On June 22, Cooley Law School Board of Directors elected Mitchell Zajac and Aaron Burrell as board chair and vice chair, respectively, as the Hon. Louise Alderson announced she has concluded her four-year term.
Alderson, a retired 54A District Court judge, served her last official act as board chair during the board’s June 22 meeting. She will continue to serve on the board in a non-officer capacity.
Alderson, a 1986 Cooley graduate, has served on Cooley’s board for 20 years. After being elected to Cooley’s board in 2005, she then served as vice-chair for eight years from 2012 until she was elected chair in 2020.
Zajac and Burrell assumed their roles July 1.
Zajac, a 2017 Cooley graduate, is a shareholder with Butzel Attorneys and Counselors in the Detroit office where he works in automotive, intellectual property, regulatory and emissions compliance, and sports and entertainment law. He is also a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Zajac joined Cooley’s Board of Directors in 2020 and was elected vice-chair in 2022.
Burrell, a 2010 Cooley graduate, is a litigation attorney at Dickinson Wright’s Detroit and Troy offices, focusing on complex commercial litigation, appellate law, labor and employment law, and minority business enterprises. He also serves as co-
chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and co-chair of Litigation Training.
Burrell was first appointed to Cooley’s Board of Directors in 2019.
Alderson, a retired 54A District Court judge, served her last official act as board chair during the board’s June 22 meeting. She will continue to serve on the board in a non-officer capacity.
Alderson, a 1986 Cooley graduate, has served on Cooley’s board for 20 years. After being elected to Cooley’s board in 2005, she then served as vice-chair for eight years from 2012 until she was elected chair in 2020.
Zajac and Burrell assumed their roles July 1.
Zajac, a 2017 Cooley graduate, is a shareholder with Butzel Attorneys and Counselors in the Detroit office where he works in automotive, intellectual property, regulatory and emissions compliance, and sports and entertainment law. He is also a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Zajac joined Cooley’s Board of Directors in 2020 and was elected vice-chair in 2022.
Burrell, a 2010 Cooley graduate, is a litigation attorney at Dickinson Wright’s Detroit and Troy offices, focusing on complex commercial litigation, appellate law, labor and employment law, and minority business enterprises. He also serves as co-
chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and co-chair of Litigation Training.
Burrell was first appointed to Cooley’s Board of Directors in 2019.
