Recent Cooley Law School graduate Aimee Lorencz is turning years of professional experience and a passion for justice into a future career in criminal law. In a feature published by Legal News, Lorencz reflects on her journey from working as a correctional officer and CPS investigator to earning her law degree while balancing family, work, and leadership responsibilities. As a weekend/blended student, Lorencz immersed herself in hands-on learning opportunities including externships, moot court competitions, the Cooley Innocence Project, and student leadership roles. Her experiences strengthened her passion for criminal law, ethics, and advocacy. Read more about Aimee's story here: https://legalnews.com/Home/Articles?DataId=1606383.
Read MoreGuest Blog writer Kelly L. Morris is a September 1992 graduate of Cooley Law School and is the Chief Deputy Prosecutor Noble County in Rome City, Indiana. She shares her From Where I Stand story from being a law student through her successful career.
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As a founding member of Dearborn, Michigan’s At Law Group, Dewnya Bakri-Bazzi’s (Chipman Class, 2011) journey into law began as a child and included influences from her family and faith.
Naples, Florida is well-known as a great resort destination, with miles of white sandy beaches, calm waters, fishing, high-end shopping, golf courses, and even dolphin-watching. What’s less well-known is that Naples is a premier global research and training destination for orthopedic surgeons. John W. Schmieding (Moore Class, 1993) is the senior vice president and general counsel for Arthrex, Inc., a world leader in orthopedic surgical device design, research, manufacturing and medical education. Its mission is helping surgeons treat their patients better.
Rafael Diaz (Woodbridge Class, 2010), a lieutenant with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, knew from an early age that he wanted to go to law school. Every decision, from high school through college, was made to position himself for a career in the law.
Trial law is a challenging, stressful and just plain demanding career path that isn’t for everyone. But for Cooley Law School graduate Jason Guari, it’s a passion turned mission to assist others at the worst moments in their lives, and to give them hope for better times.
Shemia Francisco Washington, Esq. is a May 2002 Cooley Law School graduate, and works for the City of Atlanta's Office of City Solicitor. She shares her From Where I Stand story below.
This blog was originally published on Nov 5, 2015 Blog author Professor Tonya Krause-Phelan is WMU-Cooley Law Review’s Legal Consequences of Police Militarization Symposium moderator. Professor Kraus-Phelan teaches Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Defending Battered Women, Criminal Sentencing, and Ethics in Criminal Cases. She assists with the West Michigan Defenders Clinic and coaches national mock trial and moot court teams, and is frequently appears as a commentator on numerous radio, television, print, and internet media sources regarding criminal law and procedure issues.
Less than a decade out of Cooley Law School, Amber Cervantez is finding her way, making her mark as an attorney, and as an advocate for other up-and-coming Hispanic lawyers as well.
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Ross Berlin, (Kavanagh Class, 1981), middle of his three brothers and a sister, admits to identifying with the middle-child personality: a compromiser, bringing people together to reach mutually acceptable results. Middle children are also willing to take risks and to make friends easily and keep them for life. His rich and varied career makes it clear that these positive traits have served him well.
