Wayne Law News

Jocelyn Benson, who has served as interim dean of Wayne Law since December 2012, has been appointed permanent dean. At age 36, Benson becomes the youngest woman ever to lead a U.S. law school.

Wayne Law was recognized as a Best Value law school for 2014 by The National Jurist and its sister publication, preLaw magazine.

Lance A. Gable, left, has been named associate dean for academic affairs, and Noah D. Hall has been named associate dean for student affairs. 

Bruce Miller, '54, who served as attorney for the Labor Hall of Fame and is general counsel for the Metro AFL-CIO in Detroit, believes in the rights of working people.

An invention to make lithium-ion batteries safer if they catch fire has gained a patent, thanks to Wayne Law's Patent Procurement Clinic.

Sheila Cummings, '02, is an expert on election law.

Fifteen Wayne Law students are gaining experience and serving a variety of agencies and legal clinics this summer, thanks to the support of the 2014 Public Interest Law Fellowships.

Alycia Chase, '93, is an award-winning high school teacher of social studies – and an attorney with a law degree from Wayne Law.

Five Wayne Law students will travel abroad this summer to study, gain experience and advocate for human rights. Their work is sponsored by the Law School’s Program for International Legal Studies.

Wayne Law’s Transnational Environmental Law Clinic hosted a Detroit Climate Conversation on June 26.

An opening reception for an exhibition featuring posters from more than 20 historical and contemporary boycott movements was June 16 at Wayne Law’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights.

Marcia McDonald, Wayne Law’s director of admissions, retired after 40 years with WSU, 35 of them at Wayne Law. A retirement party in her honor was June 18 at the Law School.

Wayne Law Professor Peter Henning’s book, "The Prosecution and Defense of Public Corruption: The Law and Legal Strategies," has been newly released by LexisNexis.

Wayne Law Assistant Professor Sarah Abramowicz’s article, “Adoption and the Limits of Contract in Victorian Adoption Case Law and George Eliot’s 'Silas Marner,' ” was selected for the 2014 Harvard/Stanford/Yale Junior Faculty Forum.

Wayne Law Dean Jocelyn Benson was honored June 11 with the Frederick Douglass Equality Award.

The right for a Muslim inmate to wear a beard is before the U.S. Supreme Court, and Wayne Law Associate Professor Christopher C. Lund is weighing in.

Upcoming Events

Fair Housing Seminar - July 12

Mark Weiss Day at Comerica Park - Aug. 1

Wayne Law Class of 1964 - 50th Reunion - Sept. 12, 13, 14

James K. Robinson Scholarship Event - Sept. 26

Wayne Law Recent Grads Reunion - Classes 2010-2014 - Nov. 7

Wayne Law Class of 2004 - 10th Reunion - Nov. 29

More Events

Alumni Accomplishments

Thomas Allen, '83, was added as partner in the Atlanta office of Burr & Forman LLP. Allen joins the firm's Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section.

Terry Bonnette, '04, and Deborah Brouwer, '80, presented "Managing Religions in the Workplace" at the Nemeth Law Raising the Bar series June 5. Bonnette and Brouwer are partners at Nemeth Law PC. He also presented "Hot Topics in Labor and Employment Law" on May 20 at Livingston Area Human Resource Association in Brighton and "Social Media: Employee Rights v. Residents Rights" on May 1 at the Healthcare Association of Michigan's Michigan Center for Assisted Living conference in Marquette. And, with two others, Bonnette presented "The Affordable Act Updates" on April 11 at St. John's of Plymouth, as well as (with Brouwer) "Workplace Violence, Safety and Security: Risk Assessment and Prevention" at Michigan HR Day in Lansing on April 23. He presented, with Patricia Nemeth, '84, LL.M., '90, a continuing legal education class, "Employer Liability from Workplace Violence," on May 13 in Cleveland. Nemeth is founder of Nemeth Law PC.

The Honorable Thomas Boyd, '90; Nancy Diehl, '78; James Fisher, '76; and William Swor, '72, were named by Gov. Rick Snyder among 15 appointments to the newly created Indigent Defense Commission, which aims to improve legal representation for low-income criminal defendants. Boyd is chief judge of the 55th District Court. Diehl is retired trial division chief of the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. Fisher, previously chief judge of Barry County Circuit Court, will chair the commission. He is an attorney with Law Weathers. Swor is an attorney with William W. Swor.

Linda Burwell, '85, formed National Employment Counsel PLLC, a firm focusing on workplace investigations, mediation, consulting and monitoring services.

Steven Chester, '82, rejoined Miller Canfield as senior counsel in the Energy, Environmental and Regulatory Group. He most recently served as deputy assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance in Washington, D.C.

Jerry Dorsey IV, '86, was appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to the 15-member Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children. Dorsey is chief of trials and litigation for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, where he works in the child abuse unit and is deputy chief of the special victims unit.

Adrienne Dresevic, '02, hosted a recent American Bar Association webinar on the federal Anti-kickback Statute. She is a founding shareholder with the Health Law Partners PC. 

Eugene Driker, '61, was awarded the Julian Abele Cook Jr. - Bernard A. Friedman FBA Civility Award for 2014 by the Federal Bar Association's Eastern District of Michigan Chapter. The annual award recognizes a civil practitioner who is an outstanding example of professional excellence and civility. Driker is a founding member of Barris Sott Denn & Driker PLLC and is a member of the WSU Board of Governors.

Brian Einhorn, '67, was admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court bar. He is president of the State Bar of Michigan and practices with Collins Einhorn Farrell.

Bruce Haffey, LL.M., '88, presented "Tips and Take-Aways re. Business Succession Planning: A Survey of Recent Cases" at the annual meeting of the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel on May 16. He is with Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC.

Tanya Juarez-Lundberg, '07, has been admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court bar. She is with Collins Einhorn Farrell.

The Honorable Fred Mester, '67, addressed the Inter-American Committee, the judicial arm of the Organization of American States, in Washington, D.C., on March 25 about the issue of mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles in light of the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller v. Alabama. Mester, with several other Michigan judges and attorneys, was involved with a petition drive advocating for the court's decision to be retroactive for minors sentenced to life without parole in Michigan. Mester, a retired Oakland County Circuit judge, works with various city administrations on community issues.

Steven Migliore, '08, a partner in the Corporate Department of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, has been appointed president-elect of NEXTGen Detroit. This organization, part of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, attracts and engages the next generation of Jewish Detroiters through innovative programs and initiatives. Migliore is also a member of the NextGen executive board.

Stanley Pitts, '08, a partner at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP in the firm's Labor and Employment Department, has been recognized as a Man of Excellence for 2014 by The Michigan Chronicle. The award is designed to celebrate African-American men in Southeast Michigan who inspire others through their vision and leadership, exceptional achievement and participation in community service.

James Reid IV, '05, received the Oakland County Bar Association's 2014 Distinguished Service Award. He is a shareholder at Maddin Hauser Roth & Heller PC.

Robert Riley, '08, filed an amicus brief on behalf of the National Association of Counsel for Children to help convince the Michigan Supreme Court to strike down the "one-parent doctrine" that had allowed family courts to remove a child from custody of both parents when only one had been found guilty of abuse or neglect. He is an attorney with Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP.

Marc Seyburn, '97, joined Barris Sott Denn & Driker PLLC as a member of its tax and estate planning department. He specializes in structural planning, flow-through taxation, cash-flow modeling and investment opportunities. He also designs estate plans with a focus on both income taxes and estate taxes.  

Rachel Sisko, '11, is the new associate general counsel and head of the litigation department for HealthCall of Detroit. She was selected for this position after having worked as a trial attorney at Bowman and Brooke LLP.


More Alumni Accomplishments

Faculty Accomplishments

Jocelyn Benson spoke at the Grand Rapids Bar Association's Law Day Celebration on April 30 about "American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters."

Brad Roth presented an article on legal aspects of the breakup of Yugoslavia at a meeting of Croatian scholars at the Political Science Faculty of the University of Zagreb on May 23. On May 22, he delivered a lecture on related topics at the University of Zadar in Croatia, and later in the month, he lectured on related topics at the University of Amsterdam and Leiden University (Netherlands).

Nick Schroeck is the author, with Ryan Schutte, '13, and Elizabeth Arnkoff, '07, of "Hydraulic Fracturing and Protection of Freshwater Resources in the Great Lakes State" published in Vol. 24 Indiana International & Comparative Law Review 113 (2014).


More Faculty Accomplishments

Professors in the News

Laura Bartell was quoted in an article by American Public Media's "Marketplace," Detroit's revamped pension plan may set new precedents.

Jocelyn Benson was quoted in a Bridge magazine article, Political reformers, with hardly a friend across the aisle, press on in Michigan.

Peter Hammer was quoted in an article in The Fiscal Times, Detroit's High-Risk Bet on Casino Income.

Peter Henning was quoted in an Automotive News article, How the feds might take aim at General Motors.

Christopher Lund was interviewed on WDIV-TV for a segment, Local reaction to Supreme Court Hobby Lobby ruling.

Michael Steinberg was quoted in The Guardian (Great Britain) in an article, FBI calls for dismissal of Insane Clown Posse lawsuit.


More Professors in the News