UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY SCHOOL OF LAW

651 EAST JEFFERSON AVENUE

DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48226

Telephone: (313) 596-0200

Fax: (313) 596-0280

URL: http://www.law.udmercy.edu

ABA Approved Since 1933

The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law offers a rigorous legal education with a curriculum and programs that emphasize teaching the practical skills of lawyering, ethics, a commitment to public service, and a distinct international approach.

 

Founded in 1912, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is the oldest Michigan law school affiliated with a private university, and it shares the Jesuit and Mercy tradition of value‑oriented education. Degrees offered include a three‑year, full‑time program and part‑time day and evening programs in which students can complete the degree in four or five years. Also offered is a unique, three‑year joint degree (J.D./LL.B.) program with the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor, Canada; a J.D./M.B.A. program that requires four years to complete; and a five‑year joint degree (J.D./L.D.) program with the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

 

The School's innovative curriculum integrates theory, doctrine, and practice. In the first year, students participate in the School's nationally ranked writing program and a newly developed course in which students study various analytical tools and theories in a way that helps them better understand the relationships between the core first‑year courses. In the second year, the School's Writing Across the Curriculum program ensures that students continue to receive training in writing and experience in drafting many forms of legal documents. The final year is designed to transition students to practice. Graduating students participate in either a clinic or externship and take at least two courses in the School's Law Firm Program, which engages them in portions of a simulated transaction. The School has created a Distinguished Visiting Professor program that brings senior partners from major law firms into the classroom and combines the strengths of traditional legal education with the applied knowledge and skills of experienced lawyers.

 

Both practical skills and a commitment to public service are instilled through a broad clinical program, which includes the Urban Law Clinic, an Immigration Law Clinic, a Veterans Law Clinic, an Environmental Law Clinic, an Appellate Advocacy Clinic, and a Mediation Clinic. Clinical students work in the School's Mobile Law Office in which students use a specially equipped RV to provide legal services to the disadvantaged in distressed areas of the city. Due to the generosity of General Motors, the School recently acquired a second Mobile Law Office, which enables Veterans Law Clinic participants to travel across the United States as part of UDM Law's Project SALUTE educating veterans about federal veterans benefits and training pro bono attorneys to assist these veterans.

 

In addition to these clinical opportunities, the School awards Public Interest Fellowships to students to fund their work in unpaid legal positions with non‑profit and public‑service organizations. As a result of its many public service initiatives, the American Bar Association Student Law Division awarded the School with the 2006 Judy M. Weightman Memorial Public Interest Award, given annually to a law school or individual in recognition of their public interest programming.

 

The School provides a distinct international focus through its unique joint degree programs with the University of Windsor and the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM). Students have the option of participating in the Canadian/American joint degree program, the only integrated law program of its kind that enables students to earn in three years a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and the Bachelor of Laws (L.LB) from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. The School of Law also participates in an exchange program with the University of Clermont‑Ferrand in France, in which a recent graduate of each school visits the other institution for a year of teaching French or American law. In support of its commitment to better prepare students to practice in a global legal community, the School provides students summer study‑abroad stipends to defray travel and accommodation expenses. It also now requires its entering classes to complete at least one course that studies a foreign legal system.

 

Students also have the option of participating in the North American Lawyer Multiple Degree Program, which enables students to earn in five years a Mexican Bachelor of Arts in Law (Licenciado en Derecho or L.D.) from ITESM (which qualifies the recipient to practice law in Mexico) and the Juris Doctor (J.D.) from UDM Law. Students who want to practice in all three NAFTA countries also will be able to earn a Canadian law degree, by virtue of UDM's joint American/Canadian law degree program discussed above. Students can obtain all three degrees in six years. And regardless of which course of study these students decide to pursue, they will have the unprecedented opportunity to take up to fourteen Mexican Law courses that will be taught in Spanish at UDM.

 

The School offers a focus on ethical issues in the law through a wide range of programs and activities, including Ethics Across the Curriculum (by which ethical issues are introduced in every course), Professional Responsibility Moot Court Competition, and a Moot Management Committee Competition (in which student teams compete in simulating meetings of law firm management committees' addressing ethical cases.) It also offers courses in Law and Religion, Canon Law, and Talmudic Law, in order to help students develop their own moral and ethical frameworks.

 

The School's Law Library, a U.S. government depository, has an extensive collection including federal, state and British Commonwealth materials, as well as records and briefs of cases argued before the Supreme Courts of the U.S. and Michigan.

 

The array of student activities at the School of Law includes Law Review, Moot Court, the American Inns of Court, the Justice Frank Murphy Honor Society, the Black Law Student Association, the St. Thomas More Society, the Student Bar Association, and many other organizations.

 

Graduates of the School of Law sit on the Michigan Supreme Court, the Michigan Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and other benches throughout Michigan and beyond. Alumni have held major elective offices, including mayor of the City of Detroit, County Commissioner, County Executive, and a host of other executive positions.

 

---

Dean:

Mark C. Gordon (313) 596‑0210

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs:

Gary Maveal (313) 596‑0218

Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs:

Kathleen H. Caprio (313) 596‑0287

Financial Aid:

Denise Daniel (313) 596‑0214

Library:

Byron Cooper (313) 596‑0240

Assistant Dean of Career Services and Outreach:

Open Position

Assistant Dean of Student Services and Registrar:

Loretta Lewins‑Peck (313) 596‑0212

Assistant Dean of Academic Initiatives:

Cara Cunningham (313) 596‑9826

---

FULL TIME FACULTY

 

MARK C. GORDON, (Dean and Professor of Law), born New York, September 11, 1960; admitted to bar, 1991, New York. Education: Columbia College (B.A., 1981); Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (M.I.A., 1982); Harvard University (J.D., 1990).

---

HOWARD B. ABRAMS, (Professor of Law), born Chicago, Illinois, April 26, 1940; admitted to bar, 1966, Illinois; 1980, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1963); University of Chicago (J.D., 1966). COURSES: Copyright, Entertainment Law, Intellectual Property, Secured Transactions.

 

GORDON BECKER, (Distinguished Visiting Professor), born Memphis, Tennessee, October 22, 1940; admitted to bar, 1966, Vermont; 1969, Michigan. Education: Lawrence University (B.A., 1962); University of Chicago (J.D., 1965). COURSES: Sales. Email: beckerga@udmercy.edu

 

BRET BOYCE, (Associate Professor), born Bloomington, Indiana, August 23, 1960; admitted to bar, 1995, Maryland. Education: Yale University (B.A., 1982); Brown University (Ph.D., 1989); Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., 1995). COURSES: Property, Comparative Law.

 

ROBERT NEIL BROWN, (Professor of Law), born St. Joseph, Michigan, May 23, 1944; admitted to bar, 1969, Michigan; 1970, District of Columbia. Education: University of Michigan (A.B., 1966; J.D., 1969); George Washington University (LL.M., 1973). COURSES: Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Aging and the Law.

 

MICHAEL C. BRYCE, (Director, Urban Law Clinic), Education: Fordham University (B.A., 1972); University of Detroit (J.D., 1977).

 

DAVID G. CHARDAVOYNE, (Visiting Assistant Professor), born Xenia, Ohio, September 10, 1948; admitted to bar, 1976, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1970); Wayne State University Law School (J.D., 1976). COURSES: Contracts, Estates and Trusts, Remedies, Conflict of Laws, Pre‑Trial Litigation, Trial Litigation. Email: chardavoyne@aol.com

 

CAROL ANNE CLARK, (Distinguished Visiting Professor), born Greenwich, Connecticut, November 24, 1946; admitted to bar, 1982, Michigan. Education: University of Connecticut (B.A., with honors, 1968); Michigan State University (M.S., 1969); Wayne State University Law School (J.D., summa cum laude, 1981). COURSES: Business Organizations, Law Firm Program ‑ Core Transaction Course. Email: clarkca2@udmercy.edu

 

BYRON D. COOPER, (Law Library Director and Professor of Law), born Wabash, Indiana, July 13, 1945; admitted to bar, 1977, Indiana. Education: Indiana University (A.B., 1968; M.S., 1973; J.D., 1977; M.L.S., 1978). COURSES: Legal Research, English Legal History.

 

MARGARET A. COSTELLO, (Visiting Assistant Professor), born Scranton, Pennsylvania, July 8, 1952; admitted to bar, 1988, Michigan. Education: University of Salamanca (1973); Pennsylvania State University (B.S., 1974); Southern Illinois University (M.A., 1976); University of Michigan (M.A., 1977); Wayne State University (1978‑1979); Drake University (1980); Detroit College of Law (J.D., 1988); Trinity College (1987). COURSES: Clinical, International, Core Concepts. Email: mcostello@dykema.com

 

THOMAS J. DENHOLM, (Assistant Professor), born Midland, Ontario, Canada, April 16, 1965; admitted to bar, 1997, Ontario. Education: Wilfrid Laurier University (B.B.A., 1988); Queen's University (LL.B., 1995); University of Michigan (LL.M., 2000). COURSES: Applied Legal Theory & Analysis (Legal Writing). Email: tdenholm@uwindsor.ca

 

LYNN DODGE, (Director, Environmental Law Clinic and Assistant Professor), born Detroit, Michigan, September 25, 1960; admitted to bar, 1985, Michigan; 2003, District of Columbia. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1982); University of Detroit (J.D., 1985). COURSES: Environmental Law Clinic, Property. Email: dodgelm@udmercy.edu

 

LAWRENCE DUBIN, (Professor of Law), born Detroit, Michigan, March 9, 1943; admitted to bar, 1966, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1963; J.D., 1966). COURSES: Professional Responsibility, Evidence, Trial Practice, Civil Procedure.

 

LOIS E. FIELDING, (Associate Professor), born Waco, Texas, May 19, 1954; admitted to bar, 1980, Texas. Education: Rice University (B.A., 1977); University of Texas (J.D., 1980); University of Virginia (LL.M., 1989). COURSES: International Law, Property, Sales, Consumer Transactions, Commercial Law.

 

BONITA REID GARDNER, (Assistant Professor), born Gastonia, North Carolina, July 26, 1964; admitted to bar, 1992, Michigan. Education: Wayne State University (B.A., 1988; J.D., 1991). COURSES: Civil Procedure. Email: bonitargg@yahoo.com

 

LEE GOLDMAN, (Professor of Law), born Queens, New York, November 23, 1953; admitted to bar, 1979, California; 1982, Michigan. Education: Queens College (B.A., 1976); Stanford University (J.D., 1979). COURSES: Antitrust, Civil Procedure, Sports Law, Unfair Competition.

 

JACQUELINE P. HAND, (Professor of Law), born Reno, Nevada, August 7, 1946; admitted to bar, 1978, Michigan. Education: St. Mary's College (B.A., 1968); Northwestern (M.S.J., 1969); Wayne State (J.D., 1978). COURSES: Environmental Law, Estates & Trusts, Land Use Planning, Real Property.

 

DAVID C. KOELSCH, (Assistant Professor), born Royal Oak, Michigan, May 16, 1966; admitted to bar, 1994, Illinois; 1998, Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 1988); The Catholic University of America (J.D., 1994). COURSES: Immigration Law. Email: koelschdc@udmercy.edu

 

NICKOLAS J. KYSER, (Associate Professor of Law), born Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, August 17, 1946; admitted to bar, 1975, Colorado. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 1972); University of Michigan (J.D., 1975). COURSES: Federal Taxation.

 

CRISTINA DOUGLAS LOCKWOOD, (Assistant Professor, Applied Legal Theory and Analysis), born Michigan, July 14, 1966; admitted to bar, 1992, New York; 1992, New Jersey; 1992, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (A.B., 1988); Wayne State University (J.D., 1991). COURSES: Professional Responsibility. Email: lockwocd@udmercy.edu

 

PAMELA LYSAGHT, (Associate Professor and Director of the Applied Legal Theory and Analysis Program), born Detroit, Michigan, September 26, 1952; admitted to bar, 1990, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.G.S., 1984); University of Detroit (J.D., 1990). COURSES: Applied Legal Theory, Analysis. Email: lysaghtp@udmercy.edu

 

LEON J. LYSAGHT, JR., (Associate Professor of Law), born Butte, Montana, August 25, 1940; admitted to bar, 1966, Montana. Education: Whitman College (B.A., 1962); University of Chicago (J.D., 1965). COURSES: Contracts, Sale of Goods, Negotiable Instruments, Secured Transactions, Oil and Gas.

 

GARY M. MAVEAL, (Professor and Associate Dean), born Monroe, Michigan, January 13, 1954; admitted to bar, 1982, Michigan. Education: Wayne State University (B.A., 1977); University of Detroit (J.D., 1981). COURSES: Civil Procedure, Evidence and Trial Practice.

 

STEPHEN ANDREW MAZURAK, (Professor of Law), born Berkeley, California, October 11, 1944; admitted to bar, 1970, Nebraska; 1971, California; 1996, Michigan. Education: University of Nebraska (B.A., 1967; J.D., 1970). COURSES: Private and Public Sector Labor Law, Employment Discrimination Law, Contracts, Alternative Dispute Resolution.

 

ANDREW FOSTER MOORE, (Associate Professor), born January 7, 1967; admitted to bar, 1992, Ohio; 1999, Michigan. Education: John Carroll University (B.A., 1989); Case Western Reserve University (J.D. 1992); Columbia University (LL.M., 1998). COURSES: International Law, Human Rights, Immigration Law. Email: mooreaf@udmercy.edu

 

KAREN MOSS, (Associate Visiting Professor), born Grosse Pointe, Michigan, February 1, 1966; admitted to bar, 1991, Illinois; 1992, California. Education: University of Michigan (B.B.A., 1988; J.D., 1991); Wayne State University (transferred, 1988‑89). COURSES: Employment. Email: mosskj@udmercy.edu

 

DENNIS ALAN OLSON, (Visiting Professor of Law), born Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany, May 27, 1959; admitted to bar, 1984, Idaho; 1985, Oregon. Education: Brigham Young University (B.A., 1978; J.D., 1984). COURSES: Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Civil Procedure, Torts.

 

DEBORAH PARUCH, (Assistant Professor, Applied Legal Theory and Analysis), born Detroit, January 20, 1953; admitted to bar, 1992, Michigan. Education: University of Detroit (B.A., 1974; M.B.A., 1977; J.D., 1992). COURSES: Research and Writing, Children's Law. Email: paruchd@udmercy.edu

 

RICHARD D. ROHR, (Distinguished Visiting Professor), born Toledo, Ohio, August 31, 1926; admitted to bar, 1954, Michigan. Education: Harvard College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1950); University of Michigan (J.D., 1953). COURSES: Business Planning. Email: rdrohr@sbcglobal.net

 

LLOYD A. SEMPLE, (Distinguished Visiting Professor), born St. Louis, Missouri, June 7, 1939; admitted to bar, 1965, Michigan. Education: Yale University (B.A., 1961); University of Michigan (J.D., with distinction, 1964). COURSES: Business Organizations, Corporations, Corporate Transactions, Corporate Governance. Email: semplell@udmercy.edu

 

JEFFREY S. SILVER, (Visiting Assistant Professor), born Framingham, Massachusetts, June 19, 1962; admitted to bar, 1999, Illinois; Massachusetts. Education: University of Pennsylvania (B.A., 1984); University of Michigan (M.B.A., 1986, J.D., 1998). COURSES: Tax, Torts, Constitutional Law. Email: silverje@udmercy.edu

 

JULIE ST. JOHN, (Assistant Professor), born Canada, July, 1970; admitted to bar, 1999, Ontario, Canada. Education: University of Windsor (B.A., 1994; LL.B., 1997); Wayne State University (LL.M., 2006). COURSES: Legal Writing, Research & Analysis. Email: stjohnjl@udmercy.edu

 

MICHELLE L. STREICHER, (Assistant Professor, Applied Legal Theory and Analysis), born Michigan, September 8, 1969; admitted to bar, 1994, Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 1991); University of Detroit Mercy (J.D., 1994). COURSES: Applied Legal Theory and Analysis. Email: streicherm@udmercy.edu

 

JOON H. SUNG, (Visiting Clinical Professor), born Seoul, Korea, November 27, 1969; admitted to bar, 1994, Michigan. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1991); Boston College Law School (J.D., 1994). COURSES: Veterans Law, Consumer Law. Email: sungjh@udmercy.edu

 

TRACY SILVERMAN WEISSMAN, (Assistant Professor of Legal Writing and Research), born Detroit, Michigan, March 13, 1968; admitted to bar, 1993, Michigan. Education: Columbia University (B.A., 1990); University of Michigan Law School (J.D., 1992). COURSES: Legal Research and Writing, Health Care Law. Email: weissmts@udmercy.edu

 

PAM WILKINS, (Assistant Professor of Legal Research and Writing), born Nashville, Tennessee, January 25, 1968; admitted to bar, 1993, North Carolina (inactive); 1995, South Carolina (inactive). Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (A.B., 1989); University of South Carolina School of Law (J.D., 1993). COURSES: Legal Writing, Death Penalty in America. Email: wilkinpa@udmercy.edu