January 29, 2007

The Judge’s Helper: Cooley Graduates Perfect The Art Of Analysis Before Justice

Eight of the court's 24 law clerks are graduates of Cooley Law School - more than any other law school.

During the 25 years that Michael F. Cavanagh has served as a Michigan Supreme Court Justice, he has seen great change. And while the changes have ranged from new laws to a growing dependence on office technology, one area that hasn’t changed is the need for knowledgeable, hard-working, deadline-oriented law clerks.

“Law clerks serve a very important purpose,” Justice Cavanagh said. “They add another look to the process and an independent view that is crucial to our work.”

The Michigan Supreme Court currently employs 24 law clerks who support the court’s seven Supreme Court Justices. Eight of the court’s clerks are graduates of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School — more than any other law school.

“Cooley’s top students can match the top students at any other law school,” Justice Cavanagh said. “And the school’s (diversity) demographics are amazing.”

In addition to a high grade point average, lawyers who possess writing skills, research ability and a 'good' personality are individuals who may have what it takes to become a law clerk, said Justice Cavanagh.

“Serving as a law clerk is an invaluable opportunity,” Cooley President Don LeDuc said. “Whether the position is a long-term career choice or a launching point to another position, it provides individuals with a sense of accomplishment and a wealth of experience.”

The position also provides the Michigan Supreme Court with a great deal of knowledge and know-how.

“I’ve been very fortunate with the men and women who have served as law clerks for me,” Cavanagh said. “While they all have had different personalities, they’ve all been hard workers who have given much to this court.”

Two of Justice Cavanagh’s senior law clerks, 2002 Cooley graduates Natalie Alane and Mary Chartier-Mittendorf, have announced plans to leave the Supreme Court later this year to open their own law firm in Lansing. It is with mixed emotions that Justice Cavanagh sees their plans developing and the approaching date when he’ll be working with a new staff.

“I value the service that our law clerks provide and I’ll miss them,” Justice Cavanagh said. “But new ideas are good and with a new staff come new ideas.”

The duo’s experience with the Michigan Supreme Court will help them just as it has helped law clerks before them, according to Justice Cavanagh, by helping them in developing a positive reputation within the community and exposing them to the widest variety of court cases possible.

“From murder and mayhem to U.C.C. (Uniform Commercial Code) cases, they see the gamut while serving here,” Justice Cavanagh said.

Cooley prepares their students for the job of a law clerk with specific coursework and research tasks.

“Cooley provides a fabulous educational foundation for this level of legal analysis,” Alane said.

It is a job that primarily involves research and review as a case initially makes its way to the Michigan Supreme Court. And it is that review that helps shape the future direction of the case.

“It’s important that they (the law clerks) don’t just spit back what I’d like to hear,” Justice Cavanagh said.

Cooley Law School and the experience of serving as a law clerk in the Michigan Supreme Court also prepare lawyers with the ability to jump at opportunities within several different career paths.

While Alane and Chartier-Mittendorf plan to spend their careers in private practice, 2001 Cooley graduate Mark Sands plans to follow the course of many law clerks, including Justice Cavanagh — a one-time U.S. Court of Appeals law clerk — by becoming an assistant prosecuting attorney following his stint with Justice Stephen J. Markman.

Sands credits not only Cooley’s education through coursework and class discussions for his early career success, but also credits unique opportunities at Cooley, such as serving as a teaching assistant, for framing the path to his current career.

A position as a public defender is a logical step for a law clerk, according to Justice Cavanagh. In fact, he credits his clerkship with providing him with the broadest exposure to cases of all kinds, stating that he was never more conversant with all aspects of the law as he was when he left his clerkship.

Some Cooley graduates who serve as law clerks with the Michigan Supreme Court have no desire to leave their current positions. It’s the career that is perfect for them.

For more than nine years, Bruce Edwards, a 1983 graduate of Cooley, has been the right-hand man of Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Clifford W. Taylor. It’s a serious job, one in which Edwards’ ability to reason and identify legal issues of all kinds is a must. And it is a job that always offers something new around the corner because the issues are always changing. In short, this position isn’t for the individual who likes a routine and that suits Edwards just fine.

But regardless of their career focus and future plans, graduates point to the skills learned at Cooley Law School as a key to their current success.

As 2004 Cooley graduate James Duquet, a law clerk for Justice Maura Corrigan, said of his education from Cooley, “I wouldn’t have my job without it.”

The following list summarizes the current employment of Cooley graduates as law clerks with the Michigan Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Clifford W. Taylor
Bruce Edwards – senior law clerk
Donna Hellman
Kimberlee Hillock

Justice Michael F. Cavanagh
Natalie Alane – senior law clerk
Mary Chartier-Mittendorf – senior law clerk

Justice Maura D. Corrigan
James Duquet

Justice Stephen J. Markman
Mark Sands

Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver
Sima Patel

Founded in 1972, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country. Cooley has three campuses across Michigan; its campus in downtown Lansing, its downtown Grand Rapids campus in west Michigan and its Rochester/Oakland University campus in southeast Michigan. In addition to the Juris Doctor program, students at Cooley can also pursue a Master of Laws degree in taxation or intellectual property.