January 13, 2010

Cooley Law School’s Auburn Hills Campus Announces 2010 MLK Day Celebration

Officials at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Auburn Hills, Mich., campus today announced that the Hon. Margie R. Braxton of the Wayne County Circuit Court will be the keynote speaker at its Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Monday, Jan. 18.

The program, entitled Equal Access to Justice Day: Evolution of Progress, is open to students, faculty and the public, and will be held at Cooley Law School’s Auburn Hills campus, 2630 Featherstone. At 10 a.m., Judge Braxton will offer advice on how 21st century lawyers can ensure that King’s dream is kept alive as well as discuss pressing issues for the next generation of attorneys. Prior to Judge Braxton’s address, the winners of the Equal Access to Justice Award and the Pontiac High School writing competition will be announced.

As initiated by Cooley President and Dean Don LeDuc, Cooley’s classes are suspended in observance of MLK Day, and students, faculty, and staff devote the day to study, reflection, and programs on the role of law and lawyers in protecting the rights of everyone and assuring equal access to justice.

In 2010, the Cooley campus-wide MLK Day theme, Continuing the Dream, will address how King's belief in equality and justice for all can be applied to the current legal and social challenges we face as a nation, said Goldie Adele, Cooley’s coordinator of student services and diversity programs.

The Equal Access to Justice Award is presented to a faculty or community member who has taken steps above and beyond his/her required duties to ensure that students are getting the most of their law school experience. The student organizations at the Auburn Hills campus acknowledge those people who make a lasting impact on students’ lives by providing mentoring, professional support and genuine care to ensure students succeed through the Equal Access to Justice Award.

About the Pontiac High School Writing Competition
Pontiac High School students composed essays about the inauguration of the first African American president as well as their individual roles as American citizens and their responsibility to society. The winner of the competition will receive a certificate and a gift card, and will read his/her essay during the MLK Day celebration at the Auburn Hills campus on Jan. 18.

About the Honorable Margie R. Braxton
Judge Braxton is currently serving her 18th year on the bench. She practiced law as a solo practitioner for nearly a decade before being elected to the Recorder’s Court Bench in 1992. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the Detroit Institute of Technology and a juris doctorate from Cooley Law School. Judge Braxton, a trustee and an executive board member of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, has served as an executive board member of the NAACP and vice-president of the Business and Professional Women Foundation.

Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the nation. Founded in 1972, the private, non-profit law school operates J.D. programs across Michigan in Lansing, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor. Today, Cooley Law School has nearly 14,000 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 cooley.edu.