Cooley Law School Distinguished Professor Emeritus Marla
Mitchell-Cichon (center), along with two Cooley graduates, Amanda
Barfield Fopma (left) and Valerie Anne Kutz-Otway (right), have been
inducted into Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2024 Class of Influential Women
of Law.
Exoneree Gilbert Poole (center) with Cooley Law
School Distinguished Professor Emeritus Marla Mitchell-Cichon and Lori
Montgomery during Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2024 Class of Influential
Women of Law Induction. Poole was exonerated by Cooley’s Innocence
Project while Mitchell-Cichon served as the clinic’s director.
(left-right) Lori Montgomery, Niquole Caringi, Daniella Mizhericher,
Tracey Brame, Marla Mitchell-Cichon, Ann Garant, and Robyn Frankel
members of Cooley Law School’s Innocence Project, who served while
Mitchell-Cichon was director of the clinic.
Cooley Law School Distinguished Professor Emeritus Marla Mitchell-Cichon, along with two Cooley graduates, Amanda Barfield Fopma (2012, Marion Hilligan Class) and Valerie Anne Kutz-Otway (2010, Augustus B. Woodward Class), have been inducted into Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2024 Class of Influential Women of Law. The recognition ceremony was held on Sept. 27, at Petruzzello’s in Troy.
Each year, the Influential Women of Law program honors 35 women attorneys and judges for their excellent work on behalf of the justice system and for their clients, their commitment to their communities, and their service to the profession.
In addition to teaching professional responsibility at Cooley, Mitchell-Cichon served as director of Cooley Law School’s Innocence Project, which she currently serves of counsel. Before joining academia, Mitchell-Cichon served as a public defender for two years in Stark County, Ohio. In this role, she practiced extensively in criminal and poverty law. She has litigated cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Ohio Supreme Court, the Michigan Supreme Court, and trial and appellate courts in both Ohio and Michigan, and worked on legislative reform to improve the criminal justice system.
“It is an honor to see Marla’s achievements recognized,” said Cooley Law School Associate Dean Tracey Brame, who also serves as director of the law school’s Innocence Project. “Marla has dedicated much of her legal career fighting for the release of Michigan’s wrongfully incarcerated and making sure those individuals are provided with proper compensation. Her impact is felt throughout the legal community and at Cooley Law School.”
Fopma, who earned her Master of Laws degrees at Cooley, is executive managing partner at Secrest Wardle in Grand Rapids. As the first female to hold the position, Fopma provides representation for regional and national insurers in matters involving insurance claims and liability issues. Fompa is a member of the firm’s general negligence, insurance coverage, premises liability, property, fire and casualty practice groups.
Kutz-Otway practices with Chalgian & Tripp Law Office in Saginaw. She focuses her practice in the areas of probate litigation and estate planning, with a special emphasis on assisting persons with disabilities or mental illness. She is also the inclusion and lawyer development director for the firm. Kutz-Otway recently obtained her license to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She serves on the board of directors for HIS Restoration Ministries, an organization that supports homeless expectant mothers.
Cooley Law School Distinguished Professor Emeritus Marla Mitchell-Cichon, along with two Cooley graduates, Amanda Barfield Fopma (2012, Marion Hilligan Class) and Valerie Anne Kutz-Otway (2010, Augustus B. Woodward Class), have been inducted into Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s 2024 Class of Influential Women of Law. The recognition ceremony was held on Sept. 27, at Petruzzello’s in Troy.
Each year, the Influential Women of Law program honors 35 women attorneys and judges for their excellent work on behalf of the justice system and for their clients, their commitment to their communities, and their service to the profession.
In addition to teaching professional responsibility at Cooley, Mitchell-Cichon served as director of Cooley Law School’s Innocence Project, which she currently serves of counsel. Before joining academia, Mitchell-Cichon served as a public defender for two years in Stark County, Ohio. In this role, she practiced extensively in criminal and poverty law. She has litigated cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Ohio Supreme Court, the Michigan Supreme Court, and trial and appellate courts in both Ohio and Michigan, and worked on legislative reform to improve the criminal justice system.
“It is an honor to see Marla’s achievements recognized,” said Cooley Law School Associate Dean Tracey Brame, who also serves as director of the law school’s Innocence Project. “Marla has dedicated much of her legal career fighting for the release of Michigan’s wrongfully incarcerated and making sure those individuals are provided with proper compensation. Her impact is felt throughout the legal community and at Cooley Law School.”
Fopma, who earned her Master of Laws degrees at Cooley, is executive managing partner at Secrest Wardle in Grand Rapids. As the first female to hold the position, Fopma provides representation for regional and national insurers in matters involving insurance claims and liability issues. Fompa is a member of the firm’s general negligence, insurance coverage, premises liability, property, fire and casualty practice groups.
Kutz-Otway practices with Chalgian & Tripp Law Office in Saginaw. She focuses her practice in the areas of probate litigation and estate planning, with a special emphasis on assisting persons with disabilities or mental illness. She is also the inclusion and lawyer development director for the firm. Kutz-Otway recently obtained her license to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She serves on the board of directors for HIS Restoration Ministries, an organization that supports homeless expectant mothers.
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