Wayne Law News

A new clinic, Legal Advocacy for People with Cancer, under the direction of Kathryn Smolinski, has been added to the curriculum at Wayne Law.

Karmanos Cancer Center patients in dire straits medically, financially and emotionally are the clients of Wayne Law's newest clinic, Legal Advocacy for People with Cancer.

A Mitch Albom and Judge Damon J. Keith event Nov. 11 will launch their books and raise funds for two organizations.

Local leaders, including Bankole Thompson, left, editor of the Michigan Chronicle, and Wayne Law alumnus Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans, joined Wayne Law on Oct. 21 for a summit, "Building an Honest & Open Government in Detroit: Why Public Integrity Matters."

Five law professors from across the country have signed on to an amicus brief written by Wayne Law Associate Professor Christopher Lund in a U.S. Supreme Court religious freedom case.

Frank Kelley, former Michigan attorney general, presented the keynote address Oct. 11 at The Wayne Law Review 2013 symposium, “A Wave of Change: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Michigan’s Constitution and the Evolution of State Constitutionalism."

Wayne Law Associate Professor Noah D. Hall is co-author of a chapter in a new book, "Water Without Borders? Canada, the United States, and Shared Waters," published by University of Toronto Press.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters President James P. Hoffa gave the keynote address Oct. 17 at the 21st annual Bernard Gottfried Memorial Labor Law Symposium at Wayne Law.

Wayne Law Professor Steven Calkins, on leave while serving at a national agency in Ireland, also is doing some teaching at a university in Dublin.

Upcoming Events

Nov. 5 - The Extra-Territorial Application of Human Rights Treaties

Nov. 11 - Detroit Legacies in Black and White (Mitch Albom, Judge Damon J. Keith)

Nov. 12 - Constitutional Rights in the Age of the Security State

Nov. 13 - An Outline of Criminal Procedure in Japan

Nov. 13 - The Syrian Crisis: Political and Legal Perspectives

More Events

Alumni Accomplishments

Lori Grigg Bluhm, '92, was elected president of the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys. She has served the organization as vice president for the past two years. Grigg Bluhm was appointed Troy city attorney in 2001 after previously serving the city as its assistant city attorney since 1995. She is a member of the Board of Public Corporations Section of the State Bar of Michigan and served as past chair. She has been a certified fellow of the International Municipal Lawyers Association since 2004 and was a graduate of the inaugural class of the MAMA Academy of Municipal Attorneys. In addition, she is past chair of the municipal law committee of the Oakland County Bar Association and member and past president of the Troy Kiwanis Club.

Annette Flood, '84, was named director of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. As deputy director, she was responsible for the insurance agency's offices of general counsel, insurance evaluation, rates and forms, budget, information technology and human resources. She also is a former insurance company executive.

Nanci Grant, '89, has been appointed to a third consecutive two-year term as chief judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court, beginning Jan. 1, 2014. Grant began serving the Circuit Court in 1996 after having previously worked as a private practice attorney specializing in commercial litigation. Grant was appointed as presiding judge of the General Jurisdiction Division in 2000. Grant is the current chairperson of the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission and a past president of the Michigan Judges Association. Shet is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Michigan Judicial Institute. She has held many offices in various organizations. Grant initially was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court as chief judge of the Oakland County Circuit Court in 2009 and was reappointed for a successive term in 2011.

John Hohman Jr., '81, a 16-year veteran of the Monroe County Probate and Family Court, has been named state court administrator. He will head the State Court Administrative Office, the administrative agency of the Michigan Supreme Court. Hohman, who has been a judge since 1997, is noted for his work in juvenile justice and child welfare. Soon after taking the bench, he and Monroe County Probate Court Judge Pamela A. Moskwa, now retired, co-founded Monroe County's Court Appointed Special Advocates program to improve representation for children in abuse and neglect cases. His efforts included a redesign of Monroe County's juvenile programs and family court and the creation of a juvenile drug court. He helped found "Project Second Chance," in which young offenders train and care for dogs from the Monroe Humane Society. The program teaches juveniles empathy and responsibility, while bettering dogs' chances for adoption. Hohman has served as a faculty member of the Michigan Judicial Institute, is an editorial advisory committee member for a number of journals and periodicals, and has authored articles on juvenile and family court practice. In 2013, he was named "Michigan Jurist of the Year" by the Michigan Foster Care Review Board. He was chosen "Michigan Judge of the Year" in 2008 by the Michigan Association of Court Appointed Special Advocates.

Harold Hood, '59, on Nov. 6 will receive the ninth annual Dennis W. Archer Award for Public Service presented by the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation. A lifelong Michigander, Hood has spent his adult life serving the community as a soldier, attorney, public servant, educator and chief judge pro tem of the Michigan Court of Appeals.


More Alumni Accomplishments

Faculty Accomplishments

Peter Hammer was part of a panel discussion on "Income Inequality: Bridging the Gap" during the 2013 Michigan/Great Lakes Social Studies Conference on Oct. 18 and 19 in Lansing. The discussion was moderated by Brian Dickerson of the Detroit Free Press. Other panelists were Dr. Charles Ballard, professor of economics at Michigan State University, and Gilda Jacobs, president and CEO of the Michgian League for Public Policy.

Robert Sedler was part of a panel presentation at the Oct. 8 meeting of the Wolverine Bar Association in Detroit. The panel considered Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, a Michigan case before the U.S. Supreme Court in its new term. Sedler discussed the constitutional issues involved in the case and the possible dispositions by the Supreme Court. Other panelists included Hon. Helene White, who provided an introductory overview of the case and the Sixth Circuit's ruling; Wayne Law Assistant Dean of Admissions Ericka Jackson, who addressed the impact on minority enrollment at Michigan universities; and 2009 Wayne Law alumna Joyce Shon, an associate attorney at the United for Equality and Affirmative Action Legal Defense Fund.


More Faculty Accomplishments

Professors in the News

Laura Bartell was quoted in an MSNBC.com article, Gov. Snyder won't say whether Detroit needs pension cuts.

Jocelyn Benson wrote an opinion column, Time to modernize voter registration, published in The Detroit News.

Gregory Fox was quoted in a McClatchyDC report, Alleged plotter in '98 U.S. Embassy bombings held in N.Y.

Lance Gable appeared on a WDIV-TV FlashPoint news segment about the Affordable Care Act.

Noah Hall was quoted in an Associated Press story, Not far from Lake Michigan, city yearns for water, published in The Wall Street Journal and other publications.

Peter Henning was quoted in reports by NPR, CBS Detroit TV and the Macomb Daily about reactions to the 28-year prison sentence given to former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

John Mogk was quoted in Six decades in Detroit: How abandonment, racial tensions and financial missteps bankrupted the city, a special report in The Detroit News.


More Professors in the News