UDM Events

In Memoriam: Remembering Patrick Keenan (1945-2006)
Beloved law professor at UDM since 1976 and national legal authority in the media
Summer 2006

Patrick Keenan, a longtime professor of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, died May 3, 2006. He did more than just teach. He advised his students, mentored and advocated for them long after graduation.

“Pat was an unbelievable person,” UDM School of Law Dean Mark Gordon explains. “He was stupendous as a teacher and made a huge difference to an entire generation of law students. He will be sorely missed.”

Keenan joined the University of Detroit in 1976 and taught numerous courses, including constitutional law, evidence, criminal law, trial practice, torts, and professional responsibility. From humble beginnings as a storefront lawyer, he was always passionate about the law and taught his students the importance of fair representation for people from all walks of life.

“He lived and breathed for the future legal professionals in the classroom and for service to those in need,” Gordon says.

With his law students from class, he argued the rights of foster children before the United States Supreme Court. In a study he prepared in 1973, an Illinois case resulted in the return of several hundred juvenile court wards from intolerable out-of-state placements and permanent changes in placement policies.

His publications included the 1979 text, Teaching Professional Responsibility, and articles on juvenile rights, tort litigation, and criminal procedure. He authored the Keenan’s Book of Nines and Tens, a study guide for the Michigan Bar Exam exclusively for University of Detroit Mercy students, which he updated every year. He also served as editor-in-chief of the Michigan Business  Law Journal and supervised the student editorial staff of the Journal in his Publication Practicum Seminar. Keenan loved to debate and had the opportunity many times locally and nationally. A regular legal expert on Channels 2, 4, 7 and 50 news programs, he always had a comment on the cases of the day.

A tribute party for Keenan was held on June 20 to honor his life and contributions to the School of Law. A more complete celebration of Keenan’s life will be forthcoming in the Fall 2006 issue of The Docket.