E. Christopher Johnson, Jr.
Associate Professor and Graduate Program Corporate Law and Finance Director
B.S. United States Military Academy at West Point 1973
J.D. cum laude New York Law School 1981
E. Christopher Johnson Jr. attributes his success to a strong Christian faith, instilled in him by his parents, together with the spirit of community service consistent with Jesus' words "to whom much was given, of him much will be required." He credits his two beautiful wives, Sheryl, whose life was claimed by breast cancer in 2000, and his current wife Rhonda, who now graces his heart, as the foundations of his life. In addition, his daughter Erin, an attorney in DC, and son, Chip an advertising media buyer in New York, have and continue to make him a very proud father.
Following his graduation from West Point in 1973, Johnson served as an Army officer in Alaska and New Jersey and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service. After his honorable discharge from the Army in 1978, he attended New York Law School from which he graduated with Honors in 1981.
His legal career started as an associate at a Wall Street law firm. In 1985, he left the practice of law to become a headhunter. It was with his last client, General Motors, that he made his last placement—himself—as an attorney in 1988. Accepting the role as GM’s attorney handling computer law matters, he rose through the ranks as that fledgling practice flourished, to Practice Area Manager, Assistant General Counsel and ultimately, Vice President and General Counsel of GM North America, a position he held for the last seven years in a twenty year GM Career.
While at GM, Johnson championed a number of initiatives in the access to justice, access to law school and diversity arenas. His commitment in those areas led him to Thomas Cooley Law School, which shares this commitment, and where he currently is a law professor and director/founder of the LL.M. program in Corporate Law and Finance. He is actively involved in Cooley’s high school and college pipeline programs, and its mission of access to law school. He also is the chair of City Mission, a Detroit elementary school and K-12 tutoring/mentoring program.
His service over the years mirrors these passions and has included service as a co-chair of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation, trustee of the Michigan Bar Foundation, co-chair of the Legacy Justice Campaign for Detroit Legal Aid and Defender, chair of the ABA Council for Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Educational Pipeline, member, Council of Legal Education Opportunity, chair of the ABA Africa, and co-chair, West Point Leadership and Ethics Conference.
He is the recipient of many awards for this service including the ABA Spirit of Excellence Corporate Award, the National Bar Association Clyde Bailey Award for Corporate Leadership, the State Bar of Michigan Michael Franck and Champion of Justice Awards, and the Straker Bar Trailblazer Award. He was also inducted into the National Black Law Students Association Hall of Fame.
He is active in the community, serving as an elder at NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, Michigan, chair of the Michigan United Negro College Fund Leadership and a member of the Board of the Great Lakes Division of the American Cancer Society.
Following a mission trip to Mumbai, India last year, where Johnson was exposed to the ravages and enormity of human slavery and trafficking, he felt called to join the human trafficking movement. He currently serves as co-chair of the Community Committee of the State of Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force and works with a number of governmental and non-governmental entities on this crisis.
Bibliography
Articles
John Nussbaumer & Chris Johnson, The Door to Law School, 6 U. Mass. Roundtable Symp. L.J. 1 (2011).
Book Reviews and Other Short Works
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Michigan Lawyers in the Fight Against Slavery, 91 Mich. B.J. 22 (June 2012).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Pipeline Programs: Increasing Diversity and Creating Responsible Citizens and Leaders, 91 Mich. B.J. 32 (Jan. 2012).
Cassandra Sneed Ogden & E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., The ABA Bar Passage Standard, One Year Later: Where Are We Now, and Where Do We Go from Here? 11 Diversity & the Bar (May-June 2009).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Diversity Accountability at GM, 7 Goal IX News (No. 3, Summer 2001).
Presentations
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Moderator, Human Trafficking: Buying and Selling People: Is That Your Business? Human Trafficking & Corporate Responsibility, Keynote Address by U.S. Ambassador Luis CdeBaca (Auburn Hills, Michigan, Thomas M. Cooley Law School Nov. 1, 2012) (Simulcast live at Thomas M. Cooley Law School Michigan campuses).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Moderator, Human Trafficking Awareness Event(Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids, and Lansing, Michigan, Thomas M. Cooley Law School Feb. 10, 2012) (Simulcast live at Thomas M. Cooley Law School Michigan campuses).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Keynote Address, Thomas M. Cooley Law Journal Annual Banquet (Lansing, Michigan, Thomas M. Cooley Law School Mar. 13, 2010).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, The Ethics of the Bailout (Lansing, Michigan, Thomas M. Cooley Law School Oct. 7, 2009).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Panel Remarks, Law School Accreditation Standards (Chicago, Illinois, 35th American Bar Association National Conference on Professional Responsibility May 28, 2009).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, The National Diversity Landscape: Trends in Law Firms and Corporations (Chicago, Illinois, Dykema Gossett May 7, 2009).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, The National Diversity Landscape: Trends in Law Firms and Corporations (Detroit, Michigan, Dykema Gossett May 5, 2009).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Opening Keynote Speech, The Ethics of the Bailout, (Rock Island, Illinois, Augustana College May 2, 2009).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Panel Remarks, Maintaining Business in the Economic Downturn, (Detroit, Michigan, D. Augustus Straker Bar Association Apr. 7, 2009).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, The National Diversity Landscape: Trends in Law Firms and Corporations (Cleveland, Ohio, The Cleveland Bar Association Mar. 16, 2009).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Panel Remarks, We Can, We Will, We Must: Creating Opportunities for the Next Generation of Lawyers (Auburn Hills, Michigan, State Bar of Michigan Mar. 6, 2009).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, Ethics and Accreditation (Orlando, Florida, Florida Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism and the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism Mar. 5, 2009).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, Competencies to Outcome Measures (Chicago, Illinois, American Bar Association Bar Exam Passage Conference Oct. 17, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Acceptance Speech, Leon Hubbard Award (Birmingham, Michigan, Oakland County Bar Association Oct. 16, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, A Salute to Diversity (Detroit, Michigan, Detroit Community Health Connection Oct. 2, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, General Counsel Speaker Series (Durham, North Carolina, North Carolina Central School of Law Sept. 23, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Panel Remarks, The Pipeline is Critical (Washington, D.C., Just the Beginning Foundation Meeting Sept. 18, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Acceptance Speech, Trailblazer Award (Southfield, Michigan, D. Augustus Straker Bar Association June 5, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Commencement Address (Detroit, Michigan, University of Detroit School of Law May 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, Diversity as a Business Imperative for Providing Legal Counsel to GM (Phoenix, Arizona, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Annual Lawyers Meeting May 7, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Acceptance Speech, National Black Law Students Association Hall of Fame (Detroit, Michigan Mar. 29, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Testimony, Interpretation 301-6 (Los Angeles, California, American Bar Association, House of Delegates, American Bar Association 2008 Midyear Meeting Feb. 14, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, Diversity as a Business Imperative for Providing Legal Counsel to GM (New York, New York, Dean’s Council, New York Law School Jan. 29, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Commencement Address (Lansing, Michigan, Thomas M. Cooley Law School Jan. 26, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Testimony, Interpretation 301-6, (Chicago, Illinois, American Bar Association, Standards Review Committee, Section of Legal Education Jan. 4, 2008).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, Diversity as a Business Imperative for Providing Legal Counsel to GM (Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville Blue Cross/Blue Shield Aug. 24, 2007).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Speech, Professionalism (Auburn Hills, Michigan, Thomas M. Cooley Law School June 17, 2007).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Commencement Address (Pontiac, Michigan, Pontiac Central High School June 7, 2007).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Commencement Address (Pontiac, Michigan, Pontiac Northern High School June 5, 2007).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., CLE Presentation, GM Crisis Management Operations (Miami, Florida, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, CLE Conference Apr. 16, 2007).
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr., Opening Ceremony Speech, Marching Toward Justice: The History of the 14th Amendment (Cincinnati, Ohio, Marching Toward Justice Exhibit Feb. 23, 2007).
