Wayne State Law
The John W. Reed Michigan Lawyer Legacy Award, presented periodically by the State Bar of Michigan, honors a Michigan law school educator whose influence has elevated the quality of legal practice in the state. John E. “Jack” Mogk, distinguished service professor of law at Wayne State University Law School, is the 2025 recipient of this prestigious honor.
On Sept. 19, the State Bar of Michigan presented Mogk with the award at its Inauguration and Awards Luncheon at the Detroit Marriott Troy. The awards committee commended his “outstanding contributions and achievements,” noting his 57-year career and impact on both the legal profession and Wayne Law embody the spirit of the award.
For more than six decades, Mogk has been a beloved faculty member at Wayne State University, teaching since 1968 and inspiring generations of lawyers to connect their professional practice with public service. During his tenure, he has received the Law School’s Donald Gordon Award for Excellence in Teaching, the State University’s Outstanding Associate Professor Award, the President’s Bonus Award, and a Presidential Citation. Students have voted him Outstanding Professor an unprecedented six times.
Mogk served Governors Milliken, Blanchard, and Granholm, Mayor Duggan, and President Clinton, while also working at the grassroots level through organizations such as the Jefferson-Chalmers Citizens’ District Council, New Detroit Inc., SEMCOG, the Michigan Energy and Resource Research Association (MERRA), and Habitat for Humanity Detroit.
As executive director of MERRA for two decades, Mogk secured hundreds of millions of dollars for energy research and high-tech development in Michigan, and as chair of the state’s Council on Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, he helped lay the groundwork for Michigan’s expansion of renewable energy.
The John W. Reed Michigan Lawyer Legacy Award, presented periodically by the State Bar of Michigan, honors a Michigan law school educator whose influence has elevated the quality of legal practice in the state. John E. “Jack” Mogk, distinguished service professor of law at Wayne State University Law School, is the 2025 recipient of this prestigious honor.
On Sept. 19, the State Bar of Michigan presented Mogk with the award at its Inauguration and Awards Luncheon at the Detroit Marriott Troy. The awards committee commended his “outstanding contributions and achievements,” noting his 57-year career and impact on both the legal profession and Wayne Law embody the spirit of the award.
For more than six decades, Mogk has been a beloved faculty member at Wayne State University, teaching since 1968 and inspiring generations of lawyers to connect their professional practice with public service. During his tenure, he has received the Law School’s Donald Gordon Award for Excellence in Teaching, the State University’s Outstanding Associate Professor Award, the President’s Bonus Award, and a Presidential Citation. Students have voted him Outstanding Professor an unprecedented six times.
Mogk served Governors Milliken, Blanchard, and Granholm, Mayor Duggan, and President Clinton, while also working at the grassroots level through organizations such as the Jefferson-Chalmers Citizens’ District Council, New Detroit Inc., SEMCOG, the Michigan Energy and Resource Research Association (MERRA), and Habitat for Humanity Detroit.
As executive director of MERRA for two decades, Mogk secured hundreds of millions of dollars for energy research and high-tech development in Michigan, and as chair of the state’s Council on Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, he helped lay the groundwork for Michigan’s expansion of renewable energy.
