August 5, 2009

Cooley Law School Names Assistant Dean, Faculty Members of Ann Arbor Campus

Assistant Dean Daniel Ray

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School announced today that Daniel Ray, associate professor of law, has been promoted to the position of assistant dean of the school’s Ann Arbor campus. School officials also announced that David Finnegan and Mara Kent will become faculty members at the Ann Arbor campus.

“Dean Ray brings a wealth of teaching knowledge to the position of assistant dean,” said Joan Vestrand, associate dean of Cooley’s Ann Arbor campus. “I’m excited to work side-by-side with Dean Ray and Associate Professors Finnegan and Kent in providing a practical, legal education to students from all over the world right here in Ann Arbor.”

Located at 3475 Plymouth Road, Cooley’s Ann Arbor campus is an 84,500-square-foot facility that includes a law library, mock appellate and trial courtrooms, and several classrooms. Classes will commence at the Ann Arbor campus in September 2009.

“Cooley Law School is a perfect match for the city of Ann Arbor and I’m excited to be a part of the leadership team that will be responsible for establishing our new campus here,” said Ray. “Cooley’s flexible scheduling options, expert faculty, and dedication to service will be a great fit for the needs of this community and its citizens.”

Ray joined the Cooley Law School faculty in 2005. Before coming to Cooley, Ray served as a faculty member at Eastern Michigan University and was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School.

Associate Professor David Finnegan

Before joining academia, Ray was an attorney with firms in Missouri and Kansas. Ray graduated with distinction from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School after earning his bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University. At Cooley, Ray teaches Constitutional Law I and II.

Finnegan joined Cooley in 2003 after practicing law in Washington, D.C., and commencing graduate studies at the University of Michigan. His practice in Washington focused on domestic and international antitrust law, international investment dispute arbitration, government contracts investigations and related litigation, and litigation of commercial disputes before arbitration panels and federal courts.

Finnegan graduated with honors from the University of Michigan Law School where he served as editor-in-chief of the Michigan Journal of International Law. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan, with a concentration on comparative government and public law.  His dissertation examined the relationship between law reform and economic development in Africa. Fieldwork for the dissertation was supported primarily by a grant from the National Science Foundation. At Cooley, Finnegan teaches property and international law.

Associate Prof. Mara Kent

Kent joined the Cooley faculty in 2000. She served as a judicial law clerk for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Michael F. Cavanagh and as an appellate attorney specializing in civil rights and employment law prior to joining Cooley. Kent graduated summa cum laude from the University of Detroit Mercy Law School and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. She teaches Contracts and Sales, and she is the vice chair of the contracts department.

Kent is very involved in community service projects in the Ann Arbor area, where she sits on several local organizations’ boards.

Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country.  Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs across Michigan in Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Lansing.  Today, Cooley Law School has more than 13,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and master of laws programs.  Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May and September. Additional information about Cooley can be found at www.cooley.edu.