Cooley names new staff attorney for Innocence Project

Amanda Tringl has been named staff attorney for WMU-Cooley Law School’s Innocence Project. Tringl most recently served as special assistant appellate defender at the State Appellate Defender Office (SADO). While with SADO, Tringl oversaw its grant-funded DNA project, which focused on over 11,000 untested rape kits in the city of Detroit. In her role as the DNA Project attorney, she was responsible for investigating potential wrongful convictions. Her work led to the DNA exoneration of two individuals.

“Amanda’s DNA expertise and policy experience will go a long way to support the project’s important work,” said Marla Mitchell-Cichon, director of WMU-Cooley’s Innocence Project.

Graduating from WMU-Cooley’s Lansing campus in 2012, Tringl was an active participant in the WMU-Cooley Innocence Project, where she served as a student intern and file clerk. She is enrolled in the law school’s Master of Laws program. Tringl is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and received her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Missouri.

WMU-Cooley’s innocence project has been credited with the release of four wrongfully convicted men. The most recent, LeDura Watkins, was released in June of this year after spending almost 42 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.