June 27, 2008

Disbarred Attorney To Caution Area Law Students About The Perils Of Addiction At July 10 Event

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Center for Ethics, Service, and Professionalism will host Michael J. Burke, author of the soon-to-be-published autobiography, Never Enough: One Lawyer’s True Story of How He Gambled His Career Away. Burke will give a presentation at Cooley’s downtown Grand Rapids’ Law Building Room 529 on Thursday, July 10 at noon, which will feature highlights from his book, followed by a book signing.

Burke, 62, who earned his law degree from Cooley in 1975, will chronicle his decades-long spiral of alcohol and gambling addictions in a frank and straightforward discussion that is free and open to the public.

An esteemed member of his community (Howell, Michigan) for more than 20 years, leading his area’s Rotary chapter, serving as a hospital board member and volunteering his time to many local causes, Burke was leading a double life. He was secretly addicted to gambling, eventually stealing clients’ funds to satisfy his addiction. His crimes resulted in a three-year prison sentence and disbarment. He now shares his story for free to showcase the negative effects of gambling, and other addictions such as alcoholism, to groups ranging from national professional law associations to gatherings of recovering alcoholics.

Burke’s book is expected to be published at the end of June by the American Bar Association. Proceeds from the book will fulfill court-ordered restitution.

"Lawyers are vulnerable to addictions just like everyone else," said Heather Spielmaker, coordinator of Cooley Law School’s Center for Ethics, Service, and Professionalism. "We want to prepare our students for the pressures they will face so that tragedies like these can be avoided. This personal account from a former Cooley student resonates in a way that other warnings can’t duplicate."

According to the State Bar of Michigan’s Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program (LJAP), about 10 percent of the U. S. population has a drug or alcohol problem. For attorneys, it is as high as 18 percent.

LJAP offers confidential help and resources for attorneys, judges, or law students who have distinct emotional challenges that they encounter within the legal culture.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country. Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs across Michigan in downtown Lansing, Auburn Hills and downtown Grand Rapids. Today, Cooley Law School has more than 12,000 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 www.cooley.edu.