edu
9
Trial Team Wins Regionals
IP Team #2 in Midwest
Michigan State Law topped teams from 11 other schools in
Michigan and Ohio to win the Texas Young Lawyers
Association National Trial Competition regionals in Cleveland.
MSU Law beat Cleveland–Marshall College of Law in the
final round to earn one of 28 spots at the 2014 National Trial
Competition finals in Austin, Texas. Patrick Duff, ’11, coached
the team, which included 3Ls Randall Tatem, Ariel Lett, and
James DeMates.
Michigan State Law took second place regionally in the Giles
Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court competition. The
event focuses on patent and intellectual property law issues.
MSU Law sent two teams to the regionals in Chicago. 3Ls
Christian Damon and Michael Templeton finished second
among 26 teams, securing a spot in the national finals in
Washington, DC. Third-year students Geoff Leskie and
Jenne Relucio also competed at the regionals before helping
their classmates prepare for the nationals. Jeff CarterJohnson, coordinator of MSU Law’s Intellectual Property
Start-Up Project, and Professor Jennifer Carter-Johnson
coached the teams, which were sponsored by George
Moustakas of Harness Dickey. Attorneys from Brooks
Kushman, Price Heneveld, Foster Swift, and Young Basile
served as practice judges.
(from left) Tatem, Lett, and DeMates
MSU Law Hosts, Earns Eight
Awards at Mediation Tourney
MSU Law hosted and earned eight awards at the Great Lakes
Mediation Tournament. More than 40 students from the U.S.
and Canada participated. MSU Law competitors included 3Ls
Lauren Prew and Kyle Sandefur and 2Ls Dennis Malecki,
Annie Norwood, Sarah Peters, Brian Pike, Jessica Saddler,
Erin Sweeney, and Justin Williams. Top honors include:
» Best Mediator: Peters
» 1st Place Client/Advocate: Malecki, Saddler
» 2nd Place Mediator Team: Norwood, Peters, Williams
» 2nd Place Client/Advocate Team: Malecki, Saddler, Prew
» 3rd Place Client/Advocate Team: Pike, Sandefur, Sweeney
All three competing MSU Law teams qualified for the final
four, though only one from each school was able to participate.
Nearly 40 mediators and attorneys volunteered as judges.
(clockwise, from top left) Jeff Carter-Johnson, Leskie, Damon, Templeton,
Relucio, and Jennifer Carter-Johnson
Jessup Team Reaches Regional
Quarterfinals
MSU Law competed in the Philip C. Jessup International Law
Moot Court Competition South Regional quarterfinals in
New Orleans in early March. The team included 3Ls Claire
Kaisler and Adaeze Teme, along with 2Ls Matthew
Dupree, Xiao Yan Huang, and Anne Strawbridge.
More than 20 teams addressed the hypothetical dispute
before the International Court of Justice involving party
rights to natural resources, fisheries, cultural heritage, and
activities on the high seas. Professors Bruce Bean and
Veronica Valentine McNally coached the team, with help
from teaching assistant Evgeniya Shakina.
(clockwise, from top left) Pike, Sandefur, Malecki, Peters, Williams, Sweeney,
Saddler, Norwood, and Prew
10
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
MSU L aw Welcomes
NEW FACULTY
MEMBERS
David H. Blankfein-Tabachnick
(clockwise, from top left) Huang, Kaisler, Strawbridge, Teme, and Dupree
2014 Appellate Advocacy
Competition Winners
Each spring, all first-year students participate in the
Advocacy Oral Argument and Donald Nystrom Best Brief
competitions as part of the required curriculum. The events
mark important milestones in students’ 1L year.
Congratulations to this year’s oral argument winners:
» First place: Jay Lonick
» Second place: Daphne Bugelli
» Third place: Kyla Barranco and Frank Dame
The winners of the 2014 best brief competition, which is
funded by MSU Law Trustee Donald Nystrom, ’00, include:
» First place: Andrew Jurgensen
» Second place: Anne Puluka
» Third place: Timothy Lee
Thank you to our oral argument final round judges, the
Honorable Marianne Battani of the U.S. District Court for
the Eastern District of Michigan, the Honorable Mark
Boonstra of the Michigan Court of Appeals, and the
Honorable David McKeague of the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Sixth Circuit; the more than 150 judges and practitioners
who offered feedback on students’ arguments in earlier
rounds; Moot Court & Trial Advocacy Board members, who
conducted practice arguments; Michigan State Law Review
members, who assessed semifinalists’ briefs; and Nystrom.
(clockwise, from top left) Judge Boonstra, Judge McKeague, Judge Battani,
Lonick, Bugelli, Barranco, and Dame
www.law.msu.edu
Associate Professor of Law
M.S.L., Yale Law School
Ph.D., University of Virginia
M.A., University of Rochester
B.A., Ithaca College
Basic Income Tax B, Decedents’ Estates and Trust,
Tax Law Policy
David Blankfein-Tabachnick joins
MSU Law after working as a
visiting professor at Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law
and visiting scholar at Yale Law School. He is an affiliated
transnational professor at the Peking University School of
Transnational Law. Blankfein-Tabachnick has interests in
global law and international development and has published
works on property, intellectual property, contracts, torts, legal
and political theory, bankruptcy, and taxation. His work has
appeared in the California Law Review, Virginia Law Review, George
Washington Law Review, Connecticut Law Review, and Cambridge
University Press’s Social Philosophy and Policy. His articles have
been reprinted in Cambridge University Press volumes on
taxation and freedom of association and in Rawls and Law, a
collection of articles by acclaimed legal scholars.
Joshua Wease
Associate Professor of Law
Assistant Clinical Professor of Law
LL.M., James E. Beasley School of Law at
Temple University
J.D., Michigan State University College of Law
B.S., Michigan State University
Assistant Clinical Professor Joshua
Wease is responsible for general
operations and management of the
Alvin L. Storrs Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic. Before returning
to Michigan State Law, his alma mater, Wease spent nine
years as a practicing tax attorney. After starting his career as
an Equal Justice Works Public Interest Law Fellow at MSU
Law’s tax law clinic, he worked as a senior attorney with
Foster Swift Collins & Smith. He then went on to become
managing partner at Wease Halloran, a boutique tax law firm.
He is admitted to practice in Michigan, the U.S. Tax Court,
the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan,
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, and
the U.S. Supreme Court.
11
ALTERNATIVE
DISPUTE
RESOLUTION
TRAINING TOMORROW’S
PROBLEM-SOLVERS
At its inception several decades ago, many believed the
legal concept of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
would fail to take hold.
How wrong they were.
“Research shows only 2 percent of civil cases are now resolved
by trials,” says Professor Mary Bedikian, director of the Michigan
State Law ADR program she launched in 2003. “ADR has
brought a cultural change to the way lawyers practice law.
“ADR has
This dynamic has made it essential for law schools
brought a cultural
to re-think how they train lawyers. The new legal
change to the way lawyers
marketplace—in which ADR is institutionalized—
practice law. This dynamic has
requires skills that focus on problem-solving
made it essential for law schools
and communication.”
The ADR program prepares students for real-life
resolution of cases, both inside and outside the
courtroom. “Students learn to present a case and
evidence to an arbitration panel, strategize advocacy
efforts for a civil mediation, and determine the best and
worst alternatives to a negotiated agreement,” Bedikian says.
to re-think how they
train lawyers.”
—Professor Mary Bedikian
“Our program has been instrumental in embracing the curricular
changes at the Law College—changes that have made MSU Law
more robust and attractive to would-be attorneys,” she adds.
“Building the skills side of the curriculum has been both visionary
and daunting, but our success has ensured that students are
able to effortlessly move from law school to law practice.”
12
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Professors Mary Bedikian and Brian Pappas lead
MSU Law’s Alternative Dispute Resolution program.
“ADR is the
present and the future. . . .
MSU Law is the only law school
in the state with a named ADR
program, and we are doing some
very innovative things.”
—Professor Brian Pappas
NATIONALLY
RECOGNIZED LEADERS
Bedikian, who has mediated hundreds
of cases, created one of the first
interactive ADR courses in Michigan
in 1987. She served for 28 years as
district vice president for the Detroit
Region of the American Arbitration
Association and was instrumental
in creating the ADR Section of the
State Bar of Michigan. Her extensive
experience in ADR spans many
sectors—including labor, commercial,
construction, international, and
employment—and she has trained
mediators and arbitrators in both
the process and substance of ADR.
Bedikian leads MSU Law’s ADR
program with Associate Director
Brian Pappas, a mediation and
negotiation specialist who joined the
program in 2007. “ADR is the present
and the future,” he says. “Dispute
resolution—and especially mediation—
saves time and money, and empowers
people to reach their own decisions
www.law.msu.edu
BUILDING BLOCKS
FROM 1L TO 3L YEAR
and find creative solutions that may
go beyond what a court might decide.
MSU Law is the only law school in the
state with a named ADR program,
and we are doing some very
innovative things.”
Students are exposed to Alternative
Dispute Resolution in their 1L year
through a required Contract
Negotiation course. The experience
gives students an understanding of
how the theory-based curriculum
will fit into their future legal practice.
“Brian Pappas and Mary Bedikian
“First-year students sometimes feel
have been integral to the continued
disconnected from their original
development of problem-solving
approaches in Michigan’s trial courts,” motivations for becoming an
attorney,” says Caroline Kingston,
says Doug Van Epps, director of the
associate director for student
Office of Dispute Resolution at the
engagement. “By introducing this
Michigan Supreme Court. “Whether
practical component early on,
serving on Michigan Supreme Court
students can start to see how to
task forces, spearheading efforts for
apply the theory and skills they’ve
the ADR Section of the Michigan
learned to assist clients. Some
State Bar, administering national
students find ADR is where their
competitions, authoring articles, or
passion and strengths lie, and this
preparing law students for the next
opens up a career path separate
generation of legal practice, Brian
from traditional courtroom litigation.”
and Mary’s expertise and guidance
is widely respected and appreciated.
Second- and third-year students
Both have become nationally
can choose from a range of ADR
recognized leaders in the field of
electives, including specialized
alternative dispute resolution.”
classes that fulfill State Court
13
COMPETITION KUDOS
American Bar Association
Law Student Division
ARBITRATION
2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009
1ST PLACE—REGIONALS
2010
2ND PLACE—NATIONALS
“ADR competitions were an
absolutely incredible experience,
unlike any other in law school. I had an
opportunity that very few others get—an
opportunity to practice and hone my dispute
resolution skills in a competitive environment.
I was able to negotiate, mediate, and advocate
against other law students from around the
country and around the world. ”
NEGOTIATION
— Tony Chester, ’13
2013
3RD PLACE—REGIONALS
2ND PLACE—NATIONALS
2012
1ST PLACE—REGIONALS
INADR International Law School
Mediation Tournament
2014
1ST PLACE MEDIATION TEAM
7TH PLACE MEDIATOR
2013
3RD PLACE MEDIATION TEAM
6TH PLACE CLIENT/ADVOCATE
2011
5TH PLACE MEDIATOR
Great Lakes Mediation
Tournament
2014
1ST, 2ND, 3RD, AND 4TH PLACE
CLIENT/ADVOCATE
1ST PLACE MEDIATOR
2ND PLACE MEDIATION TEAM
4TH PLACE OVERALL
2013
1ST PLACE CLIENT/ADVOCATE TEAM
2ND PLACE OVERALL
2011
1ST PLACE MEDIATOR
14
Administrative Office training
requirements to serve on civil court
mediation rosters. “In my own legal
practice, both as a civil litigator and a
criminal prosecutor, I engaged in some
form of alternative dispute resolution
every day,” Kingston notes. “By giving
all of our students an introduction to
ADR in their first year and then
offering an array of specialized
courses in the upper-level curriculum,
we’re truly helping our students
become practice ready.”
MSU Law’s two newest clinical
programs also focus on ADR. The
Conflict Resolution Clinic, which is
led by Visiting Professor Nina Tarr,
opened this spring. The clinic equips
students with problem-solving skills
associated with mediation and other
conflict resolution methods.
Professor Benjamin Edwards
spearheads the Investor Advocacy
Clinic, which provides counsel for
investors who cannot secure private
legal representation due to the
relatively small size of their claims.
The securities law–focused clinic,
funded with a grant from the
FINRA Investor Education Foundation,
gives students experience drafting
arbitration and mediation materials
and mediating, settling, arbitrating,
or litigating cases.
Students also have an opportunity to
study how technology can facilitate
dispute resolution through an Online
Dispute Resolution (ODR) course.
The class—which itself is offered
online—provides practical, hands-on
experience while exposing students
to the cultural, ethical, political, and
practical implications of the evolving
field of online conflict management.
REINFORCING SKILLS
THROUGH
COMPETITIONS
Classroom knowledge and skills are
reinforced by participation in regional,
national, and international ADR
competitions. “We have a gifted
group,” Pappas says. “I enjoy
watching students develop the
confidence to act professionally and
effectively in challenging situations.
“The practice of law requires effective
communications skills, and I like to say
that practice does not make perfect—
perfect practice makes perfect. So the
self-awareness, planning, listening—a
major focus of mine—and ability to
execute are critical.”
The strong support and rigorous
training that MSU Law students get
as they prepare for competitions
pays off. The Law College has
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
claimed the regional championship
in the American Bar Association
Law Student Division Arbitration
competition for the past five straight
years, in addition to earning
numerous regional- and nationallevel awards in negotiation and
mediation tournaments.
importance in resolving disputes and
litigation. “I saw MSU Law’s program
as an opportunity to learn about
ADR and gain real-world practice
skills while still in school,” she says.
During her 3L year, Waggoner
was named “Best Mediator” in the
Great Lakes Regional Mediation
Competition. Her team took first place
overall in the tournament, earning
$1,000 toward expenses and entry
fees for the International Mediation
Competition in London, England.
Pappas notes that students on
competition teams achieve
exceptional levels of skill, placing
themselves years ahead of most
practitioners and their counterparts
at other law schools. He adds that
“The preparation and competition
the resume-building experience also
makes competitors more valuable and gave me a lot of time to practice skills
marketable to prospective employers. I learned in class,” she says. “Since
graduating, I’ve practiced in two
different areas of law: employment,
which for me was more litigationfocused, and now health care, which
for me is currently transactional. The
Carrie Waggoner, ’11, now a privacy
skills I learned in the ADR program
specialist at the Michigan Department have been valuable to my practice
of Community Health’s Office of Legal
both in resolving litigation cases
Affairs, was drawn to alternative
through mediation and arbitration,
dispute resolution for its practical
as well as in negotiating contracts
skills–building opportunities and
and settlements.”
ALUMNI SUCCESS IN
THE REAL WORLD
www.law.msu.edu
Michael Daum, ’11, works as a labor
and employment attorney with
Blitman & King in Syracuse, New
York. “It’s no secret the different
forms of ADR have become more
prevalent and oftentimes are stressed
as a more beneficial way to resolve
disputes than traditional litigation,”
he says. “I was drawn to arbitration
during a summer position at a firm
that focuses on labor and employment
law; arbitration is a key facet of that
area of law. I also knew that immersing
myself in ADR and arbitration could
help me learn how to problem solve
and communicate without having to
worry about as many procedural
technicalities that take up a lot of
students’ time in the mock trial world.”
Daum forged close relationships
with his ADR professors. “Class sizes
were smaller and projects were more
hands-on,” he says. “This gave me
the chance to learn invaluable
communication and negotiation
skills I apply every day at work and
even in my personal life.” Working
collaboratively with peers and
15
First-Rate Faculty
MARY BEDIKIAN, ADR program director and professor of law
in residence
BRIAN PAPPAS, ADR program associate director and assistant
clinical professor
NINA TARR, visiting professor and director of MSU Law’s Conflict
Resolution Clinic
Experienced Adjuncts
JOSEPH BASTA, mediator in commercial disputes, elder care,
and domestic relations
MICHAEL JOHN DODGE, vice president and general counsel of
Chrysler Insurance Co., associate general counsel of
Chrysler Financial Services Americas, extensive
background as a negotiator
BENJAMIN EDWARDS, director of MSU Law’s Investor Advocacy Clinic
GEORGE ROUMELL JR., senior partner with the law firm of
Riley, Roumell and Connolly; serves on Federal Mediation
and Conciliation Service, American Arbitration Association,
and Michigan Employment Relations Commission
professors in competitions was a
good primer for life in a law firm, he
notes. “Also, seeing students from
other law schools allowed me to see
how favorably our preparation and
training compared, which added to
the confidence I had in what I was
learning and who I was learning
it from.”
16
me to join the negotiation team
the following year and things
just snowballed.”
Center in Lansing during his time in
the ADR program. “It was great to put
ADR skills to work when the stakes
were real,” he says. “I felt I was finally
able to contribute something
meaningful to people in need.”
During his 3L year, Daum assisted
Bedikian in updating a treatise on
ADR in Michigan. The project put him
in contact with the Office of Dispute
Resolution of the Michigan Supreme
Court, which hired him as an
independent contractor to help
create a report to the Supreme
Court titled “The Effectiveness of
Case Evaluation and Mediation in
Michigan Circuit Courts.”
Serving as a teaching assistant gave
Chester a unique opportunity to
further his ADR education and
pushed him to choose a career path
in which he could continue to teach.
“I spent a lot of time learning basic
ADR principles. I learned even more
when I put those principles into
practice in various competitions,”
he says. “The next step was helping
teach those skills to other students.
It taught me how to convey nuance
and how to really work with others in
a different light. I loved working with
other students and the experience
pushed me to choose a career path
where I could continue to do so.”
“Without Professor Pappas’s guidance
and Professor Bedikian’s mammoth
effort in establishing the ADR
program, I wouldn’t be where I am
today,” Chester adds. “They truly are
on the cutting edge of ADR practice
and teaching, and are building
something great at MSU Law.
Without question, the most valuable
part of my law school experience was
my involvement in the ADR program,
where I learned skills I feel are
invaluable no matter what work
I do in the future.”
Anthony Chester, ’13, says his
introduction to ADR was “somewhat
happenstance.” He recalls, “During my
1L year, I saw a flier for an intra-school
negotiation competition. I decided to
enter, and made it all the way to the
final round. Professor Pappas asked
Now a project administrator for the
Dispute Resolution Institute and
Master in the Study of Law program
at Hamline University School of Law,
Chester enjoyed observing and
mediating cases at the United Way
in Jackson and the Dispute Resolution
Chester served as the first president
of the Alternative Dispute Resolution
Board, which provides leadership
and structure for the school’s ADR
teams. The gavel was wielded this
past year by 3L Lauren Prew, who
was drawn to ADR through the 1L
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Contracts Negotiation course. “MSU
Law’s ADR program is particularly
adept at providing a well-rounded
approach to teaching conflict
resolution, with class opportunities,
competition teams, and events with
various alumni and professionals
with excellent ADR experience,” she
says. “The faculty truly is dedicated
to students’ development and always
available to help students find what
it is they want to achieve in the
legal profession.”
Prew’s externship in the Department
of Compliance at the University of
Michigan Health Systems led to a
summer associate position doing
health care and corporate work at
Jackson Walker in San Antonio. She
will return to the firm as a first-year
associate this fall.
As a teaching assistant for Pappas,
Prew enjoys working with and
coaching students as they develop
the skills to conduct their own
mediations. “MSU Law’s mediation
curriculum not only provides
certification in domestic and civil
www.law.msu.edu
mediation, but truly stresses the
importance of developing
communication skills essential to the
modern lawyer—the ability to listen
effectively, the power to serve as a
neutral facilitator, and the knowledge
necessary to be an effective advocate
for a client,” she says. “My mediation
course is the most important one I
took at MSU Law, and the one that
provided me with the greatest
amount of real-world experience.”
course at MSU Law provided her
with active listening, negotiation,
and problem-solving skills that are
useful in mediations, facilitations,
and daily negotiation and settlement
discussions; it also led to her
certification in the field. “It’s an
excellent addition to my resume
and has been brought up in every
single, post-law school interview
I’ve had,” she notes.
THE NEXT DECADE
OF ADR AT MSU LAW
Jenna McGrath, ’11, an associate
with Vandeveer Garzia in Troy, took
a mediation class to fulfill credit
From its inception, the Alternative
requirements. Drawn to the area,
Dispute Resolution program at
she then took other ADR classes and
Michigan State Law has focused on
participated on teams to expand her
providing students with diverse and
skill set. “As clients are increasingly
transferable skills. “Our goal for the
interested in cost-saving measures
next decade is to maximize student
and court dockets continue to be
overfilled, ADR provides an alternative opportunity by building on our
current platform,” Bedikian notes.
avenue to resolve disputes while
“We will continue to strengthen and
promoting client goals,” she says.
expand our practical skills–building
While litigation is the main focus of
course offerings, strong competition
her practice, mediation and litigation
teams, and externship opportunities
can coincide to offer a more flexible
that give students an opportunity to
and effective approach, McGrath
apply their skills in the workplace.”
notes. She says her mediation
17
SCHOLARLY Events
Living with Terminal Illness:
Should Adolescent Minors
Make Decisions at the End
of Their Lives?
This year’s Journal of Medicine and Law symposium examined
whether dying adolescents should be able to make their own
end-of-life medical decisions.
The February 7 event titled “Living with Terminal Illness:
Should Adolescent Minors Make Decisions at the End of
Their Lives?” featured doctors’ and scholars’ varying
perspectives on the challenging topic. Panelists discussed
ethical issues involved, possible frameworks to change
minors’ decision-making role, and relationships in end-oflife care.
“The challenge with teens is that this is a period in which
they are struggling with their own identity and trying to
decide who they are and what kind of values they have,”
said Dr. Thomas Tomlinson, who directs MSU’s Center for
Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences.
“They may be perfectly able to understand the facts, but
not really have a stable or mature set of values to use in
making decisions about choices in the face of those facts,”
he noted. “That can be the challenge in deciding what
degree of autonomy or authority one should provide a
teenage patient when it comes to end-of-life decisions.”
(from left) Journal of Medicine and Law Consulting
Editor Louis Kraus and Dr. Jatinder Bhatia,
professor and chair of neonatology at Georgia
Regents University, Augusta
Molly Walker Wilson, co-director of
the Center for the Interdisciplinary
Study of Law and associate
professor at Saint Louis University
School of Law
Deforestation and Biodiversity
Loss in a Climate Change Context
The Journal of Animal & Natural Resource Law presented its annual
scholarly event, “Deforestation and Biodiversity Loss
in a Climate Change Context,” on March 28.
The symposium highlighted causes and consequences of
climate change, with a focus on rainforest deforestation and
resulting threats to wildlife and biodiversity. Topics included
socioeconomic and political drivers of deforestation, forest
carbon monitoring, managed relocation of species, and
international conservation development projects.
Joseph P. Messina, professor of geography at MSU’s Center
for Global Change and Earth Observations
18
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Neither Here Nor There:
A World of Shifting Populations
The Michigan State International Law Review raised
awareness of issues surrounding international migration
and immigration in its annual symposium titled “Neither
Here Nor There: A World of Shifting Populations.” The
journal kicked off and drew attention to its mid-February
event with a live ice sculpture carving of Lady Liberty and
an Instagram contest.
Topics at the scholarly gathering included international
migration and development, managed migration, migration
policies, climate change and migration, and migrant
integration. The event featured keynote addresses by Dr.
Demetrios Papademetriou of the Migration Policy Institute
and Migration Policy Institute Europe and Dr. Alejandro
Portes of the Center for Migration and Development at
Princeton University.
Zadora Hightower, executive editor of the journal, called
the event “an excellent opportunity to discuss the happenings
in immigration and international migration, as well as
misconceptions about the topic.”
Live ice sculpture
carving of Lady Liberty
Robin Bronen, executive director of the Alaska Institute
for Justice and senior research scientist at the Institute
of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Beyond the Horizon:
A Look at the Current and Future
State of Business
The Journal of Business & Securities Law focused its second
annual symposium on the current and future state of
business. Topics at the March “Beyond the Horizon” event
included start-up companies, intellectual property, and
technology. Prominent businessmen and experienced
attorneys discussed topics including financing, IP
legislation, IP valuation, cloud storage, workplace
technology, and social media practices and policies.
Executive Editor Silvia Mansoor said the event highlighted
practical IP- and technology-focused issues that students
and new attorneys need to be aware of. “The room was full,
the audience was engaged, and the presenters were very
enthusiastic, professional, and straight-forward,” she said.
“The success of the event reflected positively upon the
journal and the law school, while paving the way for even
greater symposia in the future. I am eager to see what the
future holds for the journal.”
Steven Bennett, executive director of Prima Civitas
www.law.msu.edu
19
Pursuing the Dreams of Brown and the Civil Rights Act:
A Living History of the Fight for Educational Equality
The Michigan State Law Review capped off the spring symposia
season in April with “Pursuing the Dreams of Brown and the
Civil Rights Act: A Living History of the Fight for Educational
Equality.” The symposium was part of Project 60/50—a
one-year, university-wide series of events celebrating the
60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education and the 50th
anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The symposium analyzed how school desegregation and
integration have unfolded across the country by examining
landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Participants also
discussed how problems and potentials identified could
continue to develop in the years to come.
“We were honored to host incredible people who were a
part of making history,” said Professor Kristi Bowman.
“Faculty from various disciplines, lawyers, and the laypeople
involved in these cases don’t often gather to talk about
school desegregation—but this event demonstrated how
incredibly important it is for us to learn from one another.”
Speakers included 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom
Recipient Sylvia Mendez, a litigant in a key California school
segregation case; Jack Greenberg, a member of the NAACP’s
legal team in Brown; and retired U.S. Court of Appeals Judge
Nathaniel Jones, counsel for the NAACP in a Detroit-area
case prohibiting court-ordered busing. Dr. Gary Orfield, a
leading expert on school desegregation, delivered the
keynote address.
“It was enlightening to hear from more than fifty
presenters who were deeply involved in school
desegregation,” said Law Review Senior Symposia Editor
Shannon Smith. “Hearing Sylvia Mendez and her brother
speak about their experiences integrating schools in
California as children was eye-opening—particularly as they
discussed moving from the comfort of their segregated
schools into new integrated schools where they clearly were
not welcome.”
The symposium was co-sponsored by the University of
Missouri–Kansas City School of Law. Each panel included
speakers in both East Lansing and Kansas City who
interacted via real-time video conference. Other co-sponsors
included the MSU College of Education; MSU Department
of Political Science; MSU LeFrak Forum on Science, Reason,
and Modern Democracy; MSU Office for Inclusion and
Intercultural Initiatives; and Education Law Association.
Symposium organizers, presenters, and attendees
continued the conversation over meals
(from left) Robert Green, retired dean of the
MSU College of Urban Development; Donald
Heller, dean of the MSU College of Education;
and Arlena Hines
Vanessa Siddle Walker, professor at
Emory University
MSU Law also hosted two Project 60/50 inspired art exhibitions this
spring: “Black in White America,” a photographic essay by Leonard
Freed on African American life during the civil rights movement, and
“One of Michigan’s Own: Viola Liuzzo—An Exemplary Woman in
Extraordinary Times,” which chronicled the life of a Detroit civil rights
20
worker who was killed by Ku Klux Klan members following the 1965
March to Montgomery. The Diversity Services Office held two film
events related to the 60/50 initiative. This fall, the Frank J. Kelley
Institute of Ethics & the Legal Profession will continue the Law
College’s Project 60/50 event series with its annual lecture.
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
Talsky Center News
The Lori E. Talsky Center for Human Rights of Women and
Children continued its annual lecture series this spring with
talks highlighting three diverse international human rights
law issues.
On February 5, the center hosted Dr. Ioana Cismas
for a lecture titled “Food: You Have a Human Right
to It—No Matter What Congress Says.” Dr. Cismas
is a coordinator at the Geneva Academy of
International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights,
consultant at the U.N. Office of the High
Commissioner of Human Rights, and former advisor
to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.
“To judge from current efforts by Congress to make it
difficult for poor people to afford eating, you’d never know
that there has long been an international human right to
food,” said Professor Susan Bitensky, the Alan S. Zekelman
Professor of International Human Rights Law and director
of the Talsky Center. “Indeed, human existence depends on
its fulfillment, as does a person’s exercise of all other rights.”
Catherine Albisa, executive director of the National
Economic & Social Rights Initiative, presented a talk titled
“Obamacare: Working Toward the Human Right to
Healthcare in the United States” on March 12. According to
Bitensky, the talk offered “broader and more humanely
designed parameters” for addressing the nation’s
healthcare goals. “While our country has been
preoccupied with Obamacare, very few Americans
seem to be aware that there is such a right under
international law which sets much higher standards
for ensuring people’s health.”
The Talsky Center closed its 2013–14 academic series with
an April 2 lecture by David Fathi, director of the American
Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project. Fathi’s talk
examined prolonged solitary confinement of prisoners as a
violation of international human rights law.
“There are approximately 80,000 prisoners held in
solitary confinement in the United States. They are
locked down for weeks, months, or decades,
suffering sensory deprivation and a lack of any
meaningful human contact. Many inmates are
severely psychologically damaged by these
conditions,” Bitensky noted. “Now, thankfully, a
strong argument is being advanced by human rights jurists
like David Fathi that such prolonged solitary confinement
violates international law’s prohibition on torture and cruel,
inhuman, and degrading treatment.”
ReInvent Law News
ReInvent Law NYC
Kudos Are in Order
MSU Law’s ReInvent Law Laboratory partnered with the
ABA Journal and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to
present ReInvent Law NYC on February 7. More than 40
law, technology, and business experts delivered engaging,
fast-paced talks at the event. The event was part of a
week-long legal technology awareness series at the historic
Cooper Union Great Hall in New York City.
“This is an exciting opportunity for the ABA Journal to
continue the conversation we started six years ago with our
Legal Rebels project about the paradigm shift facing the
legal profession,” said Allen Pusey, editor and publisher of
the ABA Journal. “On this platform, we can see first-hand
[and share] what creative, forward-thinking lawyers are
doing to address a changing marketplace.”
Professor Daniel Martin
Katz, co-director of the
ReInvent Law Laboratory,
was named an editor of the
International Journal of Law
and Information Technology, a
triannual publication of
Oxford University Press. He also
was named to the editorial board
of Springer’s Journal of Artificial
Intelligence & Law and is a member
of the ABA Task Force on Big
Data and the Law.
www.law.msu.edu
Legal technology expert
Richard Susskind gave
the ReInvent Law NYC
closing address on
“The Past, Present, and
Future of AI + Law.”
21
FACULTY Highlights
Michigan State Law faculty members are leading scholars in a wide variety of legal fields. Here is a look at a few of their recent projects . . .
Study: Hundreds of People
Professor Points Out Holes in
Sentenced to Death Are Innocent Broker Background Check Tool
Although it’s conventional
wisdom that false criminal
convictions are extremely
rare, the rate of wrongful
death sentences in the United
States is much higher than
many experts previously
estimated. As many as 300
people who were sentenced
to death in the U.S. over a
30-year period likely were innocent, according to a new
study co-authored by Professor Barbara O’Brien.
The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences in April, estimates that more
than four percent of the 7,482 prisoners who received death
sentences between 1973 and 2004 were falsely convicted.
That is nearly three times the 117 prisoners exonerated
during that period.
Though most innocent defendants who have been sentenced
to death have not been exonerated, these prisoners have not
necessarily faced wrongful execution—many had their
sentences reduced to life in prison due to legal errors not
directly related to innocence.
“The judicial system devotes its greatest scrutiny to prisoners
facing execution. Once that threat is removed—typically
when the defendant is resentenced to life in prison—the
chances of exonerating the falsely convicted drop
dramatically,” O’Brien says. “Our study gets at just how
high the exoneration rate would be if that scrutiny
continued. It’s disturbing because it suggests that innocent
people are forgotten once they leave death row, even though
they may still face a terrible penalty.”
The study—co-authored by University of Michigan professor
Samuel Gross, Chen Hu of the American College of Radiology
Clinical Research Center, and the University of Pennsylvania’s
Edward Kennedy—made headlines among prominent media
organizations, including Newsweek, Reuters, Time, the New York
Times, and Vox. The authors used statistical analysis derived
from the study of medicine to look at the probability of
someone sentenced to death being exonerated had he or
she remained on death row for up to 20 years.
22
FINRA, the securities
industry’s self-regulatory body,
could provide much more
information to investors,
according to a study coauthored by Professor
Benjamin Edwards, who
directs MSU Law’s Investor
Advocacy Clinic. FINRA’s
BrokerCheck website—an
online tool that provides background information about
investment professionals—excludes important information
about tax liens, bankruptcies, terminations, and broker
licensing exam scores and failures.
The study explained that investors relying on BrokerCheck
might select “brokers with whom they would not do business
if they had access to the more complete picture.” It points out
that much of the information omitted by BrokerCheck is
already public information—albeit less easily accessed.
Covering the study, the Wall Street Journal explained that
“potential black marks [were] scrubbed from BrokerCheck,”
including information in the public records database behind
the website.
Edwards’ study, which garnered extensive media coverage,
has made significant waves. Shortly after it was published,
U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Chuck Grassley issued a joint
statement responding to the study and calling for action.
The senators stated that they were “concerned that crucial
red flags and potential warning signs are not readily available
to investors.”
In a June 1 op-ed published in InvestmentNews, Edwards made
clear that “FINRA’s BrokerCheck system offers investors a
powerful tool to do a little due diligence on their broker” and
that “including more comprehensive information—especially
when that information is already in the database—would
make it more powerful at a marginal cost.”
The study was released on March 6 by the Public Investors
Arbitration Bar Association. It was co-authored by PIABA
President Jason Doss and Christine Lazaro, director of the St.
John’s University School of Law Securities Arbitration Clinic.
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
Advocating for Well-Informed
Bankruptcy Code Reform
Mobile Medical Apps: Scientific
and Political Speech?
Professor Anne Lawton joined
the American Bankruptcy
Institute’s Commission to
Study the Reform of Chapter
11 as a consultant to the
Advisory Committee on
Governance and Supervision
of Chapter 11 Cases and
Companies. The ABI is
expected to propose reforms
to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which the commission has
described as “antiquated.”
In fall 2013, the Federal Drug
Administration first explicitly
asserted regulatory authority
over the increasingly popular
mobile medical apps and other
digital services that allow
users to access medical
records, create medical data,
and even diagnose and treat
themselves. But this digital
healthcare data is both scientific and political speech, and
therefore deserving of full First Amendment protection,
according to a new paper by Professor Adam Candeub.
Professor Lawton, who specializes in bankruptcy and
contract law, presented testimony at a commission field
hearing last November about small business reform. Small
business debtors make up a significant number of cases of
chapter 11—a section of bankruptcy law established in 1978
that permits reorganization.
Lawton’s scholarship focuses on predictors of chapter 11
success and the impact of 2005’s Bankruptcy Abuse
Prevention and Consumer Protection Act on those qualifying
as small business debtors. In her testimony, she explained that
the overarching theme of her work is that “reform should be
undertaken only if the reform effort is informed by welldefined problems and well-articulated objectives. Otherwise,
we end up solving problems that, in fact, are not actually
problems, and creating solutions that do not fit the problems
that do exist.”
Lawton argued that reducing the cost and complexity of
chapter 11 may play a significant role in improving planconfirmation rates for small business debtors with reasonable
prospects for reorganization. However, more data about the
causes of small business failure is needed prior to amending
the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to “solve” this problem of weak
performance of chapter 11 small business debtors. “Without
a clear grasp of the reasons for small business failure in
chapter 11, it is impossible to evaluate proposals for reform,”
Lawton said.
www.law.msu.edu
Digital medicine—which includes tools such as mobile
medical apps for patients and practitioners, as well as
inexpensive computerized DNA sequencers—has the
potential to fundamentally transform healthcare. Tens of
thousands of smartphone medical apps already are on the
market, Candeub says, “democratizing medicine” by
enabling individuals to use their own medical data and
deliver their own diagnoses.
In “Digital Medicine, the FDA, and the First Amendment”
(forthcoming in the Georgia Law Review), Candeub explains
that the FDA’s regulations threaten to control and even slow
innovation in the field—and are likely to spark lengthy,
high-profile litigation in the near future. He notes that the
administration stands on firm legal ground in exercising its
authority over medical devices that invasively measure bodily
functions or take physical specimens. However, he argues,
applications that simply gather or process information are
beyond the FDA’s regulatory reach because they are simply
speech—and should receive First Amendment protections.
Candeub’s paper builds on recent U.S. Supreme Court
decisions to add to the debate concerning the First
Amendment’s application to information and computer
code. Because digital healthcare applications produce pools
of data that can be used by consumers and researchers to
better assess health and advance medical understanding,
Candeub says, code and applications that create healthcare
information are protected scientific and political speech.
23
A MESSAGE from the Office of Advancement
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Each and every time I meet
with alumni and friends
of the Law College, I am
inspired by what they do
both professionally and
in the community, how
involved they are in their
communities, and how
passionate they are about
their work.
I enjoy sharing these vignettes and others in MSU Law’s
publications, on the Law College website, and in other
promotional materials. I don’t always know what alumni and
friends are doing in their communities and professionally, so
I encourage you to let me know so we can recognize your
involvement in building better communities and serving your
clients in the best way possible.
We want to know how we can best serve your needs as
they relate to correspondence and information via Amicus,
the Dean’s Report, e-newsletters, and other media. Please
complete the enclosed Communication Survey to help us
Robert Worthington, ’07, senior vice president at Mercantile provide quality communication pieces that you find relevant,
Bank of Michigan, recently was named “Father of the Year” helpful, interesting, and effective—pieces that encourage your
by the American Diabetes Association for demonstrating a engagement with your law school.
healthy balance between his career at Mercantile and an You may fill out the survey online at www.law.msu.edu/
enriching family life.
communicationsurvey.html or complete the version on the
Mayor “Mike” Morganroth, ’54, this year celebrates 60 years enclosed sheet and return it using the attached envelope.
since graduating from Detroit College of Law. Mike recently Thank you for all you do, and be sure to let your voice be
joined the Michigan State Law Board of Trustees, and he heard by filling out the survey.
carries a full case load with his fellow attorneys—including
his two children, Jeffrey and Cherie—at Morganroth
and Morganroth.
Warm regards,
Teresa Sebastian, ’93, senior vice president, general counsel,
and corporate secretary for Darden Restaurant, serves on the
Board of Trustees for the United Negro College Fund and also Tina Kashat Casoli
Director, Office of Advancement
mentors law students on career development.
24
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
Sports and Entertainment Law
EXPERTS SHARE STORIES
Michigan State Law’s Sports Law Society and Business Law
Society were pleased to host distinguished graduates for
a panel on the sports and entertainment law industry on
November 20, 2013. Panelists included Jeffrey Littmann, ’84,
chief financial officer of the Buffalo Bills; S. Gary Spicer, ’69,
sports and entertainment law attorney; and Robert Carr, ’88,
senior vice president of operations for Olympia Entertainment
and the Detroit Red Wings.
Third-year student Lauren Fritz organized the event, which
was moderated by John Schaefer, ’69, trustee emeritus,
adjunct professor, and family law attorney.
(from left) S. Gary Spicer, ’69, Jeffrey Littmann, ’84, 3L Lauren Fritz,
Robert Carr, ’88, and John F. Schaefer, ’69
Alumni Create LGBT SCHOLARSHIP
James Stokes, ’88, and Frederick Hoffman, ’85, recently
pledged $30,000 to create scholarship support for law
students who are active in the LGBT student group.
“Detroit College of Law was our law school that we loved
very much,” said Stokes, who recently visited the Law College
at its current East Lansing location for the first time. “After
seeing what DCL has become, the wonderful building in East
Lansing, and the DCL traditions being carried out there, the
more we saw how much better of a place our Law College is
with MSU.”
(from left) James Stokes, ’88, Dean Joan Howarth, and Frederick
Hoffman, ’85, tour MSU Law for the first time.
“We are pleased to support LGBT students at the Law
College. Tuition is expensive, yet we need good lawyers,”
Hoffman added. “We also hope to be a resource for LGBT
students who may benefit from experienced attorneys who
once were students, too.”
Archer to Chair ABA TASK FORCE
on Cost of Attending Law School
Prominent alumnus Dennis
Archer, ’70, will lead an
American Bar Association
Task Force that will make
recommendations on how
law schools can control the
cost of attendance.
As chair of the newly formed
ABA Task Force on Financing
a Legal Education, Archer will
oversee the examination of
www.law.msu.edu
law school financing, student
loans, educational debt,
merit scholarships, tuition
discounting, and need-based
aid. The 14-person task force
also includes law school
deans, practicing attorneys,
law professors, affordability
advocates, and an associate
justice of the California
Supreme Court.
Archer is chairman emeritus
of the Detroit-headquartered
law firm Dickinson Wright.
He served as an associate
justice on the Michigan
Supreme Court from 1986 to
1990, as mayor of the City of
Detroit from 1994 to 2001, and
as president of the American
Bar Association for 2003–04.
25
ALUMNI Profile
LEADER
CULTIVATES
DCL–MSU
AFFILIATION,
Finds Spartan Roots
Clif Haley, ’61
Five decades ago, Clif Haley juggled four years of evening
classes at Detroit College of Law with his day job as a labor
relations manager at Chrysler Corporation.
It was the start of a long and rewarding relationship with
DCL and its later incarnation as Michigan State University
College of Law—and one that resulted in years of service and
generous donations to his alma mater.
The Detroit native can thank a few Founding Fathers for
his interest in law. As an undergrad studying philosophy at
University of Detroit, Haley found inspiration in the Federalist
Papers authored by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James
Madison—all lawyers—and by philosopher and lawyer
Thomas Jefferson.
A U-D adjunct professor—a Harvard Law grad and
Fulbright scholar—also played a role. The professor, who
taught Constitutional History like a law course, encouraged
Haley to enroll in law school.
“I’m extremely proud of being a DCL graduate. The law
school provided a disciplined environment of intellectual
development, and an outstanding legal education that enabled
me to pursue and enjoy a very successful business career,”
Haley says. “At DCL, I learned the role law plays in every
phase of society. I enjoyed the challenge of both the scholarly
professors and the wonderful array of adjunct professors—
practicing attorneys who brought real-life experiences to the
doctrine of law.”
He also enjoyed the challenge of competing against very
bright classmates. When he and a classmate represented
DCL in the National Moot Court Competition, Professor
Charles Clark—a storied, long-time DCL faculty member and
a Constitutional scholar—challenged students to prepare as
if they were appealing a case to the U.S. Supreme Court. “It
26
drew me closer to the law,” Haley recalls. “When we worked
late preparing our brief and oral arguments, the dean used
to let us sleep on library tables as we had to get up and go to
work in the morning.”
After graduating in 1961, Haley was hired by Ford Motor
Company. He spent 17 years in domestic and international
management positions before being hired by Budget Rent-aCar. “My time at Ford—especially as executive assistant to
the head of Ford International Operations, gave me financial,
mergers and acquisitions, and operations experience,” he
explains. “I then was given the opportunity to create a new
leasing and rental venture that several years later launched
my long and rewarding career at Budget.”
Haley was an early advocate of the 1995 affiliation of DCL
and Michigan State University. “It was a chance of a lifetime
to combine the Law College with a Big 10 university—a
win-win for the two institutions,” he recalls. “I probably also
was more than enthusiastic for another reason—my three
daughters were MSU grads. Although I didn’t realize it at
the time, I already had a strong emotional connection to MSU
through my daughters.”
When DCL started its new life in East Lansing in 1997, so
did Haley, who became a member of the MSU–DCL Board
of Trustees that year. He was elected president in 2001 and
served in that role until becoming MSU Law’s founding board
chairman; he stepped down from the position in 2013.
As president, Haley worked closely in 2004 with former
MSU President Peter McPherson and then-Provost Lou Anna
Simon to make DCL a constituent college of the university
and to change the school’s name to MSU College of Law.
His dream was realized when he led the initiative that
brought about the historic transformation of aligning the
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
leadership structure of the Law College with MSU in 2011,
the final steps of the model of a private Law College within a
public university.
“I had a couple of careers after retiring from Budget,” Haley
says. “I ran an airline, I was a consultant in Russia . . . but
serving on the Board of Trustees became a cause for me, a new
career after retirement. I embraced MSU Law as the alma
mater I never knew I had.”
As a new trustee, he began to understand and more fully
appreciate the opportunities the affiliation would offer.
Chairman of the first MSU–DCL fundraising campaign,
Haley—an avid pilot since 1965—flew all around the country
in his twin-engine turbine plane to speak to DCL graduates.
“My message reflected past, present, and
future,” he recalls. “The affiliation would
give this historic, practice-ready, in-city
law school a unique opportunity to raise
its reputation and its regional, national,
and international image. We could build
a strong capital foundation, which as a
businessman I knew was essential to
having the resources to achieve Big 10 law
school status.”
Recognizing the importance of giving
back, Haley and his wife, Carolyn, donated
$1 million to the Law College during the
campaign. “Carolyn worked as an assistant
principal in Chicago, and is passionate
about education,” he says. During the first
MSU capital campaign in 2005, the couple
modified their trusts to provide a new
planned gift for the first endowed chair
at the Law College.
Now with a new MSU capital campaign about to be
launched, he and Carolyn have added an additional $1 million
planned gift for the chair, scholarships, and the proposed DCL
Commemorative Plaza. “Having an opportunity to give back
has been emotionally rewarding for us, and it honors the
proud DCL heritage that prepared me to make a change in my
life and with my life,” he says. “We know our endowment will
help MSU Law continue to provide an outstanding education
to many students for many years to come.”
Haley says his service to the Board as trustee, president, and
founding chairman has been a privilege and an honor. “During
the years that I provided leadership to the Law College,
DCL became MSU College of Law, we made significant
advances in the law school rankings, and we built a
substantial endowment.”
And his service didn’t stop at administrative duties. After
being elected president in 2001, Haley began 13 years of
teaching Mergers and Acquisitions as an adjunct professor.
“I was afforded the opportunity to use my business knowledge
and experience in the classroom. It was a gift to me, and
a wonderful experience,” he says. “It was humbling and
challenging. Law students are so bright—ready and eager to
learn. When students called me ‘Professor Haley,’ it brought
a smile to my face.”
With his emotional ties and involvement with MSU and the
Law College in full bloom, Haley was inspired to become a
true Spartan. He went back to school, attending classes in the
morning before teaching at the Law College in the afternoon.
He would fly his plane, affectionately
nicknamed “the school bus,” two or
three times a week to Lansing for his
obligations as a Board member, professor,
and undergraduate student.
H a l e y b e c a m e M S U ’s ol d e s t
undergraduate in 2003, when he
earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in
interdisciplinary humanities from the
College of Arts and Letters. “I now
have my own Spartan green and white
certificate,” he says proudly. He also holds
two honorary Doctor of Laws degrees—
one granted by MSU College of Law in
1993 and another from MSU this spring.
Haley’s three daughters graduated from
MSU before he did, as did his younger
brother. Two grandchildren graduated
later, and one grandson graduated from
the Law College in 2013. “We have a lot
of Spartan fans in the family,” he says. “Whenever MSU has
a football or basketball game, we all wear green and the text
messages fly.”
For more than 20 years, Haley and his wife have made their
home on Drummond Island in northern Lake Huron, where he
co-owns the Drummond Island Resort and Conference Center.
An omnivorous reader and lifelong learner, he reads every
evening. Recent reads include biographies about Abraham
Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Catherine the Great.
He also enjoys hunting big game in Canada’s Northwest
Territories, salmon fishing, and golf. “I own a golf course so
you’d think I’d be better at the game, but Carolyn is a superb
athlete and always beats me,” he admits with a smile.
“We know our
endowment
will help MSU
Law continue
to provide an
outstanding
education to
many students
for many years
to come.”
www.law.msu.edu
27
ALUMNI Profile
Maureen Thomas, ’86
ALUM GRATEFUL
FOR LAW DEGREE,
Supports DCL Plaza
Maureen Thomas, ’86, strongly believes in sharing what she
has learned and earned in a legal career that has been both
intellectually and financially rewarding.
A long-time annual donor to the Law College, Thomas
was excited to hear about the Detroit College of Law
Commemorative Plaza and its scholarship component. She
recently became a DCL Plaza Ambassador by making a $10,000
pledge in support of the project.
“It really struck me that, without DCL, MSU College of
Law would not exist. It’s important to remember and honor
that legacy,” she says. “The location at the main entrance is
fitting—it’s not just a plaque hidden in some seldom-used
classroom. I love that the Justices of the Law friezes from the
original building will be incorporated.” Thomas and fellow
alumni were instrumental in raising philanthropic support
in memory of the Honorable Carole Youngblood, who passed
away in February. (See related story on page 37.) Youngblood
will be listed on the plaza donor wall when it is erected.
Thomas is grateful for the opportunity and knowledge base
provided by DCL to fulfill her dream of becoming a lawyer. She
was single after graduating from Eastern Michigan University
during a recession, and her full-time position with medical
benefits and several years’ seniority meant that quitting her job
to attend law school during the day was not an option. DCL’s
evening program, however, was a perfect match.
“Courses were geared toward learning the basics and
passing the bar exam,” she says. “There were a handful of
electives designed to give you a taste of possible areas of
specialization. I’m amazed when I open Amicus and read
about the clinics, programs, and unique learning opportunities
available to students now.”
Thomas enjoyed the camaraderie with her DCL classmates.
“We were all in the same boat—working full time, attending
classes full time at night, and trying to squeeze in some
personal life. We bonded quickly,” she says. “After the last
class of the week, we’d often meet at the Elwood; some of us
played softball one summer on Belle Isle; and a few organized
two legendary pub crawls. When I see a former classmate,
28
the topic inevitably turns to those pub crawls . . . but what
happened on the bus, stays on the bus!”
After seven years in private practice at Dykema and 10 years
as vice president and associate general counsel at Pulte Homes,
Thomas has been a self-employed legal and risk management
consultant at Building Materials Holding Corporation for
almost a decade. She works from her home office on Cedar
Island Lake in Oakland County’s White Lake Township.
The construction field provides a variety of challenging legal
issues, she notes. “Every day is different. As a consultant, I have
the opportunity to be actively involved in business decisions,
rather than simply providing legal advice from the sidelines.”
Working in the male-dominated construction industry,
Thomas is often the only woman in the room. “I enjoy opening
the door for other women,” she says. “The company I currently
work with is one of the largest domestic suppliers of building
materials and construction services. Yet, the folks I interact
with are down to earth people who take pride in their work.
It’s not just about profits.”
A self-termed “volunteeraholic,” Thomas has been an active
nonprofit board member for almost 20 years, first with Habitat
for Humanity Detroit and now with the EMU Foundation,
and she spent a decade mentoring young professional
women through the Menttium 100 program. President of her
homeowners association for seven years, she organizes many
lake-wide activities.
The Westland native enjoys spending time with her parents,
three sisters, brother, and nephew. In her leisure time, she
takes weekly spinning classes and works out with a trainer.
She also enjoys downhill and cross-country skiing, golfing,
kayaking, and stand-up paddling. “Working from a home
office, it’s important to know when to step away from the
computer and get some fresh air and sunshine. I also love to
garden—it’s a great way to clear your mind.”
Thomas has shared Detroit Tigers season tickets with former
Dykema colleagues for 25 years, and follows the team’s games
on the radio or TV. “When I’m asked where I went to law
school, I often answer ‘right around first base,’” she laughs.
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
MSU LAW
ON THE ROAD
Los Angeles Area
Grads Gather
around Holidays
Los Angeles area alumni joined Dean Joan Howarth on
November 21, 2013, to network, reconnect, and learn more
about Michigan State Law at the law firm of Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Meagher & Flom. Special thanks to Allen Lanstra, ’01,
and Emilie Lanstra, ’01, for sponsoring and hosting the event
at the firm.
Law College alumni connected at the Los Angeles Alumni Reception in November.
On December 21, 2013, alumni and friends attended the
annual Los Angeles and Orange County Alumni Holiday
Party at Laurel Tavern. Thank you to hosts Susan Frishman,
’98, and her husband, Rod Harrell.
Los Angeles and Orange County area alumni holiday party attendees
celebrated good food and great company.
BLSA Honors
Alumni and
Members
This year’s Black Law Students Association Alumni and
Student Reception was hosted by Ari Kresch, ’78, and his
firm, 1-800-LAW-FIRM, in Southfield. Alumni David
Robinson, ’85, Helen Moore, ’88, and Professor Emeritus
Robert Filiatrault, ’70, were recognized for their outstanding
service and achievements.
Ari Kresch, ’78, Cortenous (CJ) Herbert Jr, 3L, and Mary Ferguson, ’02
www.law.msu.edu
29
MSU Law Heads to
Boca Raton
Thanks to Harold Beznos, ’64, Law College alumni were
treated to food and drinks at the Boca Raton Beach Club and
Resort in February. The event was part of MSU Law’s annual
“On the Road with Dean Howarth” series of events.
Sheila Morganroth and Trustee Mayer (Mike) Morganroth,
’54, enjoyed an evening at the Boca Raton Beach Club
with fellow alumni and friends.
“I was happy to have alumni at my club and help MSU Law
connect with area graduates who may want to become more
involved and support the Law College,” said Beznos. “I am
thrilled to be a part of making a difference for the next
generation of lawyers and business people.”
Harold Beznos, ’64
30
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
Honigman Sponsors
Kalamazoo Alumni
Reception
(from left) Mac Waldorf, Pat Lennon, and Jonathan
O’Brien, ’04, enjoyed hearing Dean Howarth talk
about recent happenings at MSU Law.
Alumni and friends attended the first Alumni Reception at
Columbia Plaza in Kalamazoo on March 16. Hosts Jonathan
O’Brien, Ph.D., ’04, Senator Tonya Schuitmaker, ’93, and
Sydney Waldorf, ’02, joined Dean Joan Howarth, alumni, and
friends at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn’s office in the
historic downtown building.
(from left) Laura Danielson, ’13, Christopher Tracy, and Richard Ford
networked at Columbia Plaza in downtown Kalamazoo.
Host Sydney Waldorf,
’02, and her husband,
Mac, owners of
Columbia Plaza, were
happy to welcome
Michigan State Law to
their facility.
Macomb County Alumni Show Support
More than 30 Law College alumni attended a Macomb
County outreach event late last year to network with fellow
alumni and learn more about Michigan State Law. Participants
enjoyed a scrumptious Italian feast at one of the area’s favorite
establishments, Da Francesco’s.
“Any time you can gather a group of alumni to hear about
their law alma mater, it’s a good thing,” said host Peter Lucido,
’88, who spoke at the event about the importance of staying
connected and giving back to the Law College.
“DCL gave us so much, but we don’t have a physical place to
take our loved ones,” Lucido noted, discussing his lead gift in
support of the Detroit College of Law Commemorative Plaza.
“If it weren’t for the thousands of alumni who matriculated
through DCL, there would not be a Michigan State University
College of Law in East Lansing. That is why I am supporting
the Detroit College of Law Plaza and Legacy Scholarship, and
I encourage you to do the same.”
www.law.msu.edu
(from left) The Honorable Richard Caretti, ’80, Peter Lucido, ’88,
Michael Osaer, ’79, and the Honorable Douglas Shepherd, ’81
31
Foster Swift Hosts Law
Review Reception
Michigan State Law Review students’ achievements were recognized at the
group’s Annual Alumni and Student Reception on March 13. The law firm
of Foster Swift sponsored and hosted the event at its downtown Lansing
office. MSU Law Trustee Maurice Jenkins, ’81, was the keynote speaker at
this year’s event.
Professor Daniel Barnhizer presents Law Review
Editor-in-Chief Rachael Roseman, 3L, with an award
for her article being published in Richmond Journal of
Law & Technology.
Randall Tatem, 3L, and
Vani Gujuluva, 3L
Trustee Maurice G. Jenkins, ’81
Spartan Supporters
Mingle in DC
Employers, students, alumni, and friends gathered at the City
Tavern Club in Washington, DC, to network and hear more
about Michigan State Law today. Funds raised at the March
13 event will benefit the Law College’s DC Area Scholarship.
(from left)
Brandon
Sherman, ’04,
and Paul
Hahn, ’04
(from left) Brian Lynch, ’05, Hannah Greenhaugh, 3L,
John Simermeyer, 3L, and David Stegman, ’06
32
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
JLS Raises Scholarship Support
The Jewish Legal Society (JLS) hosted its 6th Annual Alumni and Student Reception at the McDonald
Hopkins law firm in Bloomfield Hills. The JLS presented Randi Glanz, ’91, with its Alumni Achievement
Award at the March 11 event. Glanz is a well-respected family law attorney at Clark Hill. She has
developed a reputation not only as an expert in the area of family law, but also in attending to the
individual needs of her clients.
Proceeds from the event funded the inaugural JLS Scholarship. Recipients included 2Ls Leah Hurvitz
and Aaron Chapman. Many thanks to attendees and the following event benefactors for their
generous support:
The Honorable Bernard Friedman, ’68
Jules Olsman, ’78
Matthew Ross
Daniel Weiner and Lisa Weiner
Jason Weiner, ’10
Thank you also to Jason Weiner, ’10, for hosting and organizing the event.
(from left) Dean Joan Howarth, Randi Glanz, ’91, Aaron Chapman, 3L, Jason Weiner, ’10, and Assistant Dean Elliot Spoon
reconnected at McDonald Hopkins in Bloomfield Hills.
www.law.msu.edu
33
MSU Law and the
Great Outdoors
Michigan State Law alumni, students, and friends joined
Dean Joan Howarth for outdoor activities at Hunter’s Creek
Club in Metamora on a brisk and sunny Saturday morning to
raise awareness of the importance of conservation law. The
March 15 event was hosted by Daniel Barnhizer, the Bradford
Stone Faculty Scholar; Jeffrey Littmann, ’84, chief financial
officer of the Buffalo Bills; and Hal and Jean Glassen
Foundation Trustees Tom Baird, Tom Huggler, and Al Stewart.
“We are pleased to team up with MSU Law to promote
conservation of the great outdoors and the sports many
Michiganders have grown to love and enjoy,” said Huggler.
MSU Law students Greg Saloka, 2L, Chintan Desai, 3L, Kevin Majewski, 3L,
joined alumni and friends for a day outdoors in support of conservation law.
(from left) Jeff Littmann, ’84, Al Stewart, and Sam Ventimiglia
appreciated a hearty breakfast before clay shooting at Hunter’s
Creek Club in Metamora.
Tom Huggler demonstrated the proper clay
shooting technique.
MSU Law is pleased to announce
a $100,000 pledge from The Hal and Jean Glassen Foundation to fully endow the
Neil A. McLean Conservation Law Scholarship. See future publications for details.
Host an Upcoming Event!
Join the host committee for an upcoming event! We are especially looking for hosts for the
2014 Class Reunions for alumni who graduated in years ending in 4 or 9. Contact us at
alumni@law.msu.edu or (517) 432-6840 to join today!
34
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
Law Firms and Businesses are
UP FOR A
The 5th Annual Law Firm Challenge launched in May, kicking
off a unique opportunity for alumni to support their law alma
mater. This year’s challenge follows a successful fourth year
in which 24 participating firms and businesses collectively
raised $55,000 in philanthropic support for Michigan State
Law and had an overall participation rate of 55 percent.
Participating Firms (as of press time):
The Law Firm Challenge uses friendly competition among
firms to raise awareness of the value of giving back and
provides a fun networking opportunity for graduates. Firms
and businesses with three or more alumni are encouraged
to participate. Team captains help support the target of
100 percent participation among MSU Law graduates within
each firm.
Foster Swift Collins & Smith
Center Management Services
Clark Hill
Dickinson Wright
Fedor, Camargo & Weston
Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook
Orlans
Miller Johnson Snell & Cummiskey
Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge
Traverse Legal
Law Firm Challenge participants may designate gifts to
support any number of programs. Contact April Jones at
jonesap@law.msu.edu to join the challenge!
Class of 2014
GIVES BACK
The Class of 2014 is honoring past graduates while giving
back to the Law College through a class gift to support the
planned Detroit College of Law Plaza. Class President Jason
Lee says student donors supported the class gift through gifts
and pledges, by purchasing “friends and family photos” for
graduation, and by attending a 3L social that raised funds for
the effort.
www.law.msu.edu
35
Alumni Association PLEDGES
$100,000 TO MSU LAW
The Michigan State University College of Law Alumni
Association unanimously voted to pledge $100,000 in support
of the Detroit College of Law Plaza and Legacy Scholarship.
The plaza will permanently commemorate our institution’s
heritage and pay homage to the many alumni who graduated
during the Law College’s days in Detroit.
“On behalf of the entire MSU College of Law Alumni
Association and its past and present Board of Directors,
I am excited about what our gift will do for both DCL
alumni and future graduates of our great Law College,”
said Alumni Association President Brian Hall, ’07.
“Our gift to the legacy scholarship will directly benefit
MSU Law and our current students,” Hall added. “With
this gift, the Alumni Association demonstrates its continued
commitment to its mission to serve and represent alumni
of MSU Law and its predecessors, enhance relationships
between alumni and the Law College, honor MSU Law’s
rich history as Detroit College of Law, and further
develop a sense of pride in the Alumni Association and the
Law College.”
“Our gift to the legacy scholarship will directly
benefit MSU Law and our current students.”
Public Interest Law Society RAISES
$5,000 FOR SCHOLARSHIP
The 4th Annual PILS Auction took place at Michigan State
University College of Law on April 8. Students, faculty, and
staff bid on fun and unique items, including gift certificates
to area restaurants and stores, tickets to sporting events, and
stays at Michigan hotels.
The spring fundraising event helps advance the Public Law
Interest Society’s twin goals of raising the Law College’s public
interest efforts and increasing our reputation across the legal
community. This year’s PILS auction raised more than $5,000
for the PILS Scholarship.
Fadel Ibrahim, 3L and
John Kummer, 3L
36
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
IN MEMORIAM
HONORABLE CAROLE F. YOUNGBLOOD (1946–2014)
Classmates, Fellow
Alumni Raise Funds
to Remember
Carole
Youngblood
Carole Youngblood, ’86, was a Detroit
College of Law graduate and retired
Wayne County Circuit Judge who passed
away on February 9, 2014.
Many thanks to the following alumni and friends for
making a gift in memory of Carole Youngblood:
Antone, Casagrande & Adwers
Ms. Deborah Bacal, ’86
Ms. Christine Nover Barnett, ’87, and Mr. Randy L. Barnett
Mr. Mark W. Cherry, ’87, and Mrs. Denise M. Cherry
Mr. William G. Conger, ’86, and Mrs. Pamela L. Conger
Mr. Douglas P. Dwyer, ’86, and Mrs. Mary Dwyer
Fieger Law
Ms. Terri L. Giampetroni, ’87, and
Mr. Michael L. Giampetroni
Ms. Erma Lee Gillis, ’86
Mr. Dick Goodman and Ms. Katie Kalahar
Mr. Douglas A. Kaye, ’91
A Highland Park native, Youngblood was
the first in her family to complete high
school, much less attend college. After two years at Wayne
State University, she volunteered for President Lyndon
Johnson’s “War on Poverty”—an experience that opened her
eyes and shaped her life as a quiet warrior against injustice.
At the age of 37, she started evening classes at Detroit College
of Law.
Mr. Howard N. Luckoff, ’87
Youngblood met her husband, Amos Williams, ’86, during her
time at DCL. Her encouragement and support of Williams
helped them both finish school a semester early. The two
began practicing law together after graduating in 1986. First
elected to the Wayne County Circuit Court bench in 1994,
Youngblood easily won reelection in both 2000 and 2006.
Mr. Richard H. Long, ’86
Upon Youngblood’s death, classmates Maureen Thomas, ’86,
and Erma Gillis (Heck), ’86, encouraged fellow alumni to
donate toward a permanent reminder of their friend and
classmate. Generous donors raised more than $12,000, which
will allow Youngblood to be listed on the donor wall for the
planned Detroit College of Law Commemorative Plaza.
“Carole was helping others until the very end,” Thomas said.
“She was a special person, and DCL was an important part of
her life. It was at DCL that she began her life as a lawyer and
met her life partner.”
www.law.msu.edu
Mr. Clyde C. Goodwin Jr.
Goodwin & Scieszka
Mr. Sean F. Heck
Ms. Karen S. Jackson, ’87
Mr. Thomas E. Kuhn, ’85, and Mrs. Cheryl E. Kuhn
Mr. James C. McCann, ’86
Ms. Patricia E. McAuliffe, ’87, and Mr. Richard Robertson
The Honorable Beatrice K. Pennie Millender, ’87
Mr. John O’Neill
Mr. David A. Robinson, ’85
Mrs. Jane Marzelli Smith, ’86
Ms. Maureen E. Thomas, ’86
Mr. William W. Webb, ’86, and
Mrs. Mary Alice McNichols-Webb
Mr. Ronald H. Wilson, ’86, and Mrs. Kathleen Wilson
If you would like to add to the gift in memory of Carole
Youngblood, contact the Office of Advancement at
alumni@law.msu.edu or (517) 432-6840.
37
Donors
Support Scholarships,
Each year, many alumni and friends support
Michigan State Law by establishing and supporting
student scholarships. This year is no different.
Thank you to all who invest in the future of
the legal profession through scholarships, and
congratulations to the impressive, hard-working
Nola Garcia, 3L, received the Alton “Tom” Davis
students who received awards in early 2014.
Moot Court Scholarship. “Receiving the Alton
Alton “Tom” Davis Moot
Court Scholarship
‘Tom’ Davis Moot Court Scholarship was a proud moment for
me here at MSU Law,” Garcia said.
Barrister’s Ball Scholarship
This year’s Barrister’s
Scholarship Charity Ball
hosted 300 guests and
raised $5,500 for student
scholarships. Barrister’s
Ball Scholarships offset
the costs of technology
and book expenses for
law students. This year’s
scholarship winners are
Jalisa Foster, 3L, Lauren
Paul Robertson, 2L, accepts his
award from Dean Joan Howarth.
Fritz, 3L, Paul Robertson,
2L, Jacob Satin, 2L, and Tamara Titre, 3L.
“This scholarship is expertly tailored to the real
needs of students,” Satin said, referencing the
“daunting” cost of law school books. “Given the
financial struggles most of us face as we move into
our profession, this scholarship is a fantastic way
to lessen the financial pressures associated with
law school.”
“The Barrister’s Ball Scholarship has paid
immediate dividends,” Titre noted. “I plan
to take the Connecticut and the New
Jersey bar, and the funds received from the
scholarship will be used to offset my bar
applications. It is generosity like this that
makes me proud to be part of the MSU
College of Law community and encourages
me to pay it forward!”
Nola Garcia, 3L
Jacob
Satin, 2L
“To be recognized for my participation on the Moot Court
and Trial Advocacy Board is a personal achievement because I
am passionate about appellate advocacy. This scholarship
also eases the burden of law school costs as I prepared to
graduate and start my legal career.”
Faculty Endowed Scholarship
MSU Law faculty members are giving more than just a great
education in the classroom; they are helping students pay
their tuition through scholarships. Established in 2009, the
Faculty Endowed Scholarship has grown to more than
$50,000. Each year, two students receive scholarship funds to
offset the cost of tuition. This year’s recipients are 2L Matthew
Peterson and 3L Rachel Wolfe.
“It is a tremendous honor,” Peterson said. “The scholarship
truly reflects the dedication of the MSU Law faculty to ensure
that students are rewarded for hard work and relieved of the
burdensome debt that often follows advanced education.”
Tamara Titre, 3L
(from left) Matthew Peterson, 3L, Professor Kristi Bowman,
and Rachel Wolfe, 3L
38
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
Reduce Student Debt
Jackson Lewis Labor and
Employment Law Scholarship
The Jackson Lewis Labor and
Employment Law Scholarship was
awarded to 2Ls Charles Corra and
Jeremy Orr. Both students are interested
in labor and employment law.
“This scholarship will help relieve a
significant financial burden that has
Charles Corra, 2L
weighed on me since I started law school,”
Corra said. “Because of this scholarship, I can focus fully on my
academics without having to worry about whether I can
afford books and other expenses.”
“Being honored as a Jackson Lewis Labor and Employment
Law Scholarship recipient will prove to have an immediate
and lasting impact on my time as a student at MSU Law and
beyond,” Orr added. “Not only will this generous gift lighten
the financial burden that comes with law school, but the
scholarship itself also gives me a sense of renewed hope and
further assurance that there is support for minority students,
such as myself, who are striving to do and be great as legal
practitioners.”
Michigan State Law
Review Scholarship
This year’s Michigan State Law Review
Scholarship went to 3L Shannon Smith,
who served as senior symposia editor
for MSU Law’s flagship journal for the
2013–14 academic year.
Shannon Smith, 3L
“This scholarship was such a huge help. It allowed me to
focus on my classes and bar preparation during my final
semester, when the stresses of the bar examination were at
their height,” Smith said. “Knowing that MSU Law students
have so much support from alumni and our student
organizations was so refreshing and made me proud to be a
student and member of the Michigan State Law Review. I hope to
be able to give back to the thriving MSU College of Law
students who will carry on the reputations of the Law College
and Law Review in the future.”
www.law.msu.edu
Noah Dobson Cooper Indigenous
Law Scholarship
Noah Dobson Cooper had a passion for
indigenous law and issues that affect
children. After his death during his 1L year
last fall, Noah’s parents, Tracy Dobson and
John Cooper, created an endowed scholarship
to benefit students who share his passion.
The Noah Dobson Cooper Indigenous Law Noah Dobson
Cooper
Scholarship was presented to Nellie David, 2L.
Joseph A. Lupton Jr.
Memorial Scholarship
When third-year student Joseph Lupton died unexpectedly
in 2011, the MSU Law community came together to honor his
memory. As a testament to Joe’s lasting impression on the
Law College, his classmates created the Joseph A. Lupton Jr.
Memorial Scholarship as their 3L class gift.
Donations poured in from Joe’s family and friends—as well as
MSU Law faculty, staff, and alumni—to support the
scholarship, which benefits a student who successfully
participated in the Legal Education Opportunity program.
MSU Law was pleased to make the first award this spring to
1L Amber Myers.
“My path to a legal career has thus far been nontraditional,”
Myers said. “The Lupton Memorial Scholarship not only
helps finance my legal education, but it also demonstrates the
value of MSU Law’s mission to promote diversity amongst its
students’ paths to a legal education. It also highlights the
invaluable network of Spartan alumni and their dedication to
furthering the Law College’s success. I am both humbled and
honored to accept this award.”
Amber Myers, 1L, (second from right) with Dean Joan Howarth (third from
right) and members of Joe Lupton’s family
39
ALUMNI Profile
Nida Samona, ’91
Passionate
ABOUT PUBLIC
SERVICE
Nida Samona, ’91, came to the United States from Baghdad
as an 8-year-old child. Through her outstanding career, she
has become a role model for Chaldean-American and other
minority women in southeast Michigan. “Public service is my
passion and has defined my career,” she says.
A graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Royal Oak, Samona
earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration
and Management from Marygrove College. After taking a year
off from studies, she headed to Detroit College of Law; the
historic law school name instills great pride in her.
Samona’s career trajectory somewhat startled her traditional
family. “I really wanted to break the stereotype of what a
young Middle Eastern woman could and couldn’t do,” she says.
The first year of law school was hard. “I speak three
languages, but law was like learning another foreign language,
harder than any I’d learned before,” she recalls. “But it was a
small school, and many of us felt a sense of family, community,
and unity.”
Samona, who focused on international law and took part in
moot court competitions, is grateful for the excellent education
she received. “DCL was highly respected and revered, and
known as a school that produced trial lawyers and strong
advocates,” she says. “I wanted to be a prosecutor, and DCL
laid down a good foundation.”
In 10 years as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Macomb
County, Samona prosecuted a variety of violations and crimes.
Assignments included working in the Criminal Sexual
Conduct Unit and as the lead prosecutor in Macomb County
Circuit and District Courts. “I was an advocate, a voice for
victims who didn’t have a voice, and I saw to it that justice
was served,” she says.
For six of her 10 years as a prosecutor, she also served on
City Council in Southfield. “I enjoyed representing the people,”
she says. “I learned a lot from the experience, and I think I
brought a lot to it.”
40
Appointed in 2003 to the Michigan Liquor Control
Commission by then-Governor Jennifer Granholm, Samona
spent two four-year terms as chair and director. “I did a lot
of speaking and education,” she says. “I’m most proud of the
work I did in addressing sales of alcohol to minors. We tried
to get licensees to be educated and responsible. I brought my
past experience as a prosecutor to the job, and I also worked
two days a week as an administrative law judge.”
For the past three years, Samona has worked as a senior
executive projects manager for Wayne County. She is involved
in a variety of initiatives, including the Economic Development
Growth Engine.
Fluent in Arabic & Aramaic, she is a member of the
Multicultural Women Attorneys Network and enjoys
mentoring other women. A past member of the Arab-Chaldean
Advisory Committee, she was involved in the League of
Woman Voters and is a lifetime member of NAACP. In 2010,
the Arab American Women’s Business Council honored her
as Business Woman of the Year. She currently is a member of
the Chaldean-American Ladies of Charity, and serves on the
Arab-Chaldean Council.
Samona recently took part in a three-person panel at MSU
Law for students from the Middle East. “I was proud and
honored to attend and to discuss my evolution and career,”
she says. “I always say a law degree is the most diverse degree
you’ll ever have. You may not go on to work as an attorney,
but the degree will always impact the way you look at and
process things.”
The single mom juggles full-time work with the many
activities of her two sons (Spencer, 14, and Parker, 12),
including football, basketball, swimming, and Boy Scouts. It’s
important to her to carve out time to volunteer for her boys’
school, her church, and her community. “It’s very important to
give back,” she says. “I’m very blessed. My eight older siblings
all live nearby, and family and good friends are very important
to me. My family has been my rock and support system.”
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
ALUMNI Notes
Gold
1960s
EDWARD D. GOLD, ’64, of Butzel Long was
named one of 30 “Leaders in the Law” for 2014
by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. The list includes
attorneys who are changing the law, expanding
access to justice, and improving the profession
and their communities.
SERGE B. HADJI, ’68, published a book
titled Institutional Governance and the Trustees of
Anatolia College.
1970s
RICHARD N. WIENER, ’76, was appointed by
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan as director of the
Land Bank Authority, which handles blight
issues in the city.
1980s
BRIAN D. MILLER, ’82, was named assistant
dean of law admissions at the University of
Toledo College of Law.
J. MICHAEL BUCKLEY, ’84, an assistant U.S.
attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, was
awarded the department’s prestigious Director’s
Award for his work in the prosecution of Sherry
Washington and eight co-defendants who
fraudulently obtained more than $3 million
from the Detroit Public Schools. Buckley teaches
criminal trial advocacy in MSU Law’s Geoffrey
Fieger Trial Practice Institute.
KATHY OSSIAN, ’84, CEO of Ossian Law, was
awarded the national “Thanks Badge” by the Girl
Scouts of Southeastern Michigan. The award
recognizes Ossian’s two decades of volunteer
work as a troop leader, troop service director,
member of the Board of Directors, and chair of
the Fund Development Committee. She also was
elected to a three-year term as a national delegate
at the organization’s annual meeting in March.
J. MICHAEL HUGET, ’86, a partner at Honigman
Miller Schwartz and Cohn, was named “IP
Litigator of the Year for Michigan” by Managing
Intellectual Property magazine.
Miller
Ossian
GEOFFREY S. GALLINGER, ’87, a shareholder of
Butzel Long, was elected to serve on the Detroit
Athletic Club Board of Directors.
The Honorable ANNETTE J. BERRY, ’88, of the
Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan in Wayne
County was appointed by the Michigan Supreme
Court to serve on the Committee on Model
Criminal Jury Instructions.
CATHERINE W. HEISE, ’88, an attorney with
Amerisure Insurance based in Farmington Hills,
earned the professional insurance designation of
Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU).
The designation is awarded to those who complete
eight rigorous courses and examinations covering
ethics and experience requirements.
Huget
Gallinger
Heise
www.law.msu.edu
41
1990s
ROBIN LUCE HERRMANN, ’93, was named
co-chair of Media Law Resource Center’s State
Legislative Affairs Committee. Herrmann, a
shareholder with Butzel Long, serves as a
practice leader for one of her firm’s two
Business Litigation groups.
DAVID M. HOOVLER, ’97, was elected district
attorney of Orange County, New York, for a term
that began on January 1, 2014.
Herrmann
Hoovler
ANGELA M. BOUFFORD, ’98, attorney and
shareholder with Butzel Long, received the
Volunteer of the Year award from the Michigan
Defense Trial Counsel. Boufford specializes in
complex business and commercial litigation
and is a member of Butzel Long’s Technology
and eDiscovery practice. She was recognized
by dbusiness magazine as a 2014 “Top Lawyer”
in the area of information management and
eDiscovery law.
2000s
MATTHEW T. TOMPKINS, ’00, was named
shareholder at Plunkett Cooney. Tompkins, a
member of the firm’s Grand Rapids office,
focuses his practice on civil litigation defense.
Boufford
ALLEN L. LANSTRA JR., ’01, became a partner
at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
LAVINIA S. BIASELL, ’03, a shareholder at
Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller, was
appointed to serve on the State Bar of Michigan
1 District Character and Fitness Committee.
Tompkins
Lanstra
Biasell
42
PAUL J. DWAIHY, ’03, was named shareholder
at Plunkett Cooney. Dwaihy a member of the
firm’s Mt. Clemens office, concentrates his practice
on defending medical liability litigation and has
experience defending a variety of general
litigation matters.
PATRICK E. WINTERS, ’03, was named
shareholder at Plunkett Cooney. Winters, a
member of the firm’s Bloomfield Hills office,
focuses his practice on insurance coverage law.
Dwaihy
Winters
Glass
DEVON R. GLASS, ’04, was promoted to partner
at Secrest Wardle in Lansing. Glass has been
employed at the firm since May 2013.
MATISS D. KUKAINIS, ’04, a partner at Spigulis
& Kukainis—a business law firm located in Riga,
Latvia, with attorneys who are licensed to practice
in both the United States and Latvia—was
elected president of the American Chamber of
Commerce in Latvia for 2014.
CHARLES A. LAWLER, ’04, was admitted to
firm membership at Clark Hill.
JILL M. MILLER, ’04, a partner in the Southfield
office of Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weis, was named
an “Up & Coming Lawyer” by Michigan
Lawyers Weekly.
JONATHAN P. O’BRIEN, ’04, a partner at
Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn, was named
one of 30 “Leaders in the Law” for 2014 by Michigan
Lawyers Weekly. The list includes attorneys who are
changing the law, expanding access to justice, and
improving the profession and their communities.
BRIAN SIMS, ’04, was named this year’s
“Champion of Choice” at NARAL Pro-Choice
America’s 45th Anniversary Dinner in
Washington, DC, in February. Sims—a
Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House
of Representatives and activist on LGBT civil
rights—is the first openly gay elected state
legislator in Pennsylvania history.
DRU BHATTACHARYA, ’05, published two
textbooks, Global Health Disputes and Disparities: A
Critical Appraisal of International Law and Population
Health (Routledge 2012) and Public Health Policy:
Issues, Theories, and Advocacy (Jossey-Bass 2013). The
latter was featured at the American Public Health
Association’s 2013 annual meeting.
JANELLE J. JORDAN, ’05, was included on this
year’s Prince George’s County Social Innovation
Fund’s “Forty under 40” list. The honor recognizes
her public service in George’s County, Maryland.
Kukainis
Lawler
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
CAROLINE J. KINGSTON, ’05, associate
director for student engagement at MSU Law,
received the Lehker Outstanding Student
Advocate Award in the category of Graduate and
Professional Student Affairs by the American
College Personnel Association—College Student
Educators International.
CHRISTOPHER W. MICHAEL, ’10, joined Ice
Miller’s Business Group in fall 2013. Michael
focuses his practice on complex corporate
transactions, mergers and acquisitions, private
equity investments and transactions, and
financing transactions involving debt
and equity offerings.
AMANDA M. FIELDER, ’06, was named partner
at Warner Norcross & Judd.
MATTHEW J. LOPREST, ’11, is training at the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Surrey,
England. Once every four months, an Officer
Candidate School graduate is selected to attend
the academy as part of an exchange program
between the United States and United Kingdom.
RAQUEL A. SALAS, ’06, co-founding partner of
Avanti Law Group, was named one of the 50 most
influential women in West Michigan in the Grand
Rapids Business Journal.
JOEL C. FARRAR, ’07, was elected shareholder
at Foster Swift Collins & Smith. Farrar practices
in the firm’s Lansing office, where he is a member
of the Business and Corporate Practice Group.
KEITH B. JOHNSON, ’08, was appointed to
serve as an associate juvenile court judge for the
Augusta Judicial Circuit in Augusta, Georgia.
Johnson, who serves part time on the bench
while also working as an associate at Trotter
Jones, previously spent four years as an assistant
district attorney.
NICOLE E. STRATTON, ’09, received an Ingham
County Bar Association “Top 5 Under 35” award
for 2014.
2010s
DAVID CAMPBELL, ’10, is the 2014 winner of the
Advocates’ Society’s David Stockwood Memorial
Prize. His winning article will be published in
the Advocates’ Journal. Campbell is an associate at
Rogers Partners, a boutique litigation firm based
in Toronto.
The Honorable MARLON J. MONEVA, LL.M. ’12,
was elected president of the Philippine Trial
Judges League. The nationwide group works
to promote the professional growth of judges,
maintain judicial ethics, and establish a
harmonious relationship between the bar
and bench.
Same
NATHAN TRIPLETT, ’12, was elected mayor of
the City of East Lansing in November 2013. Triplett
originally was elected to the East Lansing City
Council in 2007 and served as mayor pro tem
since 2011.
JEFFREY B. SAME, ’13, joined the Buffalo, New
York, office of Hodgson Russ. Same is a member of
the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group.
Triplett
In Memoriam
Douglas J. Lindsay, ’84, on April 8, 2014
The Honorable Carole F. Youngblood, ’86,
on February 16, 2014
Campbell
Holli J. Wallace, ’04, on October 16, 2013
Send us your notes!
We encourage all alumni to contribute information on accomplishments and special recognition in the
legal profession and other fields.
To submit your notes, e-mail alumni@law.msu.edu or visit www.law.msu.edu/amicus.
Miller
O’Brien
www.law.msu.edu
Sims
Jordan
Stratton
Kingston
Johnson
43
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
Michigan State Law thanks the following alumni, friends, corporations, foundations, faculty, and staff who made a gift, pledge, or pledge payment during 2013 to support our
students and programs. We appreciate your continued support! Alumni donors are listed by class year along with their donor partners, if applicable. Donor partners who
graduated in different years are listed separately under their respective class years. Non-alumni donors are listed as friends.
Alumni
Trustee Emeritus David J. Sparrow†
Mr. Dan A. Darnell and Mrs. Beverly J. Darnell
Hon. John D. Foresman
Hon. Richard J. Kloote
Mr. Charles A. Le Fevre and Mrs. Susan M. Le Fevre
Trustee Emeritus John F. Schaefer and Mrs. Marta Schaefer
Mr. S. Gary Spicer Sr.
Class of 1954
Class of 1970
Class of 1950
Mr. Floyd J. Tucker and Mrs. Geraldine M. Tucker
Mr. Anthony J. Mansour and Mrs. Muriel M. Mansour
Class of 1951
Mr. Anthony M. Bolach
Trustee Mayer Morganroth and Mrs. Sheila Morganroth
Class of 1955
Mr. Fred A. Garon
Mr. C. Dale Hubbard
Class of 1957
Hon. Richard D. Kuhn Sr. and Mrs. Sally S. Kuhn
Mr. Stuart E. Small
Mr. Donald F. Sugerman and Mrs. Barbara Sugerman
Class of 1958
Hon. Thomas W. McDonell
Hon. Philip S. Tschirhart and Mrs. Carol E. Tschirhart
Class of 1959
Mr. John D. Sills
Class of 1960
Trustee Raymond R. Behan and Mrs. Lorraine Behan
Mr. Karl R. Bennett Jr.
Hon. George R. Corsiglia and Mrs. Sandra Corsiglia
Trustee Emeritus Norman L. Lippitt and
Mrs. Patricia Cannia Lippitt
Class of 1961
Mr. Robert Berliner
Mr. Morton Freed and Mrs. Natalie C. Freed
Pres. Emeritus Clif Haley and Mrs. Carolyn A. Haley
Trustee Emeritus Edwin W. Jakeway and
Mrs. Suzanne Jakeway
Class of 1962
Mr. C. Melvin Burley Jr.
Mr. Peter J. Carras and Mrs. Barbara D. Carras
Hon. Charles M. Forster and Mrs. Dianna Forster
Mr. Allan Rein and Mrs. Arline Rein
Class of 1963
Mr. Leon D. Bess and Mrs. Debby Bess
Pres. Emeritus Richard W. Heiss and Mrs. Nancy J. Heiss
Mr. John P. Moran
Pres. Emeritus Richard F. Suhrheinrich and
Mrs. Beverly J. Suhrheinrich
Class of 1964
Hon. Clinton C. Carter
Hon. Joseph L. Chylinkski
Mr. Charles R. Hrdlicka and Mrs. Loretta C. Hrdlicka
Mr. John M. Jereck
Mr. Frederick N. Johnson
Mr. Charles E. Lotzar Jr.
Mr. Russel C. Wells and Rev. Shirley L. Wells
Class 1965
Mr. Charles J. Hurbis
Hon. Wilbur L. Schillinger and Mrs. Helen A. Schillinger
Class of 1966
Mr. Jefferson P. Arnold
Mr. Myron B. Charfoos
Mr. Donald A. Kuebler and Mrs. Cheryl K. Kuebler
Mr. John L. Perentesis and Ms. Helen K. Perentesis
Hon. Lawrence P. Zatkoff and Mrs. Kelly O. Zatkoff
Class of 1967
Mr. Louis W. Kasischke and Mrs. Sandra A. Kasischke
Mr. Donald E. Moses
Mr. Donald A. Turner
Class of 1968
Mr. Robert F. Auld
Trustee Jean P. Carl†
Hon. Bernard A. Friedman and Mrs. Rozanne Friedman
Mr. William J. MacQueen and Mrs. Linda A. MacQueen
Mr. Jerrold V. Marsh
Mr. James N. Martin
Mr. Warner H. McLean and Mrs. Rosalind McLean
Trustee Emeritus Peter J. Palmer and Mrs. Diane D. Palmer
Mr. H. William Reising and Mrs. Mary A. Reising
Hon. Dalton A. Roberson Sr. andMrs. Pearl Roberson
Mr. David P. Stoller and Mrs. Janet R. Lincoln
†
44
Class of 1969
Hon. Peter E. Bec and Mrs. Christine Bec
Prof. Emeritus Robert M. Filiatrault and Mrs. Mary H. Christy
Mr. James R. Geroux and Mrs. Patricia Geroux
Mr. Thomas Guastello and Ms. Susan M. Luch
Mr. John P. Lange and Mrs. Vivian J. Lange
Prof. Emeritus Edward J. Littlejohn
Hon. James B. Mackie and Ms. Ruth Mackie
Mr. Charles A. Malone
Mr. Gerald P. Nehra and Ms. Peggy Jensen
Hon. David M. Peterson and Mrs. Phyllis Peterson
Hon. Glenn C. Valasco and Mrs. Marilyn J. Valasco
Hon. Robert L. Ziolkowski
Mr. Michael F. Zipser
Class of 1971
Mr. David B. Grant and Mrs. Marion S. Grant
Mr. Lynn L. Lower and Mrs. Carole F. Lower
Mr. Thomas F. Neuhard
Mr. James M. Olson and Mrs. Sally V. Olson
Class of 1972
Mr. Steven L. Barney
Trustee Emeritus Marianne O. Battani
Mr. Stanley M. Bershad and Mrs. Barbara Bershad
Ms. Carole L. Chiamp
Mr. Herschel P. Fink and Mrs. Adrienne Ruby-Fink
Mr. Gerald A. Fisher
Mr. Howard C. Marderosian
Mr. Michael A. McGrath and Mrs. Carol J. McGrath
Mr. Leonard R. Page
Hon. Edward M. Thomas
Mr. James C. Thomas
Mr. Bert Whitehead
Class of 1973
Hon. Thomas B. Dawson
Hon. Melvyn B. Kalt and Mrs. Paula Kalt
Mr. Byron F. Latter
Hon. R. Darryl Mazur and Mrs. Christine Mazur
Mr. Stanley C. Moore III
Prof. John J. Ronayne III
Mr. Thomas W. Schouten
Mr. G. R. Sims and Mrs. Ann M. Sims
Mr. Richard J. Siriani
Mr. Gerald L. White and Mrs. Gail White
Class of 1974
Mr. Eric A. Andrzejak and Ms. Nancy Andrzejak
Mr. Marshall W. Anstandig
Justice Emeritus Alton T. Davis and Mrs. Sandra K. Davis
Mr. Robert Ianni and Mrs. Lynda J. Ianni
Ms. Ruthanne Okun
Prof. William E. Smith and Dr. Donna A. Smith
Mr. Douglas M. West and Ms. Irene West
Class of 1975
Hon. J. W. Callahan
Hon. Robert J. Colombo Jr.
Trustee Frederick D. Dilley and Mrs. Elizabeth E. Dilley
Mr. Guy R. Greve
Mr. Douglas J. Maskin and Mrs. Marie G. Maskin
Hon. Mark S. Meadows and Mrs. Pamela F. Meadows
Mr. Milton T. Means and Mrs. Gloria A. Means
Ms. Frances B. Rohlman
Mr. Stephen J. Smith
Class of 1976
Mr. Patrick D. Ball
Mrs. Ellen W. Botnick
Mr. Donald F. Carney Jr. and Mrs. Jacqueline M. Carney
Mr. Stuart B. Cooney and Ms. Janet C. Cooney
Mr. Errol R. Dargin
Trustee Elaine Fieldman
Ms. Hannah M. Fisher
Mr. Joseph L. Flack Jr.
Mr. Kenneth M. Grifka and Mrs. Ghislaine L. Grifka
Mr. Gary D. Rice
Mr. Michael J. Taylor
Mr. Michael C. Walton and Ms. Shari K. Brown
Mr. Richard N. Wiener and Mrs. Rajkumari M. Wiener
Mrs. Ellen Witt-Botnick
Class of 1977
Hon. Edward Avadenka†
Mr. Thomas R. Bowen and Mrs. Kathleen A. Bowen
Mr. Edward C. Dawda
Mr. Ronald A. Deneweth and Mrs. Mary L. Deneweth
Mr. John N. Markwick and Mrs. Janet E. Markwick
Mr. Bryan Melvin III
Mr. John L. Miles
Mr. John F. Mills and Mrs. Kathleen Mills
Mr. Timothy J. Mullins
Mr. H. Elliott Parnes and Mrs. Judy R. Parnes
Prof. Kathleen E. Payne and Mr. Jeffrey B. Goldsmith
Mr. Mark T. Prendeville and Mrs. Patricia Prendeville
Mr. David B. Sachs
Mr. John J. Schrot Jr.
Mr. Howard J. Victor and Mrs. Gail R. Victor
Mr. Richard L. Wagner Jr.
Class of 1978
Mr. Michael L. Battersby
Mr. Paul D. Galea and Mrs. Kathleen Murtagh-Galea
Mr. Alan S. Gorosh and Mrs. Rhona L. Gorosh
Mr. Larry A. Greer
Mr. Michael H. James
Mr. Thomas J. Kenny and Mrs. Jill M. Kenny
Mr. Eugene K. Laporte and Mrs. Laura Laporte
Mrs. Diane M. Lepsig and Mr. Robert S. Lepsig
Hon. Joseph Murphy
Mr. Jules B. Olsman and Mrs. Barbara L. Olsman
Hon. Scott L. Pavlich and Mrs. Kathleen B. Pavlich
Hon. Steven M. Pestka and Mrs. Alicia M. Pestka
Mr. Robert F. Rubin
Mr. Roy C. Sgroi and Mrs. Kathleen L. Sgroi
Mr. Robert J. Sharkey
Mr. Robert M. Taylor and Mrs. Frances M. Taylor
Mr. Larry A. Ver Merris and Mrs. Margaret D. Ver Merris
Mr. Thomas M. Woiwode and Mrs. Anne M. Woiwode
Class of 1979
Ms. Janet M. Allen
Mrs. Alice I. Buckley
Ms. Cynthia N. Davis
Mr. Joseph S. DeTrane and Mrs. Debra Y. DeTrane
Hon. James N. Erhart and Mrs. Suzanne Erhart
Mr. Charles P. Hoffman Jr. and Mrs. Marcia L. Reed
Ms. Meria E. Larson
Mr. Timothy P. Luxon
Ms. Sandra S. Mengel
Hon. Jo Ann C. Stevenson
Mr. Bryan A. Sunisloe and Mrs. Patricia S. Sunisloe
Mr. Robert C. Walter
Mr. Stephen L. Witenoff
Class of 1980
Prof. Mary A. Bedikian and Mr. Edward Bedikian
Mrs. Patricia A. Brennan
Mr. Thomas G. Cardelli and Dr. Marcia Brooks Cardelli
Mr. Harry L. Dalsey and Mrs. Linee Diem
Mr. Larry R. Garon and Mrs. Lori M. Garon
Mr. Michael D. Gibson and Mrs. Christine E. Gibson
Ms. Karen L. Hahn
Mr. Gregory R. Lane
Ms. Kathleen M. Oemke
Mr. Robert H. Orley and Mrs. Marcie Hermelin Orley
Hon. Joseph S. Skocelas
Mr. David J. Vigna
Mr. Jeffrey M. Young and Mrs. Susan Klar
Class of 1981
Ms. Suzanne M. Bolton
Ms. Catherine J. Brown
Mr. James C. Budny and Ms. Maureen A. Budny
Mr. Jerome A. Galante
Mr. Mark F. Hayes and Mrs. Marie A. Palumbo-Hayes
Trustee Maurice G. Jenkins and
Mrs. Corlyss Connors-Jenkins
Mr. Thomas M. Keranen
Ms. Renee V. Loridas
Mr. Joseph E. Mitchell and Mrs. Jean B. Mitchell
Trustee Michael G. Morris and Mrs. Linda C. Morris
Mr. C. R. Perry
Mr. Dennis K. Taylor
Mr. David M. Thomas
Hon. Jon A. VanAllsburg and Mrs. Susan D. VanAllsburg
Deceased
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
Class of 1982
Hon. Joseph A. Costello Jr. and Mrs. Amy J. Costello
Mrs. Marlene A. Juhasz and Mr. Joseph R. Juhasz
Mr. Wallace G. Long
Mrs. Florence J. Lytle
Mr. Douglas C. Osborn
Ms. Meryl C. Podolsky
Mr. R. O. Richards
Ms. Jane Shallal and Mr. John I. Kittel
Mr. Anthony Urbani II and Mrs. Marie R. Urbani
Mr. Stephen P. Vella and Mrs. Nancy J. Vella
Ms. Cyndy Zuzga
Class of 1983
Mr. Joseph A. Bonventre and Mrs. Joyce A. Bonventre
Mr. W. Jerry Byrd and Mrs. Pamela J. Byrd
Ms. Cheryl A. Cardelli
Mr. John L. Chiatalas
Mrs. Julie A. Galante
Ms. Janet Ann Hedin
Mr. Thomas H. Hill and Mrs. Sue Hill
Mr. Mark W. Peyser
Ms. Julie A. Smith
Mr. Bradley A. Vauter
Ms. Donna K. Welch
Mr. Robert P. Young and Mrs. Audrey Young
Class of 1984
Mr. Angus M. Campbell and Mrs. Karen N. Campbell
Mr. Edward J. Clinton Jr.
Ms. Marlene L. Ellis
Mrs. Elizabeth D. Genetti Klein and Mr. Mark S. Genetti
Mr. Ronald R. Gutowski and Mrs. Connie L. Gutowski
Mr. Jeffrey C. Littmann and Mrs. Cynthia M. Littmann
Mr. Sam Morgan and Mrs. Hillary Morgan
Ms. Gretchen L. Olsen
Mrs. Kathryn L. Ossian and Mr. James E. Linn
Mr. Lawrence J. Phelan
Mr. Paul E. Richards
Mr. William F. Rivard Sr. and Mrs. Deborah J. Rivard
Mrs. Kandy C. Ronayne
Ms. Kathleen Sakal
Mr. Martin E. Testasecca
Ms. Lori L. Tobis
Mrs. Victoria L. Weinman-Klein
Hon. Richard J. Zettel
Class of 1985
Mr. John M. Banas and Mrs. Carol S. Banas
Ms. Patricia J. Battersby
Mr. Gilbert A. Borman
Mr. Thomas P. Christensen and Mrs. Teresa E. Christensen
Mr. Terry L. Cramer and Mrs. Christine W. Cramer
Mr. Daniel J. Desmet
Mr. Mark G. Fecher
Ms. Linda M. Garbarino
Mr. Kim Adam Gasior and Mrs. Diane Kay Gasior
Mr. Frederick W. Hoffman IV
Mr. Thomas C. Oren
Mr. Jeffrey P. Rumley
Ms. Janice K. Selberg
Ms. Pauline L. Bonnici Walker
Class of 1986
Ms. Deborah A. Bacal
Ms. Christine M. Battle and Mr. Timothy E. Battle
Mr. Michael J. Beals and Ms. Julie Beals
Mr. Fred L. Gibson and Mrs. Annemarie Gibson
Mr. Scott A. Goodwin
Mr. Thomas J. Kramer
Mr. John M. Lynch Jr.
Mr. David M. Ottenwess and Mrs. Stephanie P. Ottenwess
Ms. Barbara T. Pichan
Mr. Nunzio G. Provenzano
Mr. Stephen M. Rideout
Ms. Maureen E. Thomas
Class of 1987
Ms. Christine Nover Barnett and Mr. Randy L. Barnett
Mr. Daniel H. Bliss and Mrs. Margaret L. Bliss
Ms. Margaret E. Davis
Ms. Joanne B. Faycurry
Mr. Roger E. Gobrogge and Mrs. Gwen B. Gobrogge
Mr. James A. Ketai and Mrs. Sherri L. Ketai
Mr. E. James King III
Trustee Charles E. Langton
Mr. Howard N. Luckoff and Mrs. Nancy A. Luckoff
Mr. Robert A. MacKenzie
Hon. Beatrice K. Millender
Mrs. Ann R. O’Neill
Board Chair Linda Waggoner Orlans
Ms. Kathleen L. Schmehl
Ms. Denise D. Twinney
Mr. David D. Whitaker
Mr. Edward D. Winstead
†
Deceased
www.law.msu.edu
Class of 1988
Mr. Calvert A. Bailey
Mr. Robert E. Carr
Mr. Steven A. Drakos
Mr. Richard J. Joppich and Mr. Edgar F. Joppich
Mr. John T. Klees and Mrs. Heidi B. Klees
Mrs. Lisa A. Langton
Mr. Peter J. Lucido and Mrs. Ann Marie Lucido
Prof. George D. Moustakas
Ms. Rebecca G. Simkins
Mr. James R. Stokes
Mrs. Karen A. Urbin and Mr. David M. Urbin
Mr. Robert W. O’Brien and Mrs. Carrie E. O’Brien
Ms. Amy C. Slameka
Mr. Eric R. Swanson
Mrs. Holly O. Swanson
Ms. Denise S. Young
Class of 2000
Hon. Karen Fort Hood
Trustee Cary S. Smith-McGehee
Mr. Frank C. Niehaus and Mrs. Mary Niehaus
Mr. David M. Dell and Mrs. Rebecca L. Dell
Mr. Matthew S. Fedor
Mrs. Starr M. Kincaid and Mr. David C. Kincaid
Mr. Jonathon D. Koenigsberg
Mr. Adam B. Norlander and
Mrs. Christa M. Paisley-Norlander
Trustee Donald D. Nystrom and Mrs. Tracy Nystrom
Prof. Daphne E. O’Regan and Dr. Jonathan D. Walton
Mr. Brian L. Smiler and Mrs. Melanie L. Smiler
Mr. Michael L. Taylor
Class of 1990
Class of 2001
Class of 1989
Assoc. Dean Connell Alsup
Ms. Bettie K. Ball
Mr. Timothy D. Finegan and Mrs. Jacquelene R. Finegan
Mr. Wolfgang Mueller and Mrs. Shanna J. Bristol-Mueller
Mr. Eric M. Nemeth and Mrs. Paula Nemeth
Mr. Chris W. Walker
Mr. Douglas Young
Mr. Ronald A. Berridge
Trustee Stacy L. Erwin Oakes
Mr. Carter G. Hodgson
Mr. Allen L. Lanstra Jr.
Mr. Caleb J. Shureb
Ms. Melissa D. Redmon Woods
Class of 1991
Ms. Pamela L. Dausman
Ms. Mary A. Ferguson
Mrs. Lisa C. Hagan and Mr. Brian A. Hagan
Mr. Matthew W. Heron and Mrs. Shannon L. Heron
Prof. Emeritus Clark C. Johnson LL.D.
Mr. Jun Kang
Mr. Roger H. Lee
Mr. Joel J. Mishler
Mr. Daniel R. Olson
Mrs. Jennifer J. Palmbos
Mr. Curtis C. Warner
Mrs. Randi P. Glanz and Mr. Harry Glanz
Mr. David E. Hart and Mrs. Jill E. Hart
Mrs. Alicia A. Jones-Coleman
Mr. Robert L. Stearns and Mrs. Elizabeth G. Stearns
Ms. Linda M. Watson
Mrs. Lisa K. Zohoury and Mr. Mark R. Zohoury
Class of 1992
Mr. John S. Artz
Mr. John M. Cullen and Mrs. Theresa M. Cullen
Mr. Kevin P. Hammons
Mr. Todd L. Levitt and Mrs. Mary E. Levitt
Mrs. Marcy B. Sternberg
Mr. James S. Vecchio
Class of 1993
Mrs. Lori Ann Thornhill-Childress
Mr. Patrick J. Derkacz
Mrs. Deborah S. El-Amin and Mr. Stanley B. El-Amin
Mrs. Joy H. King
Ms. Anthea E. Papista
Mr. William F. Riddle
Mrs. Jill Tilton Silverman
Mr. John A. VanOphem and Mrs. Jenifer Young
Mr. Peter R. Wendling and Mrs. Anne E. Wendling
Mr. Curtis R. Willner
Class of 1994
Ms. Jill W. Exler
Mr. Anthony J. Long and Mrs. Kimberly A. Long
Ms. Christine H. Stephens and Mr. Robert J. Files
Mr. Brian S. Weinstock and Mrs. Dawn Weinstock
Class of 1995
Mr. Gerald P. Cavellier Jr.
Mr. Scott B. Cherrin
Mrs. Kathleen L. Cole and Mr. Duane A. Cole
Mr. William P. Cummings
Dr. Mark P. Douma
Mr. Jeffrey S. Freeman and Mrs. Maria Freeman
Ms. Evelyn L. Smith
Class of 1996
Mr. Jeffrey D. Cohen and Mrs. Juliana R. Cohen
Mr. Michael W. Domanski
Mrs. Valerie L. Henning Mock
Mrs. Nancy P. Klukowski and Mr. Steven Klukowski
Mr. Aric K. Melder
Hon. Cylenthia L. Miller
Mrs. Naomi Gaynor Neilsen and Mr. John L. Neilsen
Mr. Seth E. Rodack and Mrs. Euhui C. Lee Rodack
Mr. Eric R. Sabree and Mrs. Badriyyah Sabree
Ms. Lori E. Talsky and Mr. Alan S. Zekelman
Mrs. Kimberly A. Owens Wise and Mr. John E. Wise
Class of 1997
Mr. Laurence E. Briski
Mr. Brian M. Brown and Mrs. Amy Brown
Ms. Ella M. Bully-Cummings
Mr. Brian T. Loughrin
Mr. Richard M. Lynch and Mrs. Victoria M. Lynch
Mrs. Stephanie A. Orrico
Mr. Brian S. Pickell
Mr. Lee A. Sartori
Class of 1998
Mr. Samuel J. Haidle and Mrs. Kelli Haidle
Ms. Jacquelene E. Jorgensen
Mr. Leon N. Mayer
Class of 1999
Mr. Michael D. Homier
Mrs. Kristina M. Larese
Class of 2002
Class of 2003
Mr. Christian R. Biasell and Mrs. Lavinia S. Biasell
Mr. Chris A. Bombardo and Mrs. Elizabeth I. Bomardo
Mr. Matthew M. Hagerty
Mrs. Barbra E. Homier
Mr. Andrew A. Iacobelli
Mrs. Monica C. Inhulsen
Mrs. Kelly M. Martorano and Mr. Michael A. Martorano
Mr. Sean P. McNally
Ms. Diana A. Melnyk
Mr. Joseph T. Muzingo
Class of 2004
Dr. Sarah L. Babcock and Mr. Paul R. Hahn
Mr. Christopher G. Bovid and Dr. Karen Bovid
Mr. Jeremy R. Brooks
Mrs. Talia G. Capelj
Mr. Bradley N. Deacon
Mrs. Rebecca J. Dukes and Mr. Joshua Dukes
Mr. Trent K. English and Mrs. Katherine S. English
Mr. Devon R. Glass
Ms. Marie A. Gordon
Mr. Jordan M. Harris
Mrs. Saraphoena B. Koffron and Mr. Mike Koffron
Mr. Charles A. Lawler and Mrs. Karen Lawler
Mr. Christopher L. Lucas
Mrs. Donna K. Mallonee
Mrs. Veronica V. McNally
Dr. Jonathan P. O’Brien and Ms. Amelia V. Katanski
Mr. Karl T. Ondersma and Mrs. Deborah Ondersma
Ms. Cami M. Pendell
Trustee Jennifer R. Poteat and Mr. Michael B. Staebler
Mr. Brandon S. Sherman
Ms. Meghan K. Short
Ms. Holli J. Wallace
Mr. Joshua M. Wease
Class of 2005
Ms. Sarah L. Belzer
Ms. Lori A. Blankenship
Ms. Patricia A. Bolen
Mr. Matthew A. Brooks
Mrs. Brenda M. Doty
Ms. Mahbuba Fidda
Ms. Kathryn E. Fort
Mr. Joseph J. Gavin and Mrs. Jennie D. Gavin
Mr. Mark F. Genovese and Mrs. Sarah E. Genovese
Mr. John W. Inhulsen
Mr. Thomas W. James and Mrs. Angela M. James
Mr. James M. Johnson
Ms. Caroline J. Kingston
Mr. Eric N. Laurenzo
Mr. Emelike Nwosuocha
Mr. David R. Russell and Mrs. Heather A. Russell
Class of 2006
Mr. Eric C. Bartley and Dr. Jamie M. Bartley
Mrs. Kristin C. Chapman
Ms. Nichole J. Derks and Mr. James M. Derks
Mr. Andrew W. Erlewein
45
Ms. Kaitlin A. Huber
Ms. Julie A. Jackimowicz
Ms. Jodie M. Kaufman
Mr. James R. Poll
Mr. David J. Stegman
Mr. Peter M. Whitehead and Mrs. Sarah M. Whitehead
Mr. Thomas J. Wood
Class of 2007
Mrs. Danielle R. Allison-Yokom and Mr. Scott M. Yokom
Mr. Brian C. Andress
Mr. Sami Z. Azhari
Ms. Sherri M. Carr
Mr. Edward A. Courtney III
Mr. Thomas M. Deasy Jr. and Mrs. Dana M. Goldberg
Mr. Reid M. Demanche
Mr. Joel C. Farrar
Mrs. Carrie R. Feeheley
Mr. Jason A. Gordon
Mr. Tracy H. Greenwood
Ms. Joy M. Grow
Mr. Brian A. Hall and Mrs. Katie Hall
Mr. Brian P. Lick and Mrs. Jessica L. Fortier-Lick
Ms. Kristen T. Maurer
Mr. David S. Nay
Trustee Bryan T. Newland
Mr. Reid A. Nicolosi
Ms. Elizabeth M. Petsche
Mr. Douglas J. Upton
Mr. Robert T. Worthington
Class of 2008
Mr. James F. Berkemeier
Mr. Michael R. Bertrand
Ms. Mary A. Bowen
Mr. Vito A. Ciaravino
Mr. Andre B. Dandridge and Mrs. Nicole S. Dandridge
Mr. Brent L. Domann and Mrs. Valerie C. Domann
Ms. Veronica M. Farley
Mr. David A. Grant
Mr. Joshua A. Huber
Mr. Nizam-U-Din S. Qureshi and Mrs. Jennifer J. Qureshi
Mr. Jacob A. Raines
Mr. Bryan A. Rimmke
Mr. Jeffery J. Sattler
Ms. Kimberly M. Slaven
Ms. Kathleen A. Verb
Class of 2009
Mr. Samuel M. Barth
Ms. Karolyn A. Bignotti
Mrs. Lindsey E. Bosch
Mr. Marc T. Bowen
Ms. Lindsay N. Dangl
Mr. Anderson J. Duff
Ms. Lauren S. Foley
Ms. Jodi M. Fox
Mr. Matthew S. Hetzner and Mrs. Holly Hetzner
Mrs. Erica E. Huddas
Mr. Nicholas M. Oertel
Mr. Martin B. Peters
Mr. Luke N. Petersen
Mr. Che B. Peterson
Ms. Stephanie L. Posuniak
Ms. Jennifer L. Rudisill
Mr. Aaron T. Seybert
Ms. Nicole E. Stratton
Class of 2010
Rep. Brian R. Banks
Mr. Patrick K. Burns
Mr. Ryan T. Carlson
Ms. Aliyya A. Clement
Mr. Erinn M. Cypher
Ms. Sarah M. Elkins
Mr. Dustin M. Ford
Mr. Robbie R. Harmer
Ms. Victoria J. Hyde
Mr. John A. Janiszewski and Mrs. Sarah J. Janiszewski
Ms. Anna A. Johnson
Mr. Brian A. LaVictoire and Mrs. Jennifer J. LaVictoire
Mrs. Rachel A. Lee and Mr. William Lee
Mr. James M. Leiby and Mrs. Karen Leiby
Mrs. Elisa J. Lintemuth
Mr. Aaron T. Lloyd
Mr. Jacob A. Mailander
Mr. Anthony C. Mrzlack
Mr. Edrick J. Overson
Mr. Randall J. Peck
Ms. Kristen M. Polanski
Mr. Robert F. Powers and Mrs. Brianne E. Powers
Ms. Jenna M. Purdum
Ms. Michelle L. Quigley and Mr. Nicolas Quigley
Mr. Christopher J. Ryan
Mr. Erik F. Sanborn and Mrs. Kristine Sanborn
Mr. Christopher J. Schneider and Mrs. Emily A. Schneider
Mr. Christopher R. Slavin
Mr. Nathan P. Sportel
46
Mr. Mark A. Tarnavsky
Mr. Jesse C. Viau
Mr. Jared M. Warner and Ms. Adrienne R. Shaw
Mr. Jason L. Weiner
Class of 2011
Ms. Elizabeth L. Allen
Mr. Anthony G. Becknek
Ms. Keli G. Bender
Mr. Justin M. Bratt and Mrs. Sarah Joy Bratt
Ms. Rachel N. Costello
Mr. Matthew R. Daniels
Ms. Staci R. Deregnaucourt
Ms. Angel C. Dotson
Mr. Octavio Duran
Mrs. Allison L. Eicher and Mr. Jason L. Eicher
Ms. Melissa M. Forshey
Mr. Tyler D. Gaastra
Mr. Timothy R. Gatza
Mr. Todd M. Jennings
Ms. Caroline L. Kinsey
Ms. Salina M. Maxwell
Mr. David B. Meyer
Mr. Ryan J. Perry
Mr. Ryan J. Peruski
Ms. Cheryl L. Ronk
Ms. Courtney R. Sanchez
Mr. Michael A. Siracuse
Mr. David W. Thompson and Ms. Christina Thompson
Mr. Gerald W. Vanderwal III
Mr. Sammy H. Wahidy
Class of 2012
Mr. Kendell S. Asbenson
Mr. Luke S. Behnke
Mr. Michael C. Bochniarz
Ms. Lesleen A. Cheltenham
Mr. Michael R. Colasanti
Mr. Jerome Crawford
Mr. Alexander E. Duros
Mr. Joseph N. Eadeh
Ms. Amanda J. Frank and Dr. Keith F. Frank
Ms. Courtney A. Gabbara
Mr. George J. George
Mr. Thomas G. Knox
Mr. Andrew T. Moore
Ms. Samantha A. Murray
Mrs. Andrea S. Nester
Ms. Sarah L. Primrose and Mr. John McCloskey
Mr. David L. Retland Jr.
Ms. Sissi Rodriguez
Ms. Bridget A. Sheehan
Ms. Jennifer E. Stallings
Ms. Julia Wu
Class of 2013
Ms. Sana Abid
Mr. Norman W. Ackland
Dr. Reid A. Baldwin and Mrs. Julie K. Baldwin
Mr. Nicholas F. Barbantonis
Ms. Kimberly G. Barclay
Ms. Meghan E. Barone
Mr. Dex L. Battista
Ms. Cassi R. Baumgardner
Mr. Elliott M. Berlin
Mr. Eric D. Berlin
Mr. Graham P. Boswell
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Mr. William Saintilus
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Ms. Rachel A. Smathers
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Mr. James S. Vicchairelli
Mr. Joseph A. Vingelman
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Ms. Brooke A. Worcester
Mr. Ari T. Zartarian
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
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Mr. Muaath Ali
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Ida & Benjamin Alpert Foundation
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Amerisure, Incorporated
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Animal Legal Defense Fund
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Mr. Vikram S. Arora
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The Atheneum Suites Hotel
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Autoliv ASP, Inc.
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Mr. Richard Borth
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Prof. Kristi L. Bowman and Dr. Gabriel D. Wrobel
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Carl’s Golf Land
Prof. Jennifer D. Carter-Johnson and
Mr. Jeffrey S. Carter-Johnson
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Chateau Chantal
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City Limits East
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Ms. Linda Cohen
Mr. Christopher Colasanti
Mrs. Deborah A. Coleman and Mr. Daniel A. Polster
Comer Holdings
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www.law.msu.edu
Prof. Jennifer L. Copland
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Mr. Jack D. Daoud and Mrs. Nathalie Daoud
Prof. Tiffani N. Darden and Mr. Roberto Colon
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Deloitte Foundation
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Detroit Red Wings
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Mr. William M. Diaz
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Mr. Jesse R. Dostal
Douglas J. Aveda Institute, Inc.
Ms. Robin M. Doutre
Mr. Cliff Dovitz and Mrs. Sheryl Dovitz
The Dow Chemical Company
Mr. Brian P. Dowgiallo
Mr. Matthew J. Downer
Ms. Kiara N. Drake
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Dusty’s Wine Cellar
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East Lansing Hot Yoga
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Ernst & Young Foundation
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Mr. Morrey Finke and Mrs. Ruth Finke
Mr. Jay Fisher and Mrs. Lisa Fisher
Mr. Joseph M. Fischer
Dr. Robert Fisher and Mrs. Regina Fisher
Fitness Together
Prof. Matthew Fletcher and Prof. Wenona T. Singel
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Ms. Evan S. Ford
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Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith PC
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Four Winds Casino Resort
Prof. Jeremy B. Francis and Dr. Andrea P. Francis
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Mr. Joshua L. Freedman
Ms. Lauren F. Fritz
Funtyme Golf Dome
Ms. Aileen S. Gal-On
Mr. Allen Gantan and Mrs. Phyllis Gantan
Mr. John A. Garcia and Mrs. Amy Lura Arnold-Garcia
Mr. Andrew K. Gardner
Ms. Linda H. Gardner
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Gasiorek Morgan Greco and McCauley
GE Foundation
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Mr. Anthony C. Gentner
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Mr. Evan G. George
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Ms. Erin M. Gettel
Mr. Nicholas J. Giacchina
Ms. Debra A. Gibbs
Mr. Daniel B. Gilbert and Mrs. Jennifer L. Gilbert
Prof. Brian Gilmore and Mrs. Elanna N. Haywood
Mr. Scott Gittleman and Mrs. Sherry Gittleman
Ms. Rachel N. Gizicki
Hon. Elizabeth L. Gleicher and Mr. Mark Granzotto
Mrs. Dana M. Goldberg and Mr. Thomas M. Deasy Jr.
Mr. Mark A. Goldsmith
Mr. Jeff Goudie
Mr. Tracy L. Gragston Jr.
Grand River Cafe
Grand Traverse Pie Co.
Grand Traverse Resort Village
Grant Thornton Foundation
Greater Lansing Conv. & Visitors Bureau
Mrs. Maria E. Greenough
Mr. Joseph Grekin
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Mrs. Sarah E. Haigh and Mr. Jason Haigh
Hal & Jean Glassen Memorial Foundation
Mr. Joshua M. Halen
Ms. Denise L. Haley
Mr. Maurice Haley and Mrs. Margaret Haley
Prof. Michele L. Halloran and Mr. Robert W. Halloran
Ms. Rose M. Hamlin
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Dean Joan W. Howarth and Ms. Carmen Estrada
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In-Flight Sports
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J.P. Morgan Chase & Co Employee Giving
Jackson Lewis PC
Ms. Melanie L. Jackson
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Assoc. Dean. Melanie B. Jacobs and Mr. Shane A. Broyles
Mr. Sam R. Jadaoun and Mrs. Juliana H. Hanna
Jakeway, Jakeway, Jakeway
Trustee Charles A. Janssen and Mrs. Lea Anne L. Janssen
Mr. W. Anthony Jenkins
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Mr. Bruce L. Jerris and Mrs. Susan L. Wauldron Jerris
Mr. John J. Jerry Jr. and Mrs. Nancy Jerry
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Prof. Brian C. Kalt and Mrs. Sara K. Kalt
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Kanji & Katzen PLLC
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Kaplan Education Center
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Mr. Brendan C. Kelleher
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center
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Ms. Dorothea J. Knight
Mr. Mark R. Knox and Mrs. Sheryl Cormicle Knox
Mr. Anthony J. Konkol
Mrs. Jackie Kort-Pomerantz and Mr. Ron Pomerantz
Kositchek’s
Mr. Louis T. Kraus Jr.
47
Mr. Benjamin M. Krinke
Mrs. Julie Krueger and Mr. Nicholas R. Krueger
Mr. Jon R. Kuisel
Ms. Leona L. Kung
Ms. Kelly A. Kussmaul
Mr. Paul Ladas
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Hon. Denise Langford-Morris
Ms. Alexandra Lapp
Lansing Lugnuts
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Trustee H. Douglas Laycock and Mrs. Teresa A. Sullivan
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Mr. Jason R. Lee
Ms. Sara S. Lemma
Mr. John A. Lentinello
Mr. Ariel T. Lett
Hon. Charles L. Levin and Mrs. Helene N. White
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Lexis-Nexis Group
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Ms. Gillian R. McAllister
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McDonald’s
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Trustee Richard D. McLellan
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Miller & Johnson
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Mitchell’s Fish Market
Ms. Gladys K. Mogaka
Mr. Arun J. Mohan
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Motor City Tour Company
MSU College of Law Alumni Association
MSU Federal Credit Union
MSU Forest Akers Golf Course
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NCG Cinemas
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Trustee James M. Nicholson Jr. and Mrs. Mary E. Nicholson
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Nuthouse Sports Grill
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48
Mr. Robert A. Obringer
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PepsiCo Foundation
Mr. Howard J. Perlmutter and Mrs. Carol Perlmutter
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Playmakers
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Potter Park Zoo
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Prime Time Awards, Inc.
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Ms. Shannon F. Smith
Soaring Eagle Water Park
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Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe
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The Soup Spoon Cafe
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Dr. Stuart M. Sprague and Mrs. Denise L. Sprague
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Ms. Amanda C. Steffy
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Ms. Estelle Steinhauer
Mr. David Steuer and Mrs. Brenda Steuer
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Prof. Bradford Stone and Ms. Beverly F. Stone
Ms. Regina Storrs
Mr. Jules D. Strachman
Ms. Anne L. Strawbridge
Ms. Emily N. Strickler
Mr. Neil S. Sullenberger
Summit Sports
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Ms. Erin E. Sweeney
Sydney and Elizabeth Ross Family Foundation
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Ms. Victoria E. Thompson
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Timber Ridge Golf Course
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Prof. Mark A. Totten and Mrs. Kristin R. Totten
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Universal Wall Systems
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Ms. Kimberly A. Wilkes
Mr. David Williams II and Mrs. Gail Williams
Mr. Jay S. Wolgin and Mrs. Renee Wolgin
Mr. Michael Zousmer and Mrs. Stacy Zousmer
Because Michigan State Law is a private, nonprofit institution
and separate 501(c)3 from MSU, donations from our alumni
and friends help fund the Law College’s programs and
operations. Please keep MSU Law in mind when making your
charitable gifts, and consider the Law College in your estate
planning. Contact Tina Kashat Casoli at (517) 432-6840 or
casoli@law.msu.edu to learn more.
Amicus | S P R I N G 2 01 4
FIND US ON:
“The Alternative Dispute
Resolution program has
been my home at MSU Law.
As a member of both the
mediation and negotiation
teams and president of the
ADR Board, I was fortunate
to be surrounded by supportive
people who are dedicated to
a program that has been so
successful in recent years.”
— Lauren Prew, ’14
I Am MSU Law
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Upcoming Events
Join your fellow alumni and friends for the following events.
Visit www.law.msu.edu/advancement for more information and to make a reservation.
August
September
8
Alumni Association Golf Outing
19
DCL/MSU Law Class Reunions
Forest Akers West, Lansing
TBDChicago Area Alumni Reception
Location TBD
9MSU Law Legal Clinic Reunion
MSU Law Legal Clinic, East Lansing
Tiger Club, Detroit
October
TBDNew York Area Alumni Reception
Location TBD
November
15
Washington, DC, Alumni Club
Location TBD