Cooley Law School Professor Alan M. Gershel along with Cooley student volunteers received the Justice for All Award at the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan’s (CDAM) annual awards on Friday, March 7. They were honored for their investigation into convictions that arose from evidence presented by the discredited and now closed Detroit Crime Lab Unit.
Within a span of five years, Cooley students helped review 1,043 convictions that lead to five new trials. These trials resulted in one exoneration and two individuals being released from prison.
“This award honors the extraordinary efforts made by the recipients to insure the integrity of the Michigan Judicial System,” said Stuart Friedman, CDAM board member and award committee chair. “When faced with the misconduct within the Crime Lab, these courageous individuals stepped up and took the necessary actions to review potentially flawed convictions and then acted to obtain justice when violations were identified.“
Along with Gershel and Cooley’s students, the CDAM honored others involved with the review. Those also receiving honors included State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) attorneys Marilena David-Martin, Michael Mittlestat, Peter Van Hoek, Hon. Kim McGinnis, attorney Daniel Signs, and SADO Chief Investigator Linda Borus.
