Candyce Ewing Abbatt ’83
C. David Bargamian ’90
Maurice S. Binkow
Richard Burstein ’69
Ina C. Cohen ’74
Dianna L. Collins ’98
Albert Dib ’80
Krishna S. Dighe ’87
Hon. Nancy G. Edmunds ’76
Hon. Edward Ewell Jr. ’85
Tyrone C. Fahner ’68
David J. Galbenski ’93
Hon. Elizabeth Gleicher ’79
Marcy Hahn ’98
David M. Hayes ’67
David M. Hempstead ’75
Paul W. Hines ’73
Kathryn J. Humphrey ’80
Shirley A. Kaigler, LL.M. ’93
Hon. Marilyn Kelly ’71
Thomas G. Kienbaum ’68
Lawrence C. Mann ’80
E. Powell Miller ’86
Kenneth F. Neuman ’86
Michael L. Pitt ’74
Miriam L. Siefer ’75
Steven G. Stancroff ’90
Adam B. Strauss ’98
Peter Sugar ’70
Vincent Wellman
I.W. Winsten ’79
Nathaniel R. Wolf ’97
M. Roy Wilson, president
Marilyn Kelly, chair
Bryan C. Barnhill II
Michael Busuito
Mark Gaffney
Anil Kumar
Terri Lynn Land
Shirley Stancato
Dana Thompson
M. Roy Wilson, ex officio
This magazine is a publication of Wayne Law’s Marketing and Communications office.
Editor: Kaylee Place
Editorial contributors: Mary Hiller, Meg Mathis
Page designers: Matthew Balcer, Joseph Bowles
Photography: Detroit Equity Action Lab; Jacob Lewkow Photography; United Photo Works
Wayne Lawyer
© 2021 Wayne State University Law School
lawcommunications@wayne.edu
I think I speak for most people when I say that I was eager to turn the calendar to 2021. Last year was one of crisis and injustice. It highlighted in stark terms that deep-seated structural racism endures in the United States, as reflected in the outsize impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented communities, and in the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others. And while the year is new, the injustice persists as it has for generations.
Wayne Law is working to change that reality. Powered by more than $4 million in grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and others since 2014, the Law School’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights and Detroit Equity Action Lab (DEAL) are developing a national blueprint in Detroit designed to empower local communities to fight systemic racism from the ground up. Read the cover story, “All eyes on Detroit,” beginning on page 16.
We’re also evaluating how we can strengthen our community and better amplify diverse voices and truths within the Law School. Our Black Law Students Association, National Lawyers Guild and Black Law Alumni Council are among the organizations leading the charge. Learn more about their efforts in “Bridging the gap,” which begins on page 22.
The law is (still!) alive — online
■ clinical programs
New clinics address
community advocacy, immigration appeals
“The Community Advocacy Clinic was created in response to students’ desire to have a greater impact on our community in light of the events of 2020, including the COVID-19 crisis,” said Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education Rachel Settlage. “The Immigration Appellate Advocacy Clinic is an exciting complement to our Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic, and like the Community Advocacy Clinic, directly responds to the needs of our part-time students to have more experiential education opportunities.”
“The Community Advocacy Clinic was created in response to students’ desire to have a greater impact on our community in light of the events of 2020, including the COVID-19 crisis,” said Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education Rachel Settlage. “The Immigration Appellate Advocacy Clinic is an exciting complement to our Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic, and like the Community Advocacy Clinic, directly responds to the needs of our part-time students to have more experiential education opportunities.”
■ MINOR IN LAW
expands
Individuals in creative fields — whether visual arts, performing arts or communications — often work in areas strongly affected by legal frameworks. For example, an understanding of property law (especially copyright) is critical for anyone seeking to protect creative work. The minor in law allows students to develop familiarity with legal terminology and other concepts, providing an edge in environments that involve interaction with legal professionals or the legal system.
In addition to CFPCA, the Law School has partnerships with Wayne State’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Mike Ilitch School of Business, and School of Social Work. More than 150 students have declared the law minor since the program’s launch in fall 2019.
■ levin center
Discussions included:
Congressional Oversight Databases
Battling Cybersecurity Threats: Role of Congressional Oversight
Congressional Oversight of the Digital Marketplace:
Protecting Competition, Privacy and the Truth
Discussions included:
Congressional Oversight Databases
Battling Cybersecurity Threats: Role of Congressional Oversight
Congressional Oversight of the Digital Marketplace:
Protecting Competition, Privacy and the Truth
■ Student spotlight
Allyson Putt is the 2020-21 president of the student chapter of the ACLU and executive articles editor of the Wayne Law Review. Putt started law school after several years working in the nonprofit industry. She plans to use her law degree to tackle systemic issues that create poverty and increase inequality. During her time at Wayne State, Putt has worked on criminal and civil issues and with various community groups.
■ Latinx Law Students Association
Rivas is a third-year student and co-president of LaLSA. She’s also president of Wayne OUTlaws and co-president of the American Constitution Society.
Yslas is a second-year student and co-president of LaLSA. She’s also the treasurer of the International Law Students Association and a member of Delta Theta Phi.
Created 10 years ago, the Ms. JD Fellowship is a project in partnership with the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession to promote mentoring and professional development for future female attorneys. This career guidance assists young women leaders in becoming more active in the legal community.
Biondo’s interests are in health care and bioethics; after graduation, she plans to pursue a career either representing health care providers at a firm or serving as in-house counsel for a health care system.
Created 10 years ago, the Ms. JD Fellowship is a project in partnership with the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession to promote mentoring and professional development for future female attorneys. This career guidance assists young women leaders in becoming more active in the legal community.
Biondo’s interests are in health care and bioethics; after graduation, she plans to pursue a career either representing health care providers at a firm or serving as in-house counsel for a health care system.
he murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, ignited a cultural conversation about systemic racism that continues to echo around the country. As the national reckoning endures, Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights Director Peter Hammer recognizes that this is a critical time to confront an American foundation built on a series of injustices.
“The Keith Center views structural racism as our generation’s civil rights challenge,” said Hammer, who has led the center since its inception.
For 10 years, the Keith Center has worked to amplify the educational, economic and political power of underrepresented communities in urban settings. With a focus on Southeast Michigan, the center champions civil rights issues to promote the legacy of its late namesake, the Honorable Damon J. Keith, LL.M. ’56.
■ Bridging the Gap
By Meg Mathis
Gershenson Faculty
Workshop Series
University of California, Davis
University of Alabama
Rutgers University
Gratz College
New York University
Northern Illinois University
University of Wisconsin
University of California, Los Angeles
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
University of California, Davis
University of Alabama
Rutgers University
Gratz College
New York University
Northern Illinois University
University of Wisconsin
University of California, Los Angeles
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
endowed research scholar appointments
Associate Professor of Law
Associate Director of Civil Rights and Social Justice, Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights
Associate Professor of Law and Social Work
Assistant Professor
Edward M. Wise Research Scholar
- Confrontation in the Age of Plea Bargaining, Columbia Law Review (forthcoming 2021)
Assistant Professor
Romano Stancroff Research Scholar
- Antitrust as Allocator of Coordination Rights, UCLA Law Review (2020)
A native of Cameroon, Pouga Tinhaga’s first trip to the United States was in 2009. Speaking little English, he immediately began language studies at Wayne State University’s English Language Institute and went on to earn his LL.M. in corporate and finance law in 2010 from Wayne State University Law School.
Pouga Tinhaga started his career in the New York City office of Ernst & Young in 2013 and joined Gide Loyrette Nouel in 2016. He recently returned to Ernst & Young as a partner in its national tax group, where he specializes in the U.S. tax aspects of cross-border transactions. Pouga Tinhaga is a published author and often speaks internationally on issues of law, development and tax policy.
A native of Cameroon, Pouga Tinhaga’s first trip to the United States was in 2009. Speaking little English, he immediately began language studies at Wayne State University’s English Language Institute and went on to earn his LL.M. in corporate and finance law in 2010 from Wayne State University Law School.
Pouga Tinhaga started his career in the New York City office of Ernst & Young in 2013 and joined Gide Loyrette Nouel in 2016. He recently returned to Ernst & Young as a partner in its national tax group, where he specializes in the U.S. tax aspects of cross-border transactions. Pouga Tinhaga is a published author and often speaks internationally on issues of law, development and tax policy.
Terrence J. Miglio ’79 joined Butzel Long as a shareholder in the firm’s Ann Arbor office. He earned his bachelor’s from the University of Michigan.
Daryl Royal ’81 was appointed as chairperson of the Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Appeals Commission. He earned his bachelor’s from Michigan State University.
Valerie Foster ’90 was appointed as the first deputy director of the Kent County Office of the Defender, which is one of the oldest public defender offices in Michigan. Foster joined the Kent County Defenders as a staff attorney in 1994. She earned her bachelor’s from Michigan State University.
Carlos Escurel ’01 joined Foley Baron Metzger & Juip as associate principal. His primary focus is handling complex medical malpractice claims and premises liability claims. Escurel earned his bachelor’s from Michigan State University.
JAN. 6, 1991 –
NOV. 13, 2020
OCT. 18, 2020
OCT. 5, 2020
Penny R. Beardslee ’90
George W. Beeby ’72
Arthur Bowman Jr. ’84
Jay Ernest Brant ’71
Hon. Patricia J. Campbell ’75
Richard J. Craig ’60
Hon. Paul N. Doner ’58
Sherman J. Hirschman ’59, ’68
Hon. Joseph N. Impastato ’58
Wendell E. Jacobs Jr. ’72
Thomas R. McCombs ’67
Thaddeus Miller ’58
Charles Pint ’56
John Sharp ’78
Hugh M. Smith ’76
Jack F. Wheatley ’67
Robert F. White ’80
Joseph M. Wright ’80
■ Celebrating the class of 2020
In 2019, our Disability Law Clinic negotiated Binno v. LSAC, a historic settlement making the LSAT accessible to blind applicants.
Supported by more than $2 million in grants since 2015, the Levin Center is one of the country’s leading academic institutes dedicated to bipartisan legislative oversight as an instrument of good governance.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded $3.9 million in funding to the Law School’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights for its work developing innovative approaches to ending structural racism.
100 students in our clinics worked for 16,230 hours on behalf of clients during 2019-20.
The National Jurist and preLaw magazine have recognized Wayne Law as a Best Value Law School for the past seven years.
Wayne Law has collaborated with the American Bar Association and other law schools to form the Legal Education Police Practices Consortium.