Wayne Law News

Stephen Ross, '65, a world-class real estate developer, philanthropist and owner of the Miami Dolphins, will visit Wayne Law on Thursday, April 9.

Registration is open and sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2015 Wayne Law Golf Outing, set for Monday, June 8, at the Country Club of Detroit.

Wayne Law alumni, faculty, staff, students and supporters are invited to Treasure of Detroit on Wednesday, April 22. Watch for your invitation this month.

Oakland County Circuit Judge Joan E. Young, '74, will deliver the 30th annual I. Goodman Cohen Lecture in Trial Advocacy on Tuesday, March 10, at Wayne Law.

“Women in the Judiciary” will be the topic of the Thursday, March 12, installment of Wayne Law’s Alumni Speaker Series.

Wayne Law has been recognized by The National Jurist magazine as one of the best law schools in the nation for practical training.

Attorney Ami (Patel) Gadhia, '03, works in the field of technology transfer, helping Johns Hopkins University researchers bring their inventions to market – and to people who need them.

A Public Service Internship Fair hosted Feb. 4 by Career Services gave Wayne Law students the opportunity to meet and network with representatives from 24 federal, state and local public-interest employers.

Wayne Law's team won the U.S. Midwest Regional of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, topping the field of 22 law schools from across the nation.

Wayne Law claimed one of two top spots in a regional round of the National Trial Competition.

Wayne Law's National Environmental Law Moot Court Team took home the Best Brief award at the annual Jeffrey G. Miller Pace National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition.

Wayne Law’s Program for International Legal Studies and Program for Entrepreneurship and Business Law presented “Taking Detroit Global: Helping Local Entrepreneurs Expand” on Feb. 3.

As part of Black History Month, a panel of black judges discussed their careers and issues of diversity in the judiciary Feb. 10 at Wayne Law

 “Fresh Perspectives on International Law” was the topic of the Feb. 17 installment of Wayne Law's Alumni Speaker Series.

Five panelists deeply interested in the wellbeing of Detroit were featured Feb. 18 in “Evaluating Mayor Duggan’s Year One,” the latest installment of Wayne Law’s Good Governance Lecture Series.

John Hartig, a limnologist with 30 years of experience in environmental science and natural resource management, spoke Feb. 18 at Wayne Law.

In collaboration with Wayne Law’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, Wayne Law’s Black Law Student Association presented a Soul Food Café fundraiser Feb. 19.

Wayne Law Associate Professor Adele Morrison spoke Feb. 23 about socio-legal LGBTQ issues that are of particular importance to the black community.

Wayne Law Walter S. Gibbs Professor of Constitutional Law Steven L. Winter spoke Feb. 25 about Defending Civil Rights with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

A documentary screening about the legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and a panel discussion on the topic took place Feb. 25 at Wayne Law.

Students admitted for fall semester 2015 at Wayne Law gathered for an Admitted Student Dinner on Feb. 16 at Pizza House in Ann Arbor.

Students admitted for fall semester 2015 at Wayne Law gathered for an Admitted Student Dinner on Feb. 23 at HopCat in East Lansing.

Wayne Law third-year student Kathleen Garbacz was honored Feb. 7 as an Outstanding Law Student of the Year by the National Lawyers Guild Detroit and Michigan Chapter.

Wayne Law Professor Robert Ackerman spent three days recently at NCAA Headquarters in Indiana representing WSU.

Upcoming Events

March 10 - 30th annual I. Goodman Cohen Lecture in Trial Advocacy

March 12 - Wayne Law Alumni Speaker Series - Women in the Judiciary

March 24 - President Obama's Executive Actions on Immigration

March 26 - ENGAGE International Investment Education Symposium (Professional Registration)

April 2 - The Voting Rights Act of 1965 - 50 Years Later

April 9 - An Evening with Stephen Ross at Wayne Law

April 22 - Wayne Law Treasure of Detroit

June 8 - Wayne Law 2015 Golf Outing

More Events

Alumni Accomplishments

Robin Axelrod, '87, was appointed director of education for the Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus in Farmington Hills. She is president of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor. In 2013, she coordinated the Holocaust Memorial Center's Anne Frank Legacy Project.

Samantha Ball, '05, was made partner at the Law Offices of Ball Johnson PC. She has been with the firm for 10 years. 

Colin Battersby, '07, was elected a principal at Miller Canfield. Battersby focuses his practice on commercial litigation involving breach of contract, tort, product liability, legal and accounting malpractice and securities arbitration and litigation.

Larry Burdick, '80, was appointed executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council, an autonomous division within the office of the Michigan Attorney General charged with providing training, legal assistance and technical support to Michigan prosecutors. Burdick previously served as a prosecutor in Isabella County for 30 years, the last 24 as its elected prosecutor.

Michelle Crockett, '00, director of professional development and a principal at the Detroit office of Miller Canfield, was named to the Michigan Chronicle's 2015 Women of Excellence list.  

Steven Howell, '78, was named one of 30 "Leaders in the Law" for 2015 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. He is with Dickinson Wright PLLC.

Alan Kanter, '79, a complex commercial litigator with Vestevich Mallender DuBois & Dritsas PC, was inducted into Worldwide Registry. To be a part of the Worldwide Registry, candidates must be selected by a research committee based on their past accomplishments and awards received. Candidates must complete a phone interview before being extended an invitation to become a member.

Jennifer Lord, '92, joined law firm Pitt McGehee Palmer & Rivers as a partner, returning to the firm where her career as an employee rights advocate began.

Lisa Lucido, '13, joined the Detroit office of Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman. Lucido practices in the area of health law with a focus on supply chain structure and operations, compliance counsel and corporate transactions.

Steven Migliore, '08, a partner in the Corporate Department of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, has been selected as a member of the 2015 Oakland County Executive's Elite 40 under 40 class.The program honors young professionals and leaders who excel in their field, have demonstrated dynamic leadership and have made significant contributions to the quality of life in the region.

Wayne Miller, '79, was named one of 30 "Leaders in the Law" for 2015 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. He is with Miller & Tischler PC.

Eric Nemeth, LL.M. '97, was named one of 30 "Leaders in the Law" for 2015 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. He is with Varnum LLP.

Jules Olsman, '78, was named one of 30 "Leaders in the Law" for 2015 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. He is with Olsman Mueller Wallace & MacKenzie.

Neil Rockind, '93, was named one of 30 "Leaders in the Law" for 2015 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. He is with Rockind Law.

Michael Simoni, '06, was elected a principal at Miller Canfield. Simoni is a commercial litigator whose diverse practice includes large-scale business, class-action and antitrust matters, and focuses on brand protection, trademark, copyright and patent litigation.

Robert Thomas, '13, was one of 17 finalists to fill a vacancy on the Detroit City Council. He is vice chair of the city's Board of Zoning Appeals.

Andrey Tomkiw, '92, of Tomkiw Mackewich PLC was a guest speaker in Professor Robert Ackerman's Alternative Dispute Resolution class about the negotiations that transpire after a law student or recent graduate receives a job offer.

Dawn Van Hoek, '76, was named one of 30 "Leaders in the Law" for 2015 by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. She is director of the State Appellate Defender Office.

Kathryn Viviano, '99, Macomb County Circuit Court judge, has been named the bench's second business docket jurist by the Michigan Supreme Court. Viviano, who took office in 2011 after winning election in November 2010, was appointed to serve in the post until April 1, 2019.  

Mark Wilkinson, '05, joined the Kalamazoo office of the Miller Johnson law firm. He represents and counsels clients on labor and employment law with a focus on employment litigation and labor relations.

Nathaniel Wolf, '97, of Mika Meyers Beckett and Jones has been appointed by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to serve on the Michigan Advisory Committee.


More Alumni Accomplishments

Faculty Accomplishments

Robert Ackerman was elected to a four-year term on the Metro Detroit Branch Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Jocelyn Benson is one of 13 election law professors who signed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to accept a case and overturn a state supreme court ruling in Dickson v. Rucho. The professors argue that the lower court's decision misapplies U.S. Supreme Court precedent on redistricting to uphold North Carolina's redistricting and that not overturning the ruling will undermine the Voting Rights Act. 

Stephen Calkins was appointed a fellow of the European Law Institute. The institute, founded in June 2011 as an entirely independent organization, aims to improve the quality of European law, understood in the broadest sense. It seeks to initiate, conduct and facilitate research, to make recommendations and to provide practical guidance in the field of European legal development.

Blanche Cook presented "Implicit Bias and Unpacking the Deaths of Unarmed African Americans" at Vanderbilt Law School in Nashville, Tenn. The event was sponsored by the school's Criminal Justice Program, Social Justice Program, Black Law Students Association, American Constitution Society and Law Students for Social Justice.

John Dolan had an excerpt from his article, "Strict Compliance with Letters of Credit: Striking a Fair Balance," published in the recent 125th anniversary issue of the Banking Law Journal. The article first was published in the journal's January 1985 issue.

Chief Judge Gerald Rosen delivered the 2015 William Weber Lecture in Social Science at Kalamazoo College. His lecture, "Detroit Bankruptcy: Lessons Learned," drew from his experience as chief judicial administrator for the Detroit bankruptcy case, the largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history.

Brad Roth was elected to a four-year term on the Metro Detroit Branch Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Rachel Settlage spoke on "The Surge in Unaccompanied Children at the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Humanitarian Crisis" for Professor Asher Kaufman's class, Borders, Boundaries and Frontiers, at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. Her lecture was sponsored by Teaching Beyond the Classroom of Arts & Letters, the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Center for Social Concerns.

Blanche Cook was a panelist during a Human Trafficking Forum presented by the Outreach Committee of the President's Commission on the Status of Women at Wayne State University in collaboration with the WSU student organization Not For Sale, Soroptimist International of Grosse Pointe and Heaveny Hope International.


More Faculty Accomplishments

Professors in the News

Robert Ackerman was quoted in Detroit News report, Judge Damon Keith's legacy looms large.

Jocelyn Benson was quoted by CBS Detroit in Wayne Law Hosts Regional Trial Competition.

Kingsley Browne was quoted in a Baltimore Sun article, ACLU, military women's group sue Defense Department for Naval Academy records on female midshipmen.

Blanche Cook was quoted in a Dearborn Press & Guide report, Human trafficking is a local, not just a global problem.

John Dolan was quoted in a Detroit News report, Banks redefine role of teller in move toward technology.

Peter Hammer with Fatina Abdrabboh, director of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, wrote a column, Shooting victim hoped for tolerance - we should, too, published in the Detroit Free Press.

Peter Henning was quoted in a Cleveland Plain Dealer report, Judge threatened in Heartless Felons case; prosecutor says gang member sought to intimidate jurist and family.

Nick Schroeck taped a Great Lakes Log TV program about the Transnational Environmental Law Clinic with students Anna Rossi and Erica Shell. The show aired at various times from Feb. 23 through March 1 on various cable channels in more than 140 metropolitan Detroit communities.

Robert Sedler was quoted in Pediatrician wouldn't care for baby with 2 moms in the Detroit Free Press and dozens of other news outlets nationwide. 

Katherine White was quoted by The Michigan Daily in Veterans group raises funds for local programs.

Eric Williams was quoted in a WCHB radio report, Detroit Collaborative to Host Detroit Entrepreneur Week.

Peter Hammer was quoted in an Arab American News report, Residents, civil rights groups concerned about Kroger investigation.

Peter Henning was quoted in a Detroit Free Press report, Charter founder facing trial on bank fraud charges.

Robert Sedler was a panelist on Fox 2 Detroit's Let It Rip for a discussion about the legality of threats on Facebook.

Eric Williams was quoted in a Detroit News report, 'Uniting Two Detroits' explores racial gap in revival.


More Professors in the News