Wayne Law News

Wayne Law recgonizes the alumni, by class year, who made gifts of at least $500 to the Law School during calendar year 2015.

Businessman Dan Gilbert, '87, well-known for recognizing and investing in the potential of Detroit, will speak Wednesday, March 30, at his alma mater, Wayne Law.

Invitations for Treasure of Detroit will be sent in mid-March, but you don't need to wait. You can register now for the event, which will be April 21 at the Gem Theatre in Detroit.

Attorney Angela Space, '07, and her husband, Christopher Erwin, opened 3&Up Board Game Lounge in downtown Plymouth in 2014, and it’s been garnering rave reviews ever since.

Registration is open and sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2016 Wayne Law Golf Outing, set for Monday, June 6, at the Country Club of Detroit. 

For the second consecutive year and the third time in the past four years, Wayne Law’s team won the U.S. Midwest Regional of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.

The Journal of Law in Society at Wayne Law will present its 2016 symposium, “A Tribute to Professor Emeritus Edward J. Littlejohn and His Work with Race, Racism, and the Law,” on Friday, March 11.

Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Kathryn A. Viviano, '99, will speak Thursday, March 3, as part of Wayne Law’s Alumni Speaker Series.

Help Wayne State University's College of Education inspire the next generation of educators by honoring the remarkable members of the teaching community who have helped their students aim higher.

Kristina Daugirdas, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Law School, will present “How and Why International Law Binds International Organizations” on Thursday, March 10, at Wayne Law.

The Detroit Equity Action Lab – a project of Wayne Law’s Damon Keith J. Center for Civil Rights – and WSU’s Department of African-American Studies have joined the University of Michigan Semester in Detroit in organizing this series.

Dean Jocelyn Benson provided special Law School updates for alumni in Bloomfield Hills and Ann Arbor.

As part of Black History Month events, Wayne Law’s Black Law Students Association and Bodman PLC presented the annual African-American Judges Speaker Series on Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Law School.

Wayne Law’s Black Law Students Association and Career Services presented Esquire Etiquette, a program to sharpen the professional etiquette of law students, Thursday, Feb. 18. 

Silvia Kleer, ’95, spoke about her career as an international lawyer with Ford Motor Co., focusing on export control issues and international aspects of the automobile industry, Tuesday, Feb. 16, at Wayne Law. 

The Michigan Court of Appeals conducted oral arguments Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Wayne Law. 

Attorneys working on class-action lawsuits spoke about current efforts in the Flint water crisis Thursday, Feb. 4, as part of the Wayne Law Alumni Speaker Series.

Wayne Law students met and networked with attorneys representing a vast array of public interest employers Wednesday, Feb. 3, at the Public Interest Internship Fair.

As part of several of its events planned for Black History Month, Wayne Law’s Black Law Students Association presented the Annual Soul Food Café on Thursday, Feb. 11.

Wayne Law third-year student Sean Riddell was honored Sunday, Feb. 14, as an Outstanding Law Student of the Year by the National Lawyers Guild Detroit and Michigan Chapter.

Wayne Law Assistant (Clinical) Professor Nick Schroeck will participate in the Gordie Howe International Bridge Environmental Working Group.

Elise Bean of the Levin Center at Wayne Law was named to Global Tax 50, a list of 50 people and organizations who most influenced tax policy in 2015.

Wayne Law students, faculty and staff got to visit with furry friends from The Go Team Therapy Dogs as part of Pet Therapy for Wayne Law Wellness Wednesday events Feb. 17.

Upcoming Events

March 3 - Wayne Law Alumni Speaker Series: Michigan Business Court

March 7 - Dr. Thomas Abowd: Jerusalem: Geography, Identity, and Difference 1948-2012

March 9 - Judge Friedman's Motion Day

March 10 - How and Why International Law Binds International Organizations

March 10 - Detroiters Speak: Fighting for Water and Homes

March 11 - The Journal of Law in Society Symposium: A Tribute to Professor Emeritus Edward J. Littlejohn and His Work with Race, Racism, and the Law

March 24 - Lessons Learned from Trials & Tribulations

March 24 - Detroiters Speak: Land Grabs

March 30 - An Evening with Dan Gilbert at Wayne Law

March 31 - Detroiters Speak: Alternative Visions

April 4 - Mindful Lawyering: The Ethics of Knowing When to Say No

April 21 - Treasure of Detroit

June 6 - Wayne Law 2016 Golf Outing

More Events

Alumni Accomplishments

Corey Beaubien, '06, coauthored an article, "The Supreme Court Gets Intellectual: A look at how the Court is reshaping IP law in significant ways," published in the February 2016 Michigan Bar Journal. Beaubien is a shareholder at the IP law firm Reising Ethington PC.

Richard Burstein, '69, a real estate partner at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, was named to the 2015 Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame by Midwest Real Estate News.

Kiefer Cox, '15, joined Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss as an associate in the Litigation Practice Group. He works in the firm's Southfield office.

Richard Davidson, '83, LL.M. '96, will join Walsh College on April 1 as an assistant professor directing the tax program. He has been working as a senior tax counselor with Chrysler.

Michael Druzinski, '08, coauthored an article, "The Supreme Court Gets Intellectual: A look at how the Court is reshaping IP law in significant ways," published in the February 2016 Michigan Bar Journal. Druzinski is a shareholder at the IP law firm Reising Ethington PC.

Nathaniel Hargress, ’08, won the Rising Star Award from The Association of Media & Entertainment Counsel. He is senior counsel of business and legal affairs at Viacom Media Networks in California.

Lee Hornberger, LL.M. '82, presented "Michigan Domestic Relations Arbitration and Mediation Case Law Update" at the State Bar of Michigan's Family Law Section 2016 Mid-Winter Conference in Puerto Rico. He is an arbitrator and mediator in Traverse City.

Kathryn Tignanelli Jones, '11, joined Starr Butler Alexopoulos & Stoner PLLC in Southfield as an associate attorney.

Mathew Kobliska, '91, has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He is with Debrincat Padgett Kobliska & Zick in Farmington Hills.

Mercy Kotei, LL.M. '15, was promoted from a magistrate to a circuit court judge in Ghana.

Victoria Lehman, '08, was named a shareholder with Giarmarco Mullins and Horton in Troy.

Robert Martinez, '77, was appointed to the Parkland Health & Hospital System Board of Managers in Dallas. He is a partner with Cotten Schmidt & Abbott LLP in Fort Worth, Texas.

Catherine Mish, '97, city attorney for Grand Rapids, will join Dickinson Wright as of counsel.

Jeremy Piper, '01, was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Piper is an attorney in Flint.

Douglas Metz, ’57, was reappointed to the California Boating and Waterways Commission, where he has served since 2006. He is senior counsel to The King Law Group.

May Saad, '10, joined Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss in Southfield as an associate in the firm's Real Estate Practice Group.

Stuart Sherr, '81, former mayor pro tem, is now mayor of Bloomfield Hills.

Adam Taylor, '14, joined the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as an attorney in the litigation division.

Paul Thursam, '08, was named a shareholder with Giarmarco Mullins and Horton in Troy.

Douglas Toering, '82, has joined Mantese Honigman PC as a partner. He works in the firm's Troy office.

Iwona Niec Villaire, '99, was appointed vice president and general counsel at Chassix in Southfield. 

Marc Wise, LL.M. ’93, of Maddin Hauser Roth & Heller PC was recognized in Chambers USA’s ranking of business lawyers.

Melissa Wojnar-Raycraft, '03, joined Detroit law firm Racine & Associates. Her practice areas include commercial litigation, class action litigation, public pension, real estate, construction, family law and probate litigation.


More Alumni Accomplishments

Faculty Accomplishments

Jocelyn Benson  participated in a Super Bowl town hall discussion, "Beyond the Game, Tackling Race," which was broadcast on Sirius XM Business Radio powered by The Wharton School, channel 111. This town hall was sponsored by the Ross Initiative for Sports and Equality, created by Stephen Ross, '65, developer, philanthropist and owner of the Miami Dolphins. The broadcast also featured current and former NFL players Harry Carson, Rashad Jennings, Willie Lanier, Justin Tuck and Doug Williams.

Lance Gable co-edited a special issue of the journal Global Health Governance on the Framework Convention on Global Health.

Justice Marilyn Kelly, '71, presented "Has America Fulfilled Its Promise of Equal Justice for All?" as part of the 2016 Winter Speaker Series sponsored by the Escalating Inequality Task Force in Bloomfield Hills.


More Faculty Accomplishments

Professors in the News

Jocelyn Benson talked about nominating a new Supreme Court justice with WWJ reporter Charlie Langton during a segment of The Langton Briefs.

Stephen Calkins spoke with Bloomberg Law hosts June Grasso and Michael Best for a report, Dish Network is sued for robocalls, about a suit against Dish Network for allowing its contractors to violate do-not-call laws by placing millions of robocalls to consumers.

Noah Hall was quoted by USA Today and the Detroit Free Press in a report, Flint lawsuits could cost Michigan taxpayers millions.

Peter Hammer was interviewed by WDET for its report about Detroiters Speak, a collaborative community class. 

Peter Henning was featured in Scalia Missed in Exclusionary Rule Case on Bloomberg Radio's program, "Bloomberg Law." He discussed the first case to come before the U.S. Supreme Court since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Carl Levin was quoted by CBS MoneyWatch in its report, Is Delaware home to a "grand corruption?"

Justin Long was featured, with his family, in Detroit Jewish News for its report, Love livin' in the D, about Jewish families living in Detroit.

John Mogk was quoted by The Guardian in its report, Corporate America's Detroit love affair.

Nick Schroeck spoke with Stephen Henderson, host of WDET's "Detroit Today," for a report, Living with pollution in southwest Detroit.

Robert Sedler wrote about Flint's water crisis for the American Constitution Society blog. His post was The Structural Cause of the Flint Water Crisis: It's Not Race.

Jocelyn Benson wrote a column, Scalia vacancy chance to actually govern, for The Detroit News.

Peter Henning was interviewed on Michigan Radio for its report, Can "stupidity" in Flint water crisis lead to criminal charges?

Carl Levin was quoted by the Detroit Free Press for its report, Detroit PAL to use artificial turf at stadium site.

Nick Schroeck was quoted by The Detroit Free Press for a report, I-75: Mixed feelings on the $1B project.

Robert Sedler wrote a column, What would Justice Scalia do about his successor?, for the Detroit Free Press about the Senate's responsibility in filling a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.


More Professors in the News