Center for Ethics, Service, and Professionalism
Integrity in Our Communities Lecture Series
This lunch time speaker series offers students, staff, and faculty an opportunity to hear from attorneys, judges, and dedicated professionals who share their experiences on the topics of ethics, service, or professionalism.
Please contact Heather Spielmaker at spielmah@cooley.edu or by calling (517) 371-5140, ext. 4112 if you have further questions.
Upcoming Event
Past Events
Justice Michael F. Cavanagh
Michigan Supreme Court
[bio]
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The Motto of a Minority Justice: Keep Your Head Down and Keep On Shoveling
Friday, May 16, 2008, Noon - 1 p.m.
Lansing Campus, Cooley Center, 300. S. Capitol Ave., 5th Floor, Rm. 501
[view map]
Justice Cavanagh was elected to the state Supreme Court in 1982 and was re-elected in 1990, 1998, and 2006. He served as Chief Justice from 1991-95. Justice Cavanagh’s current term expires January 1, 2015. More information (pdf) |
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Ethics in Criminal Prosecution and Defense
Friday, May 16, 2008, Noon - 2 p.m.
Auburn Hills Campus, 2630 Featherstone Rd., Room 144 [view map]
Panel Discussion:
- Alan Gershel - Visiting Professor, Cooley Law School
- Tom Cranmer - Principal, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone
- Judge Gerald E. Rosen - U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Moderated by: Cooley Professors Martha Moore and Lisa Halushka |
Judge Leo Bowman
6th Circuit Court, Oakland County
[bio]
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Integrity on the Bench
Wenesday, March 26, 2008 at noon
Auburn Hills Campus, 2630 Featherstone, Auburn Hills [view map]
Judge Leo Bowman is a native of Pontiac, Michigan.
Judge Bowman was elected to
the bench in 1988, and was re-elected in 1994, 2000, and 2006. He served as
Chief Judge of the 50th District Court for eight years. On January 16, 2007,
Gov. Granholm appointed Judge Bowman to the 6th Circuit Court, Oakland
County. Judge Bowman is the first African American male to serve as a permanent member of the Oakland County Circuit Court. More information (pdf)
"Integrity on the Bench," is a special presentation of the "Integrity in Our Communities" speaker series, sponsored by Cooley's Center for Ethics, Service, and Professionalism.
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Phil Balkema
Former City Attorney of Grand Rapids
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Representing City Hall: A Lawyer's Life on the Public Stage
Friday, February 8, 2008 at noon
Grand Rapids Campus, Law Center, 5th floor
111 Commerce S.W., Downtown Grand Rapids [view map]
Mr. Balkema is a graduate of both the University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School. He has practiced law in Grand Rapids for over 39 years. For 33 years he represented the City of Grand Rapids, first as an assistant city attorney and for then as the City Attorney
for 29 years. More information (pdf)
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Derek S. Witte
Associate, Miller Johson
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The Value of Pro Bono Service
Tuesday, October 16, 2007, Noon
Grand Rapids Campus, Law Center, Room 406, 111 Commerce S.W., Downtown Grand Rapids [view map]
Please join us for a close look at a recent pro bono exoneration case that spanned four years. Derek Witte, of Miller Johnson, will discuss this case, and the satisfaction he has found through pro bono service, with Cooley students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the legal community. Complimentary lunch and Q&A to follow - Room 523.
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Reginald Turner
Partner - Clark Hill,
Boardmember - Michigan State Board of Education
[bio]
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Breathe Life Into the Lawyer’s Oath
Tuesday, October 9, 2007, Noon
Lansing Campus, Cooley Center, Room 911 [view map]
Reginald Turner began his distinguished law career as a clerk for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Dennis Archer. In 2003, Governor Jennifer Granholm appointed Turner to the Michigan State Board of Education and he was elected to a full term in 2006. Turner has served a term as President of the State Bar of Michigan, and is now partner and executive committee member in the Clark Hill law firm. Turner often engages in pro bono representation in important civil rights and liberties cases. More information (pdf) |
Federal Judge Denise Page Hood
[bio]
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Integrity in Our Communities
Wednesday, September 26, 2007, Noon
Rochester/OU Campus, Oakland Center, Room 126-127 [view map]
Denise Page Hood, a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University School of Law, presently serves as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the Senate in 1994. Judge Hood presides over numerous criminal and civil matters. She has served on the state court benches of 36th District Court, Recorder's Court, and Wayne County Circuit Court and has worked as Assistant Corporation Counsel in the City of Detroit Law Department. More information (pdf) |
Chris Johnson
North America Vice President and General Counsel of the General Motors Corporation
[bio]
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Service: A Crucial Element to a Successful Legal Career
Monday, June 18, 2007, Noon
Rochester/OU Campus, Oakland Recreation Center, Pioneer Room
E. Christopher Johnson, Jr. was appointed General Motors North America vice president and general counsel in October 2001. Johnson serves on the GM North America Strategy Board, the internal GM leadership organization that sets strategy, policy and manages GM’s North American operations. Additionally, Johnson is the chair of GM’s African Ancestry Affinity Group. He has been recognized by numerous organizations for his efforts to increase the opportunities for women and minorities in the legal profession and for his personal commitment to corporate diversity initiatives. More information (PDF) |
Nancy L. Haynes
Executive Director of the Fair Housing Center of Greater Grand Rapids
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Finding Your Professional Identity
Monday, May 21, 2007, Noon - 1 p.m.
Rm. 523, Law Center Grand Rapids Campus
Nancy Haynes is the executive director of the Fair Housing Center of Greater Grand Rapids. Prior to joining the center, Haynes worked as a litigation associate for the law firm of Mika, Meyers, Beckett & Jones where she handled fair housing cases as well as employment, environmental, commercial and general tort law cases. She also served on the Fair Housing Center’s board of directors from 1996 until assuming her duties as executive director of the center in 1999. Please join us for this candid look at Ms. Haynes's search for a fulfilling and rewarding way to use her law degree and to learn more about the resouces available to help you discover your "professional identity" in the business world today. |
Saul A. Green
Senior Counsel and member of Miller Canfield's Criminal Defense Group
[bio] |
Infallibility and the Criminal Justice System
Wednesday Feb. 28, 2007, 5:00 p.m., Rochester/OU Campus, Oakland Center, Oakland Room
Saul A. Green is senior counsel and member of Miller Canfield's Criminal Defense Group, and Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, with a specialty in alternative dispute resolution, white collar crime and high profile litigation. Mr. Green was appointed United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan by former President William J. Clinton from 1994 to 2001. During his many years of public service, he has held the positions of Wayne County Corporation Counsel; Chief Counsel, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and currently serves as the Independent Monitor overseeing implementation of police reforms in Cincinnati, Ohio. More information (PDF) |
Chief Judge William C. Whitbeck
Michigan Court of Appeals
[ bio]
[ speech] |
The Judicial Code of Conduct and the Rules of Professional Conduct: Avoiding Even the Appearance of Impropriety
Thursday, February 15 at noon in room 911, Cooley Center, Lansing
Chief Judge William C. Whitbeck of the Michigan Court of Appeals will be speaking to Cooley students, staff, faculty, alumni, and the legal community on Thursday, February 15 at noon in room 911 of the Cooley Center. The Chief Judge will discuss the Judicial Code of Conduct, the Rules of Professional Conduct, and avoiding even the appearance of impropriety. He will answer questions following his presentation as time permits. Light refreshments will be provided.
Chief Judge William C. Whitbeck's speech (PDF)
Reproduced with author's permission
"I WILL ADVANCE THE PROPOSITION TODAY THAT OUR CURRENT PREOCCUPATION WITH APPEARANCE-BASED POLITICS AND ETHICS IS WITHOUT FOUNDATION IN COMMON SENSE AND IS, IN FACT, PERNICIOUS, COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE, AND PERVERSE" [Read the speech] |
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Jon Muth
General Counsel for Miller Johnson, Former State Bar of Michigan President |
Access to Legal Representation for Underserved Populations
Friday, January 26 at noon
Room 523, Law Center, Grand Rapids
Jon Muth, former State Bar of Michigan President, General Counsel for Miller Johnson, and founder of the Kent County Legal Assistance Center, will present for Cooley students, staff, faculty, alumni, and members of the legal community. The topic will be access to representation for the under served. The presentation will begin at noon in room 523 of the Grand Rapids Law Center and light refreshments will be offered. |
Frank Harrison Reynolds
State & Federal Criminal Defense Attorney, The Reynolds Law Firm, P.C. |
Nov. 29, 2006 - Professionalism in Criminal Defense
Presented by Frank Harrison Reynolds
Frank Reynolds now devotes much of his practice to state and federal criminal defense, but he also has many years of experience in family law, probate law, and estate planning. He represents law school graduates in Character and Fitness proceedings for admission to practice law in the State of Michigan as well as representing attorneys and judges in disciplinary proceedings. Mr. Reynolds is listed in “Who’s Who in American Law,” and has lectured extensively on trial skills to various legal organizations. He is a 2001 recipient of the Leo A. Farhat Outstanding Attorney Award, and was recognized by Lawyers Weekly as one of ten outstanding Michigan lawyers. |
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