Cooley Law Review to honor scholarly briefs filed before MSC

On July 27, the WMU-Cooley Law Review will host its 32nd annual Distinguished Brief Award ceremony at the Country Club of Lansing. The event celebrates the best of Michigan’s practicing bar and formally recognizes authors of the most scholarly briefs filed with the Michigan Supreme Court in 2016 as determined by a panel of judges and professors from across the state.

These briefs are evaluated using seven set criteria: question presented, point headings, statement of case, argument and analysis, style, mechanics and best overall brief. The purpose of the award is to promote excellence in legal writing. The winning briefs will be published in an upcoming edition of the WMU-Cooley Law Review.

The winning briefs that will be recognized during the ceremony are:

• Case Name: Kevin S. Reffitt v. Dawn M. Bachi-Reffitt
Law Firm: Bursch Law PLLC
Attorney: John J. Bursch

• Case Name: Kevin S. Reffitt v. Dawn M. Bachi-Reffitt
Law Firm: Warner Norcross & Judd LLP
Attorney: Conor B. Dugan

• Case Name: Freemont Insurance Company v. Gro-Green Farms, Inc.
Law Firm: Bursch Law PLLC
Attorney: John J. Bursch

• Case Name: Freemont Insurance Company v. Gro-Green Farms, Inc.
Law Firm: Warner Norcross & Judd LLP
Attorney: Matthew T. Nelson

 • Case Name: Freemont Insurance Company v. Gro-Green Farms, Inc.
Law Firm: Stertz & Weaver PC
Attorney: H. William Stertz

 • Case Name: Freemont Insurance Company v. Gro-Green Farms, Inc.
Law Firm: Stertz & Weaver PC
Attorney: Michael E. Korn

 During the ceremony, Tim Baughman from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office will present the keynote. Baughman began his employment with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office in 1975, and became chief of research, training and appeals in 1986. He has appeared in the United States Supreme Court seven times, and has argued successfully on all but one occasion. He has also supervised the briefing and argument of four other cases in that court, as well as appearing more than 70 times in the Michigan Supreme Court. He is the author of two books, and various articles on criminal law and criminal procedure.
Baughman served for eight years as an adjunct professor of law at Wayne State University Law School.