WMU-Cooley to host seminar on marijuana laws

Law students and lawyers will gather at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School’s Lansing campus to review and discuss legal aspects of current marijuana laws on Thursday, July 27 during a seminar co-hosted by WMU-Cooley Law School and the State Bar of Michigan’s Solo and Small Firm Section.

The seminar will feature a diverse panel of legal experts including:

• Mary Chartier: criminal defense litigator and partner, Chartier & Nyamfukudza, P.L.C.

• Robert Hendricks: business attorney, Wrigley, Hoffman & Hendricks, P.C

• Mike Nichols: trial attorney, Nichols Law Firm, PLLC

 Mary Chartier is a criminal defense litigator and partner at Chartier & Nyamfukudza, P.L.C., with offices in Lansing and Grand Rapids. She practices in courts throughout the state and in federal court. Chartier is a member of the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National College of DUI Defense. She is also the Appellate Unit chairperson of the Michigan Association of OWI Attorneys, chairperson of the Ingham County Bar Association’s Criminal Defense Section, vice chairperson of the State Bar of Michigan’s Marijuana Law Section, and vice chairperson of the Ingham County Bar Association. Chartier has taught at WMU-Cooley Law School for over 10 years, including teaching the nation’s first medical marijuana class. She has presented at numerous nationwide and state conferences on topics related to criminal defense, including at conferences organized by the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan, Michigan Judges Association, State Bar of Michigan, National College for DUI Defense and the Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

 Robert Hendricks is a business attorney at Wrigley, Hoffman & Hendricks, P.C. in Grand Rapids where he has practiced since 1984. In response to Michigan’s movement toward legalized marijuana, he and his partners developed a marijuana business practice called CannalexLaw. Hendricks is a member and officer of the State Bar of Michigan’s Marijuana Law Section and the National Cannabis Bar Association. Hendricks speaks regularly on marijuana and business including to the Food and Drug Law Institute, the Michigan Township Association, ICLE, the Public Corporation Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, various business sections of the Grand Rapids Bar Association and to the Law & Justice Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives.

Mike Nichols is a nationally recognized trial attorney in the area of drunk driving and drugged driving defense. He is the author of the Michigan OWI Handbook for West Publishing. He is a professor of drunk driving law and practice at WMU-Cooley Law School. Nichols also authors several publications for organizations including the National College for DUI Defense. He is on the Controlled Substance Benchbook Committee for the Michigan Supreme Court State Court Administrator’s Office, which publishes reference materials for Michigan judges. Nichols is a faculty member for the National College for DUI Defense and a founding member of the DUI Defense Lawyers of America and the Michigan Association of OWI Attorneys. Nichols is on the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) Body Cam Task Force, the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan Rules and Laws Committee and the State Bar of Michigan Criminal Law Section Council and the SBM Task Force on 21st Century Law Practice.

The seminar is open and free to law students who register for the event by July 24. Registration is available at e.michbar.org, or by contacting Elizabeth Silverman at 248-538-1177 and costs $20 for Solo & Small Firm Section members or $25 for non-members.