Three WMU-Cooley Law School grads named among National Bar Association’s ‘40 Under 40 Best Advocates’
Three WMU-Cooley Law School graduates were recipients of the National Bar Association (NBA) 40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates for 2021. Cooley awardees Aaron V. Burrell, Callana L. Ollie, and the Hon. Kristen D. Simmons were honored at NBA’s 40 Under 40 Gala during its 96th annual convention in July.
Burrell, a business lawyer at Dickinson Wright PLLC in Detroit, graduated Magna Cum Laude from WMU-Cooley in 2009. He focuses his practice in the areas of complex commercial litigation, appellate law, labor and employment law, and minority business enterprises. Burrell serves as member and co-chair of the firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee, as well as its litigation training and lateral recruiting committees.
Ollie, who received her J.D. from WMU-Cooley in 2015, is the chief legal officer a Oakland Community Health Network in Metro Detroit where she oversees OCHN's legal activities and operations, functioning as an objective associate that oversees and manages all legal matters within the organization. Ollie is active in the community, serving as a mentor to high school and college students and through her work with the Wolverine Bar Association and Just the Beginning Foundation programs.
Judge Simmons of 54-A District Court in Lansing was appointed to the bench by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in September 2019 – constituting a first-ever, all-female bench for that court. Prior to taking the bench, Simmons previously served as the litigation manager for the Michigan Department of Corrections; assistant attorney general in the Civil Litigation, Elections and Employment law division; assistant city attorney for the City of Lansing; and district court prosecutor and legal adviser for the Lansing Police Department and the Lansing Police Board of Commissioners. Simmons is a 2012 graduate of WMU-Cooley.
FBA planning State of the Court Luncheon
The Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter, will kick off its annual luncheon programs on Wednesday, September 22, with the 2021 State of the Court Luncheon.
At this time, the FBA is planning an in-person luncheon from noon to 1 p.m. at the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit. The featured speaker will be U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise Page Hood, Eastern District of Michigan, who will discuss the annual highlights, initiatives, and accomplishments of the District Court. The chapter will also recognize its winner of the 2021 Cook-Friedman Civility Award.
Tickets are available at $45 for FBA members and $60 for guests and non-members. To register online, visit www.fbamich.org and click on “calendar.”
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