Benchmark Column - May 2009 - Thomas M. Cooley Law School

SCHOOL NEWSChristopher Hastings,Associate ProfessorAppointed, as chair of the StandingCommittee on the Unauthorized Practiceof Law for 2008-2009, State Barof Michigan, by State Bar PresidentEdward M. Pappas.Victoria Kremski,Assistant ProfessorSpoke, “On Blizzard Lines, AtticusFinch & Not Getting Lost: What itMeans To Be a Lawyer in These Times& How to Deal With Difficult OpposingCounsel,” at the South Carolina Bar Convention on Jan.24, 2009, in Myrtle Beach, S.C.Daniel W. Matthews,Associate ProfessorPublished, an article, “‘Joe thePlumber Redux’ and a Discussion ofthe Obama Tax Plan,” which was featuredas the February 2009 spotlightarticle in the Mertens Treatise on the Law of FederalIncome Taxation.Organized, and supervised the Volunteer Income TaxAssistance (VITA) program for the Auburn Hills campus.Eight Cooley students volunteered to prepare tax returnsfor low income taxpayers in Pontiac. This was the thirdyear of the program and about 50 taxpayers were assisted.Co-authored, with Cooley Professor Emily Horvath, asurvey article on “Trusts and Estates,” in the Wayne LawReview - 54 Wayne Law Review 476 (2008).Donna McKneelen,Assistant ProfessorPublished, an article, “LegalBarriers to Post-Conviction DNATesting,” in CDAM The Right toCounsel.Presented, on Feb.12, 2009, “The Innocence Project —What Do We Do?” before the Oakland County BarAssociation in Novi, Mich.Presented, on March 3, 2009, “Criminal Justice andActual Innocence” at the University of Michigan inAnn Arbor.Presented, on March 17, 2009, “Seeking Justice” atthe Thomas Cooley Law School Auburn Hills campusACLU meeting.Interviewed, and appeared in the Artis Whiteproduction, “Living Accused” shown at the LansingMall Cinema on Feb. 18, 2009.Argued, and won DNA testing in the followingInnocence Project post-conviction cases: People vJames Harris and People v Charles Evans.Attended, the NACDL Mid-Winter Conference,“Jazzing Up Your Defense,” in New Orleans, La.,on Feb. 25, 2009.Attended, the National Institute of Justice PostConviction DNA Case Management Symposium, onJan. 22-23, 2009, in Palm Harbor, Fla.Nelson P. Miller, Associate Deanand Associate ProfessorPublished, “Beyond Bias: CulturalCompetence as a Lawyer Skill,”in 87/6 Michigan Bar Journal 38(2008).Monica P. Navarro,Visiting ProfessorAppointed, to the Editorial Boardof the ABA’s Health Lawyer.Named, a Michigan Super Lawyerby Law and Politics Magazine.Elected, into the Top 50 Women Lawyers by Law andPolitics Magazine.Appointed, Co-Chair of the Health Law Committee ofthe Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan.Presented, Health Care in America, Due Process,Channel 56 Detroit Public Television, December 2008.Published, “Never Discount the Importance ofHaving a Plan to Combat Allegations of UnprofessionalBehavior,” in Michigan Medical Law Report, Fall 2008.Attended, Emerging Issues in Health Law, AnnualConference of the American Bar Association,Orlando, Florida.John Nussbaumer,Associate Dean and ProfessorPresented, updated researchfindings on minority law school(continued on following pages)THE LIBRARYOFTOMORROWTo ensure that Cooley students havethe very best resources available tothem, the school is ready to embark onan unprecedented expansion of its lawlibrary in Lansing.The Library of TomorrowThe layout of the Lansing campus’ Thomas E. Brennan Law Library isengrained in the memories of many Cooley graduates. Countless studentshave spent hours upon hours in the library that fills what was a retail spaceat the corner of South Washington Square and West KalamazooStreet, one block east of the Cooley Center and one block south ofthe Temple Building.Time spent in a law library is part of becoming a lawyer, a reminder of theimportance of research. And now, more than ever before, law librariesare at the core of providing a top-notch legal education to the lawyers oftomorrow. Law libraries today are about more than just books, insteadserving as centers of study, topical discussions, and social interaction.Study Center, Site PlanKnappsBuilding301BuildingExistingBuildingto beDemolishedExisting CooleyParking LotCooleyLawLibraryUnprecedented expansionTo ensure that Cooley students have the very best resources availableto them, the school is ready to embark on an unprecedented expansionof its law library in Lansing. Once completed, the library will nearly doublein size to over 138,600 square feet, becoming the nation’s second largestlaw library in physical size. The $6 million project will be funded in partby Cooley’s first-ever capital fundraising effort called the Campaign forKnowledge. More than $1.5 million has already been raised towardthe library’s fundraising goal of $3 million. The Campaign for Knowledgealso creates an endowed scholarship fund (see next page).“We’re extremely pleased with the early support that we’ve seen from theCooley family,” said James D. Robb, Cooley Law School’s associate dean ofdevelopment and alumni relations. “The need for this expansion is great,and the early donations show that student access to a top-notch centerfilled with legal resources is a passion shared by many.”Study Center, Floor PlanFuture Growth SpaceFuture Growth SpaceClassroom 38 SeatsClassroom 38 SeatsStudy Area353 SeatsBENCHMARK COLUMN | MAY 2009 | VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 2