Center for Ethics, Service, and Professionalism

"Prosecuting with Integrity"
Thursday, July 8, 2010, Noon - 2 p.m.
Auburn Hills Campus, Room L45
Presented by Barbara McQuade, United States Attorney Eastern District of Michigan

Ms. McQuade was appointed by President Barack Obama, and began serving on January 4, 2010. Before becoming a U.S. Attorney, McQuade served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Detroit for 12 years.

"Civility: In and Out of the Courtroom"
Wednesday, June 9, 2010, Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Grand Rapids Campus, Room 529
Presented by the State Bar of Michigan 2009 Respected Advocate Award winners William W. Jack, Jr., and William F. Mills.

Mr. Jack and Mr. Mills will speak about their careers, professional integrity, and the importance of relationships in the legal profession.

"How Does a Public Official Stand Up to Intense Political Pressure and Do the Right Thing?"
Thursday, March 18, 2010, 5:00 p.m.
Auburn Hills Campus - Room L48
Presented by Kym Worthy, Wayne County Prosecutor

Ms. Worthy, who successfully prosecuted former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, will discuss the case and others that have forced tough decisions and successful handling of ethical dilemmas.

"Sailing Your Own Ship"
Wednesday, February 10, 2010, Noon
Grand Rapids Campus - room 529
Presented by Barbara Craft, Attorney and World Explorer

Ms. Craft will share her story on how her law degree gave her the flexibility to pursue her dream of sailing the Atlantic (four times), and spend years living on a sailboat in Europe, and still maintain a law career and private practice.

"Jury Trials and the Media"
Thursday, January 14, 2010, 5:00 p.m.
Lansing Campus - Room 911
Presented by Andrew Abood, Attorney at Law

Mr. Abood will share his experience leading high-profile cases and working with the media during jury trials.

Ethics and Professionalism in Public Defense
Wednesday, September 23, 2009, 1 p.m.
Ann Arbor Campus Library, 3475 Plymouth Rd.
Presented by Lloyd E. Powell, Office of Washtenaw County Public Defender, and most recent recipient of the State Bar of Michigan's Frank J. Kelly Distinguished Public Service Award.

Lawyers Know Thy Self – Self-help and Professional Responsibility
Tuesday, September 29, 2009, 5 - 7 p.m.
Grand Rapids Campus – Room 529
Presented by Martha Burkett, State Bar of Michigan Director for the Lawyers & Judges Assistance Program and Michael Burke, disbarred attorney and author of Never Enough: One Lawyer’s True Story of How He Gambled His Career Away.
In cooperation with the Grand Rapids Bar Association.

Presentation by State Bar of Michigan President, Ed Pappas
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Noon – 1:00 p.m. (lunch provided)
Auburn Hills Campus – Room 145

Stories from the Street: The Experiences of Two Main-Street Lawyers
Presented by Kenneth L. O'Deen and Thomas J. Dignan
Wednesday, June 10, 2009, Noon
Grand Rapids Campus, Room 529 [view map]
Hear about the pleasures, perils, rewards and zaniness involved in advocating for clients, giving back to the community, and maintaining your integrity as a lawyer. More information (pdf)

Ethical Issues in the Representation of Death Row Prisoners
Presented by Professor Kathy Swedlow
Thursday, March 5, 2009, Noon
Lansing Campus, Cooley Center, Room 911 [view map]
Professor Swedlow joined the Cooley faculty in 2001. She is the former co-director of the Thomas M. Cooley Innocence Project, and was co-counsel on the Project’s first DNA exoneration case. Professor Swedlow is also Vice Chair of the Death Penalty Committee of the Individual Rights and Responsibility Section of the American Bar Association, a member of the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts, and the contributing editor for death penalty cases for the ABA’s publication, “Preview of United States Supreme Court Decisions.”

Navigating the Legal Culture
Presented by Martha Burkett, State Bar of Michigan Director of the Lawyers & Judges Assistance Program, and Victoria Vuletich, Assistant Professor at the Cooley GR Campus
Monday, February 23, 2009, Noon
Auburn Hills Campus, Room 145 [view map]
Learn how to recognize and deal with the “unwritten rules” and unspoken dynamics of the legal culture, dealing with the three F’s no one talks about — fear, failure and frustration, and stress management techniques to keep you at a place of equilibrium no matter what is going on around you.

A Reprise of Atticus Finch’s Closing Argument from Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ - Presented by Jon G. March
Friday, Feburary 20, 2009, 5 p.m.
Grand Rapids Campus, Room 406 [view map]
Mr. March is an experienced trial lawyer handling a wide variety of equipment, commercial, construction, and general civil litigation. Mr. March demonstrated his talents as an amateur actor in the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s (GRCT) production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” and played the leading role of fictional attorney Atticus Finch. He has acted in other GRCT productions and with Actors’ Theatre and Community Circle Theatre.

Ethics for Lawyers and Judges in 2009 - Presented by The Honorable Marilyn Kelly
Thursday, January 29, 2009, Noon
Auburn Hills Campus [view map]
Justice Kelly was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court for an eight-year term in 1996, and elected for a second eight-year term in 2004. On January 8, 2009, Justice Kelly was elected on a 4-3 vote among the justices to be the Michigan Supreme Court’s chief justice for the next two years. She earned a B.A. from Eastern Michigan University and a Master’s degree from Middlebury College, Vermont. Justice Kelly taught in the Grosse Pointe public schools, at Albion College, and Eastern Michigan University before earning her J.D. with honors from Wayne State University. More information (pdf)

How to Believe in Your Case Even When You Don’t
Presented by Carole D. Bos
Tuesday, October 28, 2008, Noon
Grand Rapids Campus, Room 529
Carole D. Bos is an award winning trial lawyer, as well as a nationally known author and lecturer. Her compassionate approach with people who have lost a loved one, or sustained a serious injury, is distinguished from her reputation as an aggressive, hardworking fighter for clients. She has handled many major cases, involving hundreds of millions of dollars, in state and federal courts throughout the country.

Navigating the Legal Culture
Presented by Martha Burkett, State Bar of Michigan Director of the Lawyers & Judges Assistance Program, and Victoria Vuletich Visiting Professor at the Cooley Grand Rapids Campus
Thursday, October 30, 2008, Noon
Grand Rapids Campus, Room 529
Learn how to recognize and deal with the “unwritten rules” and unspoken dynamics of the legal culture, dealing with the three F’s no one talks about —fear, failure and frustration, and stress management techniques to keep you at a place of equilibrium no matter what is going on around you.

Lobbying - Advocacy with a Twist
Thursday, October 30, 2008, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Auburn Hills Campus, Room 144
Nell Kuhnmuench began her legal career as a law clerk for Associate Justice James L. Ryan where she conducted legal research for cases under consideration by the Michigan Supreme Court. Kuhnmuench served as Chief of Staff for Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives Gary M. Owen and Bobby D. Crim assisting with study, discussion, and strategy on legislative matters.

Never Enough: One Lawyer’s True Story of How He Gambled His Career Away
Thursday, July 10 at noon
Room 529, Law Center, Grand Rapids Campus
Presented by Michael J. Burke, Disbarred Attorney and author of the soon-to-be-published autobiography, Never Enough: One Lawyer’s True Story of How He Gambled His Career Away.

The Motto of a Minority Justice: Keep Your Head Down and Keep On Shoveling
Friday, May 16, 2008, Noon - 1 p.m.
Rm. 501, Cooley Center, Lansing Campus
Justice Cavanagh was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1982 and was re-elected in 1990, 1998, and 2006. He served as Chief Justice from 1991-95. Justice Cavanagh’s current term expires January 1, 2015.

Ethics in Criminal Prosecution and Defense
Friday, May 16, 2008, Noon - 2 p.m.
Auburn Hills Campus, 2630 Featherstone Rd., Room 144
Panel Discussion: Alan Gershel - Visiting Professor, Cooley Law School, Tom Cranmer - Principal, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, Judge Gerald E. Rosen - U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Moderated by: Cooley Professors Martha Moore and Lisa Halushka

Integrity on the Bench
Wenesday, March 26, 2008 at noon
Auburn Hills Campus, 2630 Featherstone, Auburn Hills
Judge Leo Bowman is a native of Pontiac, Michigan. Judge Bowman was elected to the bench in 1988, and was re-elected in 1994, 2000, and 2006. He served as Chief Judge of the 50th District Court for eight years. On January 16, 2007, Gov. Granholm appointed Judge Bowman to the 6th Circuit Court, Oakland County. Judge Bowman is the first African American male to serve as a permanent member of the Oakland County Circuit Court.

Representing City Hall: A Lawyer's Life on the Public Stage
Friday, February 8, 2008 at noon
Grand Rapids Campus, Law Center, 5th floor
Mr. Balkema is a graduate of both the University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School. He has practiced law in Grand Rapids for over 39 years. For 33 years he represented the City of Grand Rapids, first as an assistant city attorney and for then as the City Attorney for 29 years.

The Value of Pro Bono Service
Tuesday, October 16, 2007, Noon
Room 406, Law Center, Grand Rapids Campus
Please join us for a close look at a recent pro bono exoneration case that spanned four years. Derek Witte, of Miller Johnson, will discuss this case, and the satisfaction he has found through pro bono service, with Cooley students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the legal community. Complimentary lunch and Q&A to follow - Room 523.

Breathe Life Into the Lawyer’s Oath
Tuesday, October 9, 2007, Noon
Lansing Campus, Cooley Center, Room 911
Reginald Turner began his distinguished law career as a clerk for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Dennis Archer. In 2003, Governor Jennifer Granholm appointed Turner to the Michigan State Board of Education and he was elected to a full term in 2006. Turner has served a term as President of the State Bar of Michigan, and is now partner and executive committee member in the Clark Hill law firm. Turner often engages in pro bono representation in important civil rights and liberties cases.

Integrity in Our Communities
Wednesday, September 26, 2007, Noon
Rochester/OU Campus, Oakland Center, Room 126-127
Denise Page Hood, a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University School of Law, presently serves as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the Senate in 1994. Judge Hood presides over numerous criminal and civil matters. She has served on the state court benches of 36th District Court, Recorder's Court, and Wayne County Circuit Court and has worked as Assistant Corporation Counsel in the City of Detroit Law Department.

Never Enough - Addiction Minefields: How Addictions Changed My LifeWednesday, June 27, 2007, Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Law Center, Downtown Grand Rapids
Friday, June 29, 2007, Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Cooley Center, Downtown Lansing

Professionalism in Criminal Defense
Nov. 29, 2006 at noon
Room 911, Cooley Center, Lansing
Frank Reynolds now devotes much of his practice to state and federal criminal defense, but he also has many years of experience in family law, probate law, and estate planning. He represents law school graduates in Character and Fitness proceedings for admission to practice law in the State of Michigan as well as representing attorneys and judges in disciplinary proceedings. Mr. Reynolds is listed in “Who’s Who in American Law,” and has lectured extensively on trial skills to various legal organizations. He is a 2001 recipient of the Leo A. Farhat Outstanding Attorney Award, and was recognized by Lawyers Weekly as one of ten outstanding Michigan lawyers.