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Faculty
September 2008
Sherry Batzer
Visiting Professor
B.A., with honors, Empire State College/State University of New York 1982
J.D. University of Wyoming College of Law 1989
Curt Benson
Associate Professor
B.A. Western Michigan University 1983
J.D. Thomas M. Cooley Law School 1986
Tracey Brame
Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor
B.A. University of Michigan 1992
J.D. University of Michigan Law School 1995
Paul Carrier
Associate Professor - Property II
B.A., cum laude, Michigan State University 1974
J.D. Wayne State University Law School 1978
Bradley Charles
Assistant Professor
B.A. Brigham Young University 2002
J.D., cum laude, Thomas M. Cooley Law School 2005
Cindy E. Faulkner
Associate Professor/Clinic Director
B.A. University of Missouri 1985
J.D. Thomas M. Cooley Law School 1992
Heather Garretson
Assistant Professor
B.A. Calvin College 1993
J.D., cum laude, Creighton University School of Law 1996
Marjorie Gell
Assistant Professor - Taxation
B.A. University of Michigan 1983
J.D. Wayne State University Law School 1992
LL.M. Wayne State University Law School 1997
Christopher G. Hastings
Associate Professor
B.A., with distinction, Kalamazoo College 1982
J.D. University of Michigan Law School 1987
Tonya Krause-Phelan
Assistant Professor
A.A. Ferris State University 1983
B.S. Ferris State University 1985
J.D. DePaul University College of Law 1988
Paul K. Marineau
Associate Professor
B.B.A./B.S., magna cum laude, Western Michigan University 1987
J.D. Temple University School of Law 1992
Dena M. Marks
Associate Professor
B.A.A. Davenport College 1991
J.D. Thomas M. Cooley Law School 1995
John H. Marks
Professor
B.S. Michigan State University 1981
J.D. University of California, Davis, School of Law 1989
Jeffrey Martlew
Associate Professor
B.A. University of Michigan-Flint 1972
J.D. Thomas M. Cooley Law School 1976
Nelson P. Miller
Associate Dean and Associate Professor - Torts
B.A. Indiana University 1984
J.D., cum laude, University of Michigan 1987
Michael Molitor
Associate Professor - Business Organizations, Wills and Trusts
B.A. University of Michigan 1991
J.D., cum laude, Wayne State University Law School 1994
James M. Peden
Professor
B.A. University of Michigan 1972
J.D. University of Toledo College of Law 1976
Donald K.S. Petersen
Associate Professor
B.A. University of Chicago 1986
J.D., cum laude, Harvard Law School 1989
Devin S. Schindler
Associate Professor
B.A., with honors, Michigan State University 1983
J.D., magna cum laude, University of Michigan Law School 1986
Paul Shagen
Visiting Professor
B.S., magna cum laude, Lake Superior State University 1994
J.D. University of New Mexico School of Law 1997
Jane M. Siegel
Assistant Professor
B.F.A. University of Michigan
J.D., magna cum laude, Thomas Cooley Law School
Paul T. Sorensen
Associate Professor
B.A., with high distinction, University of Michigan 1974
J.D., with high honors, Duke University 1977
Derek Witte
Assistant Professor
B.A., cum laude, Marian College 1999
J.D., summa cum laude, John Marshall Law School 2002
Faculty News
Professor Curt Benson
Professor Curt Benson's radio program The Lawyers has been syndicated. It can now be heard in Kalamazoo on WKZO (AM 590) Saturday mornings at 11 a.m., as well as its usual time in Grand Rapids on WOOD Radio (AM 1300) on Sundays at 9 a.m. The Lawyers features Professor Benson and a co-host who interview experts in different fields of law who discuss legal issues in the news.
In recent weeks, Professor Benson hosted Professor Paul Carrier who explained the workings of the international courts of justice in The Hague and recent litigation between Slovenia and Bosnia on the issue of genocide.
Other guests have included: Attorney General Mike Cox explaining his quest to abolish preliminary examinations for most Michigan felonies, and a counter-point from Judge William Kelly of Kentwood; State Senator Alan Cropsey explaining proposed changes to Michigan's "use of deadly force" in self defense laws; and an attorney from the Washington D.C.-based Becket Fund for Religious Liberty explaining a recent Supreme Court case allowing a Christian sect from Brazil to use hallucinogenic tea in its communion ceremonies.
Finally, in addition to his regular radio program, other radio talk show hosts continue to call upon Professor Benson to explain legal concepts to their listeners. Professor Benson has recently been on WOOD Radio's The Morning Show explaining subjects as diverse as the 6th Amendment right of confrontation, the use of deadly force in self defense situations, and South Dakota’s new abortion bill.
Professor Tracey Brame
Professor Tracey Brame was appointed by the Grand Rapids Bar Association to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Legal Assistance Center. The Center provides form distribution and related services to about 12,000 patrons every year from its courthouse site.
Professor Paul Carrier
Professor Paul Carrier recently published a short piece in a State Bar, International Law Section journal. You may find the article, "FSIA applied retroactively and subsequent commercial use of expropriated property does not qualify for the commercial exception; Garb v. The Republic of Poland, 4440 f.3d 579 (2d Cir. 2006)", in THE GLOBE 7-8 (Vol. 44, No. 6, March 2007) (new case analysis for the Illinois State Bar Associations Section on International and Immigration Law publication).
Professor Paul Carrier's article, "Outsourcing and the Conflict with Federal Policy on International Government Procurement Obligations: A Countdown to Federal Preemption?", was published in 8 The Thomas M. Cooley Journal of Practical and Clinical Law 133 (2006) (Issue 2).
Professor Paul Carrier delivered a paper, "U.S. Policy on Exercises of Jurisdiction by International Tribunals - Positivist vs. Naturalist Theories - the U.S. Position with Reference to the International Criminal Court," for a panel discussion, Jurisdictional Trends and Mechanisms in International Law on June 17, 2006, at Cooley Law School.
Professor Paul Carrier has published an article titled "The Intensifying Conflict between State and Federal Government Procurement Policy," in Michigan International Lawyer, a publication of the State Bar's International Law Section, Volume XVIII, No. 3, FALL 2005, pp. 9-15.
Professor Carrier was recently made co-chair of the Grand Rapids Rotary International club’s Committee on Ambassadorial Scholarships. He also continues to assist the J.W. Fulbright Commission in the Slovak Republic to assess the merits of Slovak applicants in the area of law for scholarships to the U.S. Professor Carrier was president of the commission in 2000-01.
Professor Christopher G. Hastings
Professor Christopher Hastings was appointed to the Western District of Michigan's Project Safe Childhood Task Force, which is charge as part of the Bush Administration's national initiative with the development and implementation of a local plan for combating Internet predation upon children.
Professor Christopher Hastings was reappointed to the Standing Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law of the State Bar of Michigan.
The Girl Scouts of Michigan Trails awarded Visiting Professor Christopher Hastings a "Thanks" badge at their 2006 annual meeting. The "Thanks" badge is the Girl Scouts' highest honor, reserved for "outstanding service to Girl Scouts...so significantly above and beyond the call of duty that no other award would be appropriate." Professor Hastings received the honor for his work as co-chair of the CEO selection committee; chair of the community division of the Girl Scouts' successful capital campaign, "Girls Growing Strong: Building a Place for Every Girl," which raised $1.8 million to build a new lodge at Girl Scouts' Camp Anna Behrens, in Greenville; chair of the Property Committee that planned and supervised the building of the lodge; and for conceiving, planning and overseeing the Girl Scouts' 2003 and 2004 events, "Campout on the Calder." Professor Hastings currently serves as Second Vice President of the Girl Scouts of Michigan Trails.
Assistant Dean Nelson Miller
Assistant Dean Nelson Miller co-authored, with Associate Professor and Assistant Dean Joan Vestrand, "Of Shining Kinghts and Cunning Pettifoggers: The Symbolic World of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct," in 110 Penn St. L. Rev. 855 (2006). The article explores the assumptions that the Model Rules make about lawyers, clients, and judges. Examining the "symbolic world" created by the rules helps us understand their genesis, power, and application.
Assistant Dean Nelson Miller has been elected president of the Board of Trustees of the Legal Assistance Center. The Center is a Kent County Courthouse-based assistance program serving 1,000 patrons each month.
The Michigan Bar Journal published Assistant Dean Nelson Miller's article "'Judicial Politics': Restoring the Michigan Supreme Court" in a point/counter-point format with an article by Victor Schwartz who is the principal editor of the Prosser casebook. The article's purpose was to encourage re-evaluation of the Supreme Court's decisions in recent tort cases toward restoring respect for the Court.
The Cooley Law Review has published Assistant Dean Miller's article "The Nobility of the American Lawyer: The Ennobling History, Philosophy, and Morality of a Maligned Profession." In the article, Assistant Dean Miller surveys and urges a return to the noble roots of the legal profession.
The Louisiana Law Review has published Assistant Dean Miller's article "Lawlessness Revealed: The Supreme Court's Man of Liberty Transcends Tort Law," exploring the conflict between First Amendment law and tort law in the defamation and privacy areas.
Assistant Dean and Associate Professor Miller was honored in September 2005 for his extensive service work. Dean Miller received the John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award at the 70th annual meeting of the Michigan Bar Association September 22-23 in East Lansing. Both as a private practitioner and as a full-time faculty member, Dean Miller has remained steadfast in his commitment to pro bono work. As a civil litigator, Dean Miller typically spent one afternoon each week meeting with clients in low-income, minority neighborhoods in Muskegon, Benton Harbor, and Grand Rapids. He established legal aid clinics and wrote programs for the civil legal representation of the poor and guides for establishing and operating non-profit social service organizations. At Cooley, Dean Miller has been directing his pro bono work to the Dégagé Ministries in the Heartside District of Grand Rapids where Cooley’s west Michigan campus is located.
The New England Law Review has published Assistant Dean Miller’s article "The Attributes of Care and Carelessness: A Proposed Negligence Jury Instruction" at 39 N.Eng.L.Rev. 79 (2005). The article argues that tort law doctrines reflect the attributes of care and that negligence jury instructions should be clarified to encourage juries to consider those attributes.
Assistant Dean Miller’s article titled "Federal Courts Enforcing International Norms: The Salutary Effect of Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain" has been accepted for publication by the Regent Journal of International Law. 3 Regent J.Intl.L.1 (2005).
Professor Mike Molitor
In June 2005, Professor Mike Molitor’s article "Will More Sunlight Fade the Pink Sheets" Increasing Public Information About Non-Reporting Issuers With Quoted Securities," was accepted for publication in Issue #2 of Volume 39 of the Indiana Law Review. Based on a summary of the article that Professor Molitor submitted to the SEC Advisory Committee on Smaller Public Companies, he was invited to testify at its public hearing in Chicago on Tuesday, August 9.
Professor Donald Petersen
Professor Donald Petersen performed as a stand-up comic at fundraisers held by the Legal Assistance Center in Grand Rapids and the Auburn Hills Optimist Club.
Professor Donald Petersen co-authored a book review with Assistant Dean Nelson Miller on The Consciousness of the Litigator, by Duffy Graham. The book has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Markets & Morality.
Professor Devin Schindler
Professor Devin Schindler is included in the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers compiles lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The Best Lawyers in America includes 29,575 attorneys in 78 specialties, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Professor Paul Sorensen
Professor Paul Sorensen is included in the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers compiles lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The Best Lawyers in America includes 29,575 attorneys in 78 specialties, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
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This Page was last updated on:
11/18/2008