Cooley Founder and Former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Addresses Graduates

January 22, 2013 - On Sunday, Jan. 20, Thomas M. Cooley Law School presented 456 individuals with the degrees of juris doctor or master of laws during the school's 112th commencement ceremony at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. In honor of the school's 40th anniversary, Thomas E. Brennan, founder of Cooley Law School and former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice, addressed the graduates.  In January 1973 Cooley began offering classes in Lansing and its inaugural class of students graduated in 1976.

Justice Brennan was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1953. He was elected to the Detroit Common Pleas Court in 1961, advancing to the Wayne County Circuit Court and finally to the Michigan Supreme Court, where he served as Chief Justice in 1969 and 1970.  In 1972 Judge Brennan founded the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where he served as dean and president before retiring on January 19, 2002.

The Honorable Thomas E. Brennan, founder, dean emeritus, former president, Cooley Law School and former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice, addresses the graduates during Cooley Law School’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 20.

The Honorable Thomas E. Brennan, founder, dean emeritus, former president, Cooley Law School and former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice, waves to the graduates and guests as he receives a standing ovation before addressing the graduates at Cooley Law School’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 20.

Fang Liu, of Cooley Law School’s Lansing campus, was presented the President’s Achievement Award during Cooley’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 20. The President’s Achievement Award is presented to the student(s) who demonstrated the most significant academic gains while attending Cooley Law School. Pictured (left to right) Don LeDuc, Cooley Law School president and dean; Fang Liu, President’s Achievement Award recipient and Honorable Thomas E. Brennan, founder, dean emeritus, former president, Cooley Law School and former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice. Timothy Schweigerdt, of Cooley’s Lansing campus, is also a recipient of the President’s Achievement Award and graduated summa cum laude.  Schweigerdt was unable to attend the commencement ceremony.

---

About Cooley Law School: Founded in 1972, the Thomas M. Cooley Law School is a private, nonprofit, independent law school accredited by the American Bar Association and the Higher Learning Commission. Cooley has provided its more than 16,000 graduates with the practical skills necessary for a seamless transition from academia to the real world. Cooley offers its Juris Doctor program, Joint Degree programs, and Master of Laws programs three times a year with enrollment in January, May and September. Cooley Law School has campuses across Michigan in Lansing, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, and its new campus in Tampa Bay, Florida.