Benchmark THE THOMAS M. COOLEY
LAW SCHOOL MAGAZINE
Fall 2011
Cooley now in Tampa Bay Cooley’s Tampa Bay campus has quickly generated strong interest and support from the surrounding legal and business community, graduates, prospective students and many organizations and individuals.
Inside Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Cooley Takes Sustainability Seriously A New Leader – Jeffrey L. Martlew Here Come the Judges – Serving the Sunshine State Local Graduates Share Excitement, Support for the Tampa Bay Campus
ICG.1111.022.BM
Benchmark
The Thomas M. Cooley Law School Alumni Magazine
Letter from Cooley This issue of Benchmark is dedicated to Cooley Law School’s newest campus in Tampa Bay, Florida, on schedule to open in May 2012.
Editor Terry Carella Co-Editor/Writer Sharon Matchette Contributing Writers SeyferthPR Design Image Creative Group Photography Tampa Bay Campus © Gennara Photography Call for Submissions The Benchmark is seeking story ideas from graduates. We are looking for stories on a variety of subjects such as graduate achievements, international law, cultural diversity, legal information helpful to practitioners, unique law practices, advice to prospective law students, and special events. If you would like to share a story idea, please write, call, or e-mail: Communications Office Thomas M. Cooley Law School P.O. Box 13038 Lansing, MI 48901 Phone: (517) 371-5140 ext. 2916 Fax: (517) 334-5780 E-mail: communications@cooley.edu
Postmark: Benchmark is published twice a year by the administrative offices of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, P.O. Box 13038, Lansing, MI 48901
ALUMNI DATABASE The user name will always remain the word alumni. The password changes are disclosed in Benchmark on the inside front cover. Please call the Alumni Relations Office at 517-371-5140, ext. 2038, or e-mail alumni@cooley.edu if you have any problems.
Why Florida? Many applicants come from Florida, and except for Michigan, Florida hosts Cooley’s largest alumni population. But many of those who apply cannot afford to move to Michigan. Our network of graduates plays a vital role in the education of new lawyers. Many of our students participate in externships, some of which are created by our alumni. After graduation, our network of more than 15,000 graduates can help students to gain employment. With nearly 900 Cooley graduates in Florida alone, we knew we should give strong consideration to opening a campus in the state. Why Tampa Bay? We narrowed the possible locations down to Tampa Bay for a number of reasons, not least of which is that there are 160 Cooley graduates and 20 approved externship sites in the area. Our research also shows a lack of available seats for new law school students in the Tampa Bay area, especially for those seeking a law degree while working full-time. In this issue we are introducing longtime judge, Cooley graduate and professor Jeff Martlew, who has signed on to be the Tampa Bay campus associate dean. You will also get a glimpse of the state-of-theart renovations taking place on the new campus. We’ve included another Cooley point of pride with a story about our graduates who have gone on to become judges throughout the state of Florida. Interest in and support for this new venture are very high. We hope that you will share our enthusiasm for being able to provide a Cooley education to qualified and deserving students who share the dream of becoming lawyers. Sincerely,
James D. Robb Associate Dean of Development and Alumni Relations robbj@cooley.edu
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contents THOMAS M. COOLEY LAW SCHOOL BENCHMARK FALL 2011
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COOLEY NOW IN TAMPA BAY
With countless features and offerings, the new Tampa Bay campus is a guaranteed winner.
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REDUCE. REUSE. RECYCLE.
Cooley’s Tampa Bay campus won’t be just technologically advanced, it will be environmentally smart.
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A NEW LEADER
When a great opportunity presents itself, Jeffrey L. Martlew is not one to let it slip away.
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LOCAL GRADUATES SHARE EXCITEMENT & SUPPORT FOR THE TAMPA BAY CAMPUS
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HERE COME THE JUDGES
Cooley Law School has the distinctive honor of having three graduates who are serving as judges in courts of record in Florida and another graduate who previously sat on the bench in the Sunshine State.
Cooley News
pg. 18-19
• All the world’s a stage – Cooley continues its Stages of the Law series for the sixth year • Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Western Michigan University launch third dual-degree program • Cooley sponsors retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens' visit to Grand Rapids • Cooley Alumni Association elects new officers
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COOLEY NOW IN
TAMPA BAY
Cooley’s new campus in Florida will be a great addition to the Tampa Bay Community. With its towering palm trees, beautifully landscaped grounds and colorful and contemporary architectural details, the Tampa Bay campus shares an understated elegance all its own. It’s an inviting atmosphere from the inside out, with wide, carpeted hallways and classrooms, freshly painted walls and an abundance of natural light, especially in the expansive lobby area of its two-story atrium entrance. Aesthetics aside, the campus is operationally humming with some of the most advanced facility treatments available, from its information technology to superior cooling systems. With countless features and offerings, the new Tampa Bay campus is a guaranteed winner.
Cooley’s Newest Campus in Tampa Bay, Florida
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In just a few short weeks, faculty and staff of the Tampa Bay campus will soon outnumber the many contractors who have been working round-the-clock at the new campus. That’s because the initial work involved in converting the former Progressive Insurance building into a state-of-the-art law school will gradually subside in time for Cooley personnel to begin assembling on a full-time basis beginning in January 2012. All will be focused on the goal of serving the inaugural May 2012 incoming class of students with utmost preparation and commitment to their success. It is a complex orchestration of extraordinary details and deadlines, but one that the Tampa Bay team feels confident in achieving. From a recent news conference to an open house attended by more than 300 individuals, Cooley’s Tampa Bay campus has quickly generated strong interest and support from the surrounding legal and business community, graduates, prospective students and many organizations and individuals.
BREAKING
NEW
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GROUND
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Cooley Tampa Bay has an abundance of natural light, especially in the expansive lobby area of its two-story atrium entrance.
Cooley’s Tampa Bay campus has quickly generated strong interest and support from the surrounding legal and business community, graduates, prospective students and many organizations and individuals.
Associate Dean Jeff Martlew talks to the media at a recent Tampa Bay news conference.
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REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE
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feature Cooley Takes Sustainability and Keeping Costs in Line Seriously
Cooley’s Tampa Bay campus won’t be just technologically advanced, it will be environmentally smart.
The 132,000-square-foot building is being transformed into a state-of-the-art law school that will include a 25,000-square-foot law library, a 336-seat auditorium and 24 classrooms. Extensive renovations to a former Progressive Insurance building in Riverview, Florida will result in the newest campus of Thomas M. Cooley Law School. The 132,000-square-foot building is being transformed into a state-of-the-art law school that will include a 25,000-square-foot law library, a 336-seat auditorium and 24 classrooms. The classroom spaces will include four distanceeducation rooms, a 28-seat computer lab and two trial courtrooms.
Internet will be provided throughout the building, and all the classrooms will have the latest educational tools including: heightadjustable podiums, built-in computers, video projectors, and audio recording capabilities. The larger classrooms will have adaptive equipment for the hearing impaired and videoconferencing for communicating between campuses. The courtrooms will be equipped with real-time court reporting capabilities in addition to monitors for the attorneys, witnesses and jurors.
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Cooley Chief Operating Officer William Schoettle gives the media and guests a tour of the Tampa Bay campus after a recent news conference, just before the start of the major renovation project.
“It is our intent to keep the 6,000 yards of carpet in the building in place to save nearly $200,000. We will also keep all of the 1,200 energy efficient light fixtures and keep all of the existing doors.” Renovations began in September, and occupancy will take place in phases with the first phase completed before classes start in May 2012. This includes completing the law library, some of the classrooms, and office spaces. The remaining renovations are expected to be completed in late 2012. During renovations, the building’s structure will be reinforced to accommodate building wind load requirements for a Florida college. “We will spend somewhere between $750,000 and $1 million to build infrastructure to increase resistance to hurricane winds,” said William Schoettle, Cooley Chief Operating Officer and vice president of operations.
COOLEY TAKES SUSTAINABILITY AND KEEPING COSTS IN LINE SERIOUSLY
Cooley purchased two parcels totaling 13.3-acres with more than 500 parking spaces, at 9445 Camden Field Parkway in Riverview, Fla., just minutes east of downtown Tampa. The cost of both parcels to Cooley was $6.3 million. The total cost of renovations has not yet been determined, but Cooley takes sustainability and keeping costs in line seriously. “We plan to keep as much of the building intact as possible,” said Schoettle. “It is our intent to keep the 6,000 yards of carpet in the building in place to save nearly $200,000. We will also keep all of the 1,200 energy efficient light fixtures and keep all of the existing doors.” This is not Cooley’s or Schoettle’s first experience at renovating buildings and opening new campuses. Schoettle oversaw the renovation and opening of the the Grand Rapids, Auburn Hills and Ann Arbor campuses. Those projects included accelerated timelines similar to what the Tampa Bay campus is experiencing.
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YERG EN TURES 00 T FIX H
R 132,0 ENO 0 0- VAT SQ .
Cooley is also in the process of having the four campuses in Michigan certified by the Society for Environmentally Responsible Facilities (SERF). SERF is a coalition of property owners, businesses and professionals that promotes environmentally responsible homes and buildings through its certification program. SERF’s goal is to make green building certification more affordable and easily accessible to companies of all sizes.
RE U S EFFIC E OF IE N T L 1,2 IG
“When we opened the Grand Rapids, Auburn Hills and Ann Arbor campuses, we were able to take these very different properties and settings and create a law school environment inside and out that speaks to our culture of excellence,” Schoettle said.
REUS EO EXI F 6 ST ,0 IN
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COOLEY WILL OFFER FULL PROGRAM
The Tampa Bay campus will begin offering evening classes in May 2012, followed by morning classes in September 2012 and afternoon classes in January 2013. The full curriculum will be rolled out through a three-year period. Unlike traditional law schools that offer enrollment annually, Cooley continues with its tradition of offering enrollment three times a year: January, May, and September. Cooley also caters to a growing trend in serving non-traditional students and offers full- and part-time evening classes at all campuses, and weekend classes at most locations.
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A NEW
LEADER
Meet the Associate Dean for the Tampa Bay Campus Jeffrey L. Martlew
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feature Jeffrey L. Martlew (Campbell Class, 1976), Associate Dean for the Tampa Bay Campus, Cooley Law School
When a great opportunity presents itself, Jeffrey L. Martlew is not one to let it slip away. The Cooley graduate, successful attorney and long-time judge has recently added a new career milestone: leader of one of his alma mater’s most exciting initiatives to date -- the opening of a campus in Tampa Bay, Florida. It is Cooley’s first campus outside of Michigan, which is home to campuses in Lansing, Grand Rapids, Auburn Hills and Ann Arbor. With the campus slated to open to its first class of students in May 2012, the energetic, Cooley associate dean is nothing but encouraged. “I am honored and privileged to lead this,” he said. “Cooley certainly knows how to open and grow a new campus with a top-flight law program.” Martlew, who is often described as humble and down-to-earth with a quiet determination, takes his ultra-busy schedule in stride. Most recently, his to-do list has included weekly trips to Cooley’s Grand Rapids campus to teach Pretrial Skills, monthly trips to the new Tampa Bay campus, and on the personal front, packing boxes with his wife Ginny, as they prepare to move to a new home in Florida.
FULL CIRCLE
Working at a law school campus amid extensive renovation is déjà vu for Martlew. He was a member of Cooley’s second entering class in 1973, a period of rapid growth for the newlyopened Lansing law school. Martlew recalled how all 150 law school students attended classes in “one little building” on Grand Avenue, across the street from The Lansing State Journal. “The building had an upstairs, and a downstairs. The library and administrative offices were on the first floor and there were two large classrooms on the second floor,” he recalled. About a year into Martlew’s studies, Cooley initiated its first expansion with the purchase of the Masonic Temple Building about seven blocks away. Moving into the new digs became a school-wide project. “We were all involved in the physical move,” Martlew explained. “They even cancelled classes one day so that students could help load library books onto dollies and push them down the street to the new building.”
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Eager to do well, Martlew admitted he studied “sun-up to sun-down. The education prepared me well. By the time graduation came, I felt very confident about my ability to practice law.” And so an era of extraordinary Cooley growth began. “My entire Cooley education took place while the school was under construction,” he said. Eager to do well, Martlew admitted he studied “sun-up to sun-down. The education prepared me well. By the time graduation came, I felt very confident about my ability to practice law.” The Tampa Bay campus spans more than 13 acres on which classes will be offered in a single-story, 132,000-square-foot-building flanked by palm trees. Remodeling of the former Progressive Insurance site began in September and, by May 2012, will include the creation of classrooms, an auditorium and a law library, as well as a 500-vehicle parking lot (see related story, pages 7-9). A FANCY FOR FLINT
As dean of the Tampa Bay campus, Martlew’s leadership touches everything from enrollment to faculty and staff employment. It’s an ambitious project but, then again, Martlew has never shied away from hard work. It was part of his formative years growing up in Flint, Michigan, a city that, in the 1950s and 1960s, was considered one of the state’s most progressive areas. With General Motors (GM) as a generous local employer, Flint was booming with solid manufacturing jobs and educational and cultural gifts from GM philanthropist Charles Stewart Mott. The Martlew family relished the city’s offerings.
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The entire family enjoyed great debates at holiday gatherings. His mother came from a lineage of pro-business GM executives while his father’s blue-collar family was deeply pro-labor. The young Martlew appreciated the dual viewpoints that would later serve him well as a judge. “I learned that conflicting points of view can both have merit and that you have to listen and consider everything in order to make good decisions.” When high school graduation drew near, many of Martlew’s classmates walked into excellent factory jobs at nearby GM. But not so with Martlew. His parents made it clear to their four children that a college education would be job number one. “There was no debate; we were expected to go to college,” Martlew said. As the oldest child, Martlew would pave the way. Since his high school shared a campus with Flint Junior College (now Mott Community College), it was an easy decision to enroll. “My parents had four kids; they sure didn’t have the money to send me anyplace else.” He earned an associate’s degree and transferred to The University of Michigan-Flint. “My tuition doubled from $10 to $20 a credit hour. I still remember that. That was big money in 1970.” Martlew graduated from U of M in 1972 with a teaching degree.
feature The new Tampa Bay campus is located near many businesses, restaurants and attractions.
Newly married and with no teaching jobs in sight, Martlew began to consider alternatives. He had a deep interest in public service and decided that a law degree would help him move into that field, so he tagged along with a friend who was taking the LSAT. Martlew scored very well on the test and then learned of a new law school that had just opened in nearby Lansing, so he decided to enroll at Cooley. COOLEY: PART OF MARTLEW’S LIFE
Martlew graduated from Cooley in 1976 and joined a small, established practice in Mt. Morris, Michigan. About two years later, an opportunity to join a practice with a long-time attorney in DeWitt came knocking. The small-town practice of Matson & Martlew was born. About eight years into his legal career, a number of local officials suggested he consider running for district judge for the 65th District Court of Clinton County. Martlew decided to challenge the two-term incumbent. The dawn-to-dusk election schedule was tough on his family life, but his efforts paid off. In 1985, Martlew was sworn in as district judge and held the position through 1992. That’s when he eyed a run for the 29th Circuit Court judge seat for Clinton and Gratiot counties. He won the spot and was elevated to chief judge in 1994.
About this same time, Martlew was tapped to serve on Cooley’s board of directors, a position he would hold for 12 years. While he retired from both the bench and Cooley’s board in 2007, it didn’t take Martlew long to find his way back to Cooley again. This time he traded the board room for the classroom. For the past four years, Martlew has taught courses at the Grand Rapids campus, commuting from his DeWitt home, his family’s Glen Lake, Michigan cottage or, most recently, Tampa Bay. He finishes his final term in a few weeks to commit to an exclusive, full-time schedule at the Tampa Bay campus in January 2012. As the countdown to the campus opening accelerates, so does Martlew’s excitement about Cooley’s potential in serving Floridians. “Cooley is better than any other law school in the country in preparing students to practice,” he said. “I am confident we will roll out a great educational program.”
“Cooley is better than any other law school in the country in preparing students to practice,” he said. “I am confident we will roll out a great educational program.” BENCHMARK FALL 2011 COOLEY.EDU
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feature Kevin Blazs (Mundy Class, 1986), and Thomas M. Jaworski (McAlvay Class, 1984)
HERE COME T COOLEY ALUMNI SERVING THE
SUNSHINE STATE
JUDGE KEVIN BLAZS
JUDGE THOMAS M. JAWORSKI
FOURTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COURT
ALACHUA COUNTY COURT
APPOINTED JUNE 2011
ELECTED 2004
PAST JUDICIAL POSITION: DUVAL COUNTY COURT 2006-2011
RE-ELECTED 2010
Judge Kevin Blazs (Mundy Class, 1986) was appointed in June 2011 to the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court by Florida Gov. Rick Scott. Judge Blazs, 51, has served on the Duval County Court since 2006. Previously, he practiced with Gobelman, Love, Gavin, Blazs and Wasilenko from 1990 to 2006. He was trial counsel in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1992 to 2001, a law professor at universities in China from 1989–1990 and Assistant State Attorney for the Duval County State Attorney’s Office from 1987 to 1989. Judge Blazs served as an adjunct law professor at Cooley in 1986 and a legislative aide in the Michigan State Senate from 1983 to 1986. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Liberty University. After receiving his juris doctor at Cooley, he earned a master of laws from the University of London and a master of studies from the University of Cambridge.
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Judge Thomas M. Jaworski (McAlvay Class, 1984) sits on the Alachua County Court. He was first elected to the position in 2004 for a six-year term and re-elected again in 2010. Judge Jaworski has served as Administrative Judge with the Alachua County Court from July 2010. He earned his bachelor of arts from Michigan State University in 1980 before attending Cooley. Judge Jaworski began his career as a legal services attorney from 1984 to 1987. He served as a public defender from 1987 to 1989 and as an assistant state attorney from 1989 to1998. In 1999, Judge Jaworski went into private practice until being elected to his current post. While working in the State Attorney’s office, Judge Jaworski spent three years teaching at the Institute for Public Safety for both corrections and law enforcement officers.
feature Dawn Denaro (Hooker Class, 1993), and Jeffrey Swartz (Cooley Class, 1975)
THE JUDGES Cooley Law School has the distinctive honor of having three graduates who are serving as judges in courts of record in Florida and another graduate who previously sat on the bench in the same coastal state.
JUDGE DAWN DENARO
JUDGE (RETIRED) JEFFREY SWARTZ
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COURT
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COURT
APPOINTED MAY 2011
1995-2005
Judge Dawn Denaro (Hooker Class, 1993) was appointed in May 2011 by Florida Gov. Rick Scott to fill a vacancy in the Miami-Dade County Court. Judge Denaro, 45, has been an assistant state attorney with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office since 1993. Before attending Cooley, Judge Denaro earned her bachelor’s degree from Tulane University.
Judge Jeffrey Swartz (Cooley Class, 1976) served as a judge for the Miami-Dade County Court from 1995-2005. Judge Swartz practices law in Miami at the firm of Rosenthal Rosenthal Rasco Kaplan. He began his career practicing criminal law, first as a prosecutor in Ohio and, later, as an assistant state attorney for Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit. Judge Swartz currently serves on the Florida State Legislature’s Commission on Capital Cases. He has taught ethics and professional responsibility while a visiting professor at Cooley’s Lansing campus. Swartz received his bachelor of arts degree from Ohio State University.
According to a CBS Miami story about Judge Denaro’s appointment, Gov. Scott said, “Dawn has devoted her legal career to serving the people of Florida with diligence and an admirable work ethic. She understands what it means to be truly dedicated to the pursuit of justice and will serve this Court with dignity and fairness.”
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“What an excellent location”
“A fantastic addition to Florida”
“Thrilled to see Cooley in Tampa Bay”
“More great choices for students”
“Wonderful” “Delighted”
Local Graduates Share
Excitement & Support for the Tampa Bay Campus 16
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feature Cooley graduates Sandi Milmed (Sharpe Class, 1998), Nick Martinez (Bacon Class, 1990)
SANDI MILMeD Sandi Milmed (Sharpe Class, 1998), a Florida native, recalled making the frequent 2,400mile round-trip trek to Lansing some 15 years ago to earn her Juris Doctor at Cooley. Now the solo practitioner and owner of The Law Office of Sandi D. Milmed, P.A., lives only a five-minute drive from Cooley’s new
“This will be a great addition to the Cooley community” Tampa Bay campus.
Milmed is finding that her alma mater’s expansion into her neighborhood will be a great addition, from the economic impact of the extensive renovation to its community outreach efforts. This active member of Cooley’s Alumni Association National Alumni Board said the campus’ convenient location provides an ideal way for Milmed to give back to a school that has prepared her well for her legal career.
“Another outstanding idea from Cooley”
In addition to attending the October groundbreaking event of the Tampa Bay campus, Milmed recently volunteered her time at the campus open house, offering her candid advice to potential law students. “I let them know that law school is not a cakewalk, but if you put forth the effort, you will be prepared for virtually anything,” she said. “Cooley offers one of the most, if not the most, well-rounded law educations available.” Milmed is one of nearly 900 Cooley graduates in the Sunshine State, which makes Florida Cooley’s second largest alumni hub.
“Terrific for the local community” “Ecstatic”
NICK MArTINez Nick Martinez (Bacon Class, 1990), was thrilled to learn of Cooley’s presence in Tampa Bay. “No other law school will represent the citizens of the state of Florida like Cooley,” he said. Martinez holds both an M.D. and J.D. and is a co-owner of the Martinez Odom Law Group. “More representation of minority populations is needed,” he said. “And Cooley is the most diverse law school in the country. “There’s just not enough minority representation, including women of color and Spanish-speaking representation,” Martinez said. Martinez is a fifth-generation Hispanic. His personal injury practice has three Florida locations, with six attorneys and a total of 24 staff.
“Summers in Michigan, winters in Florida – Yes!”
“Exciting”
Martinez also attended the Tampa Bay groundbreaking event and said he wants to get involved with any future clinics the campus may offer. Martinez recalled the excellent real-world skills he gained in working at Cooley’s Sixty Plus, Inc. Elderlaw Clinic during his law school studies. “I felt more prepared than my peers to jump right into a courtroom,” he said. “I think ithe new Cooley campus is great for the community.
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school news
All the world’s a stage For the sixth year, Cooley continues its Stages of the Law series of legal- and ethics-themed plays at four Lansing theaters, putting the spotlight on some compelling issues. The 2011-2012 series kicked off in October with Conspiracy at Riverwalk Theatre, followed by The Shrike, November 4-12 at Lansing Community College’s Dart Auditorium, The Goblins and The Gravedigger, December 2-11 at Mid Michigan Family Theatre, and, new to the series this year, is Michigan State University’s Wharton Center for the Performing Arts with The Exonerated, January 27-28. Stages of the Law also features its popular Talk Back nights when a Cooley professor discusses the areas of law and ethics featured in the play with audience members after the performance. Theater performances on the nights of the Talk Back also feature two-for-one tickets. For more information, visit cooley.edu/stages
“Cooley and the Lansing area share a strong history of support for the arts. We’re thrilled to bring a sixth season of legal-themed plays to the community. Stages of the Law is considered a very unique collaboration among community theatres and a law school.” Don LeDuc, Cooley Law School’s president and dean.
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Thomas M. Cooley Law School and Western Michigan University launch third dual-degree program Cooley and Western Michigan University (WMU) announced their third dual-degree partnership, launching the area’s first-ever Master of Social Work (MSW)/Juris Doctor (J.D.) program. Recruitment is underway, and enrollment of the first applicants is anticipated to begin in fall 2012. Students can attend any WMU campus for classes geared for the MSW and any of Cooley’s campuses for law classes. Those who successfully complete the program will earn an MSW from WMU and a J.D. degree from Cooley. The two other degree partnerships that Cooley and WMU offer are J.D./Master of Business Administration and J.D./Master of Public Administration programs. Cooley has similar partnerships with Oakland University and Olivet College.
school news
Cooley sponsors retired Supreme Court Justice’s visit to Grand Rapids U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens (retired), 91, spoke in Grand Rapids as part of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation’s 2011 William E. Simon Lecture in Public Affairs, which was sponsored by Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Krinock Lecture Series. Nominated to the Supreme Court by President Gerald R. Ford, Justice Stevens took his seat as an Associate Supreme Court Justice on December 19, 1975, and retired on June 29, 2010.
Cooley Law School Alumni Association announces National Alumni Board The Cooley Alumni Association has elected new leadership from around the nation to its National Alumni Board for 2011-12. Cooley salutes these graduates who give so generously of their time to promote stronger relations between the alumni, students, and the law school itself. AuDrA A. FoSTer – President Fellows Class, 1997 Auburn Hills, MI
STeveN C. FANTeTTI – Board Member Chipman Class, 2011 Riverview, FL
HeLeN M. HAeSSLy – Vice President Cushing Class, 2000 Howell, MI
ProF. JuDITH A. FrANK – Board Member Mundy Class, 1986 Lansing, MI
President Ford’s daughter, Susan Ford Bales, introduced Justice Stevens to a full room of more than 700 attendees in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel’s Ambassador Ballroom. In attendance, with community leaders and those from the legal profession, were 45 Cooley Law School students. Justice Stevens’ speech carried two central themes: President Ford’s impact on the Supreme Court decision involving the University of Michigan’s affirmative action program and the decision made by President Ford to appoint Edward Levi as his attorney general.
CHArLeS D. DooLITTLe – Secretary Sherwood Class, 1986 Grand Rapids, MI
ANDrew GozINSKy – Board Member Carpenter Class, 1993 Old Bethpage, NY
ALeCIA M. ruSwINCKeL – Immediate Past President Swainson Class, 2003 Lansing, MI
ALeTHA L. HoNSowITz – Board Member Witherell Class, 1990 Grand Rapids, MI
Pictured from left to right: Justice Stevens, Cooley Associate Professor Devin Schindler, and Cooley President and Dean Don LeDuc.
LArA J. eDeLSTeIN – Executive Committee Steere Class, 1995 Miami, FL
LAwreNCe J. KISH – Board Member Marston Class, 1978 Lansing, MI
SHAroN A. eLLIS – Executive Committee North Class, 1980 Williamston, MI
LAurA I. MArJI – Board Member Woodward Class, 2010 Mount Clemens, MI
ALANA M. GLASS – Executive Committee Fitzgerald Class, 2006 Auburn Hills, MI
KATHy A. MArTIN – Board Member Weadock Class, 1999 Newton, NJ
PATrICK S. GrIFFIN – Executive Committee Riley Class, 2009 Washington, DC
ToM C. roMBACH – Board Member Morse Class, 1987 New Baltimore, MI
roNALD A. GrIM – Executive Committee Flannigan Class, 1999 Mason, MI
DIANe M. SMITH – Board Member North Class, 1980 Lansing, MI
SuSANNe e. HArrIS – Executive Committee Carpenter Class, 1993 Lansing, MI
PAMeLA HeoS – Executive Secretary/Treasurer Cooley Law School heosp@cooley.edu (517) 371-5140, ext. 2014 Lansing, MI
SANDy D. MILMeD – Executive Committee Sharpe Class, 1998 Tampa, FL
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SCHOOLS ARE BIG WINNERS RUNNING THE COOLEY 5K RACE FOR EDUCATION Cooley Law School congratulates the School Competition winners and all the lucky proceeds winners of the Cooley 5K Race for Education! The Cooley 5K Race for Education and Capital City River Run Half Marathon are part of a weekend of activities that showcase the best of the greater Lansing area and bring together thousands of runners and walkers in support of education. Schools can win in two ways. First, through Race Proceeds - any person who turns in a paid Cooley 5K race entry form is eligible to win money for his or her school just by nominating a favorite school on the form. Second, schools have an opportunity to win money through a School Competition. Cooley Law School distributes School Competition Awards, three deep, to the schools with the most nominations.
COOLEY 5K RACE PROCEED WINNERS 50% winner: $5,000 to Dewitt High School, Dewitt, MI 25% winner: $2,500 to Holt Horizon elementary, Holt, MI 10% winner: $1,000 to williamston High School, williamston, MI 10% winner: $1,000 to Holt High School, Holt, MI 5% winner: $500 to waverly High School, Lansing, MI
COOLEY SCHOOL COMPETION AWARDS 1st Place: $1,000; Pinecrest elementary School, east Lansing, MI 2nd Place: $750; Sexton High School, Lansing, MI 3rd Place: $500; Horizon elementary School, Holt, MI
alumni matters
JOIN NOW! The Cooley Alumni Association keeps its members involved in the life of the law school through stronger connections, participation in activities and programs, and improved service to alumni, students, and the school. The Alumni Association will continue to develop and promote activities in many states across the nation so that, wherever you may be, you are not far from a Cooley event. To learn about upcoming events in your area or for more information, contact the Alumni Office at 800-243-ALUM or alumni@cooley.edu.
Non Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Lansing, MI Permit No. 241
300 South Capitol Ave. P.O. Box 13038 Lansing, MI 48901 Change Service Requested
Alumni Office Hosts
ALASKA CRUISE May 10-18, 2012
7-Day Alaska Cruise Royal Caribbean International® Join Cooley alumni, faculty and staff on a sightseeing tour of Seattle and cruise Alaska’s Inside Passage. Stops in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, Skagway, AK, and Victoria, BC. Visit cooley.edu/alumni for more info and details.