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Cooley Law School’s Innocence Project Celebrates 25 Years of Exonerations in Michigan

Cooley Law School’s Innocence Project Celebrates 25 Years of Exonerations in Michigan

LANSING, Mich. – Cooley Law School’s Innocence Project is celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2026: 25 years of exonerations – which includes over 6,000 screenings and 10 exonerations. Established in 2001, the Cooley Innocence Project is the only post-conviction DNA innocence organization in Michigan. It is part of the Innocence Network, a national organization which has been credited with the release of over 375 wrongfully convicted prisoners, mainly through the use of DNA testing and false forensics. “For 25 years, the Cooley Innocence Project has helped prove the innocence of Michigan residents who have been wrongly convicted by our justice system,” said Ann Garant, co-director of the Cooley Innocence Project. “Our staff and student interns strongly believe in the Cooley Innocence Project’s mission of restoring freedom to the wrongfully incarcerated and raising public awareness through advocacy and education.” In Michigan, the Cooley Innocence Project office has screened over 6,000 cases and is responsible for the exoneration of ten individuals to date: Kenneth Wyniemko (2003), Nathaniel Hatchett (2008), Donya Davis (2014), LeDura Watkins (2017), Corey McCall (2021), Kenneth Nixon (2021), Gilbert Poole (2021), George DeJesus (2022), Louis Wright (2023), and Dell Crawford (2026). It also helped to exonerate Lacino Hamilton (2020), Ramon Ward (2020), Terance Calhoun in 2022, Crystal Mulherin (2024), Duane Williams (2024), and George Calicut Jr. (2026). “The Cooley Innocence Project has been pivotal for restoring hope to Michigan citizens who may be innocent of a convicted crime and their families throughout the past 25 years,” said Marla Mitchell-Cichon, Cooley Law School distinguished professor emeritus and of counsel to the Cooley Innocence Project. She has worked alongside the Project since 2002, and served as its director from 2012-2021. “As I’ve had the privilege to be part of six exonerations at the Cooley Innocence Project, there is still important work to be done and more exonerations to come in the next 25 years.” The Cooley Innocence Project was founded in May 2001, by the late Norm Fell, shortly after Michigan’s post-conviction DNA testing law went into effect. Today, the Cooley Innocence Project consists of five staff attorneys, two support staff and select second- and third- year law students who practice law under Michigan's student practice rule. Under the supervision of experienced lawyers, qualified students receive hands-on training while they screen applications, investigate facts, conduct interviews, analyze cases, prepare court pleadings and represent clients in court. Attorneys from various law firms volunteer alongside students to support the work of Cooley’s Innocence Project. “Our firm has been working with the Cooley Innocence Project for years, and we’ve seen firsthand the amazing work that they do,” said Mary Chartier, partner, Chartier & Nyamfukudza, P.L.C. “To work side-by-side with a team of committed legal professionals whose sole goal is to exonerate the innocent is inspiring. They literally change the course of people’s lives. They work tirelessly to gain freedom for people who have no other options by stepping in and giving them hope for freedom. The Cooley Innocence Project embodies the Constitution and the best of the legal profession every day, and I’m so proud to have worked with them on numerous cases.”

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  • Cooley Law School Associate Dean Recognized as a 'Champion of Justice' by the Grand Rapids Bar Association
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    Lansing, Mich. – On May 8, Cooley Law School Associate Dean and Professor Tracey Brame was awarded the Grand Rapids Bar Association’s Champion of Justice Award during the organization’s 2025 Law Day event at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

  • Cooley Law School Chaldean American Law Student Association Hosts Chief Judge Hala Jarbou
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    LANSING, MI — Graduates of Cooley Law School’s Lansing campus were honored during a commencement ceremony at the MSU Wharton Center Pasant Theatre on April 21. Thirty-six juris doctor degrees were presented to members of Cooley Law School’s Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Class in Lansing.

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  • Cooley Law School Students Receive Law Review Awards

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    Each term, the Cooley Law Review Voting Board of Editors presents awards to Law Review members who have made the most significant contribution to the publication of the Law Review. Three Cooley Law School students were honored for this term, each receiving a different award for their work with the Law Review. The Eugene Krasicky Award recipient was Mya Hurwitz. This Award is presented to the Assistant Editor who made the most significant contributions to the Law Review. The Award is named after Professor Eugene Krasicky, who developed Cooley's Scholarly Writing program. Scholarly Writing is an honors writing course and the foundation of the Law Review. Sarah Tanner is the recipient of the Dawn C. Beachnau Award, which is presented to the member of the Thomas M. Cooley Law Review Board of Editors who made the most significant contributions through his or her leadership and dedication to the Law Review. The Award is named after the late Law Review Administrator Dawn Beachnau, and was established in recognition of her hard work and dedication. The John D. Voelker Award was presented to Caroline Quandt. It is presented to the Senior Associate Editor who made the most significant contributions to the Law Review publication. The award is named after former Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker, who authored some of the most readable opinions in the Michigan Reports and is widely known for his literary works. The Cooley Law Review was established 10 years after the founding of the law school by the late Hon. Thomas E. Brennan, and is an organization dedicated to advancing intellectual and practical discussions about the state of the law, both modern and historical. The Law Review staff prides itself on the comprehensive editing and reviewing of articles, ensuring all items published are innovative and of professional quality. In addition to publishing two times a year the Cooley Law Review also sponsors a lecture series, an annual symposium, and a distinguished brief award. Oct 10 2023

  • WMU-Cooley Law School Launches Inclusion and Belonging Book Club

    WMU-Cooley Law School Launches Inclusion and Belonging Book Club

    WMU-Cooley Law School launched its virtual Inclusion and Belonging Book Club with Wayne County Circuit Court Administrator Zenell Brown, Esq., in honor of her book, “Coffee and Conversations: Inclusion and Belonging,” on June 22. A champion of justice for all through diversity, equity, and inclusion, Brown melds her court leadership, crucial conversation, dispute resolution skills, and diversity skills. During the event, she gave a first-hand account of how there were times she felt excluded in the workplace and didn’t feel empowered as a Friend of the Court employee due to the culture and the insignificant role of diversity, equity and inclusion at that time. “Service is not the middle name of the court and it really takes on the perspective, not of me being a victim of what I call microaggression or exclusions or subtle acts of exclusion, but it takes on the perspective of how organizations treat their customers,” said Brown. “The person who is providing the service really needs to have some connection, some awareness of the community that they are serving. The people who are in charge of the organizations have to ensure that that education and awareness is actually going on and be accountable to make sure that the culture you want is actually being created.” Brown explained that she opens the book with the importance of having “ground rules” during these type of conversations “to bring down some of the angst and people jumping into the conversations talking about things they haven’t talked about and feeling uncomfortable in that respect.” Throughout her book, which was published during the Covid pandemic in 2020, Brown also discusses the intentionality piece of inclusion. “I’ve been able to tell you what it was like being a victim of being excluded or not feeling welcoming and included. I’ve been able to observe what it looks like from the customer’s perspective and share that,” she said. “But the intentionality piece is when I had to start looking at what was I doing? How was I not making sure people were included? What could I change in my everyday behaviors? “One of the biggest things is that we can take DEI and divide it by politics, ideology and everything like that or we can take DEI and say it’s something that everybody has a role and a voice at the table,” Brown continued. “Oftentimes, it’s presented that if you talk about it, you’re trying to divide. That’s not the intent. We’re not trying to divide. We’re not trying to replace anybody. We’re not trying to give anyone an undue advantage. We’re trying to talk about how do we make sure that this country, this nation that says you’re welcome here and is the land of free opportunity, that we look to see what resources are needed so everybody can have that equal opportunity. It doesn’t leave anybody out of the conversations.” As the leader of Michigan’s Third Circuit Court administrative operations and member of National Association of Women Judges, Brown has 20 years of experience and a daily practice in the arts of court leadership and inclusion. In 2022, Brown was awarded the American Bar Association’s Robert B. Yegge Award for outstanding contribution in judicial administration, and the National Association of Court Management’s Perkins Award for consistently going above and beyond the call of duty to make behind-the-scenes contributions in court administration. The full Inclusion and Belonging Book Club launch can be viewed at WMU-Cooley’s Community Conversation Playlist on YouTube. BOOK CLUB SESSIONS Thursday, June 29, noon- 1:00 pm Thursday, June 29, 5:00-6:00 p.m. Jun 27 2023

  • Cooley Holds Winter Commencement for Lansing and Tampa Campuses

    Cooley Holds Winter Commencement for Lansing and Tampa Campuses

    Graduates of Cooley Law School’s Lansing and Tampa campuses were honored during graduation ceremonies at Michigan State University’s Wharton Center's Pasant Theatre on Dec. 15 and Cooley Law School’s Tampa Campus Auditorium on Dec. 16, respectively. Sixty-four juris doctor degrees and nine master of laws degrees were presented to members of the law school’s Distinguished Professor Emeritus Peter M. Kempel and Justice Thomas Douglas classes among both campuses. In Michigan, student speaker remarks were made by (left to right) Melissa Bianchi of the Kempel Class, and Adam Ostrander and Jose Flores of the Douglas Class. Judge Kellen Dotson of 61st District Court was the keynote speaker. In Florida, student speaker remarks were made by Christina Sabella (on right) of the Kempel Class and Sydni Rease (on left) of the Douglas Class, while Scott Westheimer, president of The Florida Bar, delivered the keynote speech. Each Cooley Law School class is named for a distinguished member of the legal profession. The commencement ceremony for Cooley’s summer and winter graduating classes honor Distinguished Professor Emeritus Peter M. Kempel and Justice Thomas Douglas, respectively. While earning his law degree, Professor Kempel was the law librarian and instructor in legal research at the University of Detroit School of Law. After he served as a research attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals, he clerked for former Associate Supreme Court Justice Michael D. O’Hara, then sitting on the Court of Appeals. In 1973, Professor Kempel joined Cooley Law School and started his career of 40 years as the director of Library and Research Services. He served as chair of the State Bar Libraries and as president of Legal Aid of Central Michigan. A member of the Cooley Legal Authors Society, Professor Kempel taught Legal Research, Family Law, Jurisprudence, Legislation, Legislative Drafting, Contracts, Sales & Negotiable Instruments, Evidence, Trial Practice, Professional Responsibility, and Legal Ethics for over 26 years. Thomas Douglas, the first Justice of the court and its first chief justice, was born in 1790 in Wallingford, Conn. Douglas’ father was a shoemaker and farmer, but Douglas as a young man tried to find a better life as an attorney for himself and his wife, Hannah Sanford. Douglas began “reading law” to earn his license to practice, and succeeded in being elected a judge in Jefferson County, Ind., before he was even licensed to practice. As a result, Florida’s first chief justice began working as a judge before he ever practiced as a lawyer. In 1826, President John Quincy Adams appointed Douglas U.S. District Attorney for East Florida -- a post he held until he was named to the Florida Supreme Court in 1845. Dec 20 2023

  • WMU-Cooley Students Honored by the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation

    WMU-Cooley Students Honored by the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation

    Three WMU-Cooley Law School students were honored by the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation as recipients of WLAM Foundation Awards for Outstanding Law Students in 2023. Each student, who was sponsored by a partnering law firm or corporation, received a $3,500 scholarship. Caroline R. Quandt (Left), sponsored by The Dobrusin Law Firm, received the Dobrusin Law Firm Scholar award for demonstrated interest in promoting women in business and female entrepreneurship. Jennel Davoren (Center), sponsored by Women Patent Lawyers, received the Florence King Scholar in Patent Law award for demonstrated leadership capabilities in advancing the position of women in society, including service in such areas as: social justice, equality, family law, child advocacy, domestic violence, or work on behalf of underserved areas or populations, as well as eligibility to practice and an interest in patent law. Adriana Burga (Right), sponsored by the Dickinson Wright Women’s Network, received the Dickinson Wright Women’s Network Scholar award for demonstrated leadership capabilities in advancing the position of women in society, in business, and in the community. Quandt, Davoren, and Burga were among 15 law school students in Michigan who were honored by WLAM, receiving a combined $52,500 in scholarship awards. In addition to their academic success, these law students were recognized for helping to advance women’s roles in essential areas of the law, including STEM, social justice, equality, child advocacy, and domestic violence. Founded in 1983, the WLAM Foundation is a statewide organization providing wide-ranging networking and professional development opportunities for women lawyers, including attorneys, judges, and law students. Its mission is to secure the rights of women in society and advance the interests of women members of the legal profession, promote improvements in the administration of justice, promote equality and social justice for all people, improve relations between the legal profession and the public, and encourage the continued legal education of lawyers. WLAM has awarded over $772,000 to more than 292 law students since 1997. Jun 13 2023