Wayne Law alumna Dana Nessel named Woman of the Year by Michigan Lawyers Weekly
Thirty of the Detroit area’s top women lawyers, as selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly, cast their ballots and selected Wayne State University Law School 1994 alumna Dana Nessel as the 2015 Woman of the Year.
Nessel put in four years of hard work on the Michigan case of DeBoer v. Snyder, which helped pave the way for same-sex marriage to be legalized nationally with the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision June 26.
Nessel — with co-counsel Wayne Law Adjunct Professor Kenneth Mogill, Wayne Law Distinguished Professor Robert Sedler and attorney Carole Stanyar — originally filed the suit in federal district court on behalf of lesbian couple April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse of Hazel Park, challenging Michigan’s ban on adoption by same-sex couples. The suit was amended to challenge the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. DeBoer and Rowse sought the right to marry legally so they could have joint custody of their adopted children.
U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled for Nessel’s clients in March 2014, the case was appealed and then made its way to the Supreme Court, where it was part of the headline- and history-making decision that changed the law in Michigan and every other state in the nation, giving same-sex couples the same right to legally wed as opposite-sex couples.
Nessel, a former Wayne County assistant prosecutor, practices with Nessel & Kessel Law in Detroit. She entered private practice in 2005 and since then has defended hundreds of criminal cases. She also takes on civil rights actions, family law matters and general tort litigation.
Nessel received the Woman of the Year award at Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s annual Women in the Law event Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Detroit Marriott Troy.
The awards program recognizes high-achieving women lawyers in Michigan and their accomplishments, according to the publication. The 30 honorees are featured in the Monday, Sept. 14, edition of Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
Other Wayne Law alumnae named to the publication’s list are:
• Megan Bonanni, Class of 1993, Pitt McGehee Palmer & Rivers PC
• Ardiana Culaj, Class of 2007, The Thurswell Law Firm PLLC
• Sara Kruse, Class of 1996, Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss PC
• Laurel McGiffert, Class of 1980, Plunkett Cooney
• Donna Medina, Class of 1990, Williams Williams Rattner & Plunkett PC
• Sarah Nadeau, Class of 2000, Garan Lucow Miller PC
• Hon. Wendy Potts, Class of 1977, Oakland County Circuit Court
• Margaret Scott, Class of 1988, Secrest Wardle Lynch Hampton Truex and Morley PC
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
