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Since 1931, the University of Detroit Mercy Law Review has contributed to the legal scholarship of the State of Michigan and the nation. The UDM Law Review articles have been cited in opinions from the United States Supreme Court, United States Circuit Courts of Appeals, and numerous state supreme courts.

This student-led organization publishes four issues a year and hosts an annual symposium in the spring to discuss topics of developing legal significance and scholarly debate. The Law Review also strives to provide opportunities for its members to improve their research, writing, and analytical skills, as well as develop a greater sense of the culture of the legal profession.

News and Events

march 2013

The Law Review is pleased to announce the incoming Executive Board for the 2013-2014 academic year. The Executive Board is as follows:

Alex Petrik - Editor-in-Chief
Patrick Walbridge - Executive Editor of Outside Articles
Ryan Brown - Executive Editor of Inside Articles
Nadine Jamil - Managing Editor

The remaining positions within the Law Review are:

Gerta Rapo - Symposium Director
Sean Murphy - Online Editor

Title Editors:
Hameed Dakroub
Marlon Leone
Melissa Rubino
Noor Toma
Blaine Veldhuis
Ariana Deskins

The Law Review congratulates each of the listed individuals and wishes them the best of luck in the completion of their duties in the upcoming year.

FEBRUARY 2013

Planning for the Third Annual Symposium "Global Michigan: Immigration and Economic Growth" is in its final stages. We are pleased to be hosting Governor Rick Snyder as our keynote speaker. We will also be featuring three panels of distinguished experts from across the United States and Canada.

Panel 1: Local Approaches to Immigration: Rolling Out the Welcome Mat

Moderator Susan Reed, Director, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center-Welcoming Michigan

Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director, American Immigration Council

Reem Bahdi, Associate Dean, Windsor Law

Steve Tobocman, Global Detroit

Panel 2: High-Skilled and Low-Skilled Immigrants: Can Both Be Valued and Promoted?

Moderator Andrew Moore, Professor, UDM Law

Audrey Singer, Senior Fellow, Brookings Metropolitan Program

Ross Eisenbrey, Vice President, Economic Policy Institute

Cindy Estrada, Vice President, United Auto Workers

Panel 3: The "Friendly" Border: Economic and Human Rights Issues on the Canada-U.S. Border

Moderator David Koelsch, Professor, UDM Law

Sharryn J. Aiken, Associate Dean, Queen's University

Lisa Atkins, Director of Immigration Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Roy Norton, Canadian Consul General

Registration for the event will begin in the next few weeks. If you are interested in being a sponsor for the event, please contact the Symposium Director, Shannon Murphy ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

SEPTEMBER 2012

The Law Review is proud to announce the area of focus for the upcoming 2013 Live Symposium. The Third Annual Law Review Symposium will address how immigration laws, policies, and regulations can stifle or promote economic growth. The Detroit metropolitan region experienced dramatic economic shifts in recent years and, among other strategies, political and economic leaders are encouraging immigrants to come to the region to serve as a catalyst for economic growth. Panelists of national experts will address a number of topics: changes needed in federal laws and regulations to encourage immigrant job-creators and entrepreneurs to come to the U.S.; strategies to address short- and long-term needs of a post-industrial economy through greater workforce mobility; how less-skilled immigrants can also be welcomed without affecting employment opportunities of U.S. workers; and partnerships between Canada and the U.S. to promote cross-border regional economic development.

The Symposium will be held on Friday, March 8, 2013 at the Detroit Athletic Club.

April 2012

On Friday, April 20, 2012, the Law Review hosted its annual banquet at the Detroit Yacht Club. At the banquet, several students were honored for their exceptional service to UDM’s Law Review. The students and their respective awards are listed below:

Frank S. Sengstock Award for Excellence in Legal Writing:	Alexandra Smith
Law Review Outstanding Editor:	Kathleen Halloran
Jason Long Award For Excellence in Source Checking:	Dan Bonucchi

Congratulations and thanks to these individuals for their dedication to the betterment of UDM’s Law Review. Additionally, the Law Review’s new Executive Board Members, Symposium Director, Online Editor, Title Editors, and published authors, were announced at the banquet.

The incoming members of the Executive Board are:

Alison Carruthers – Editor-in-Chief

Melinda DeSantis – Executive Editor of Outside Articles

Jessica Bond – Executive Editor of Inside Articles

J.B. Fanelli – Managing Editor

The incoming Title Editors are:

Renee Gruber; Laura Gibson; Rachael Soren; Nicole Simone; Dan Banucchi; Lawrence Opalewski; Chris Denny; Kelly Houk; and Maro Houhanisin.

The Authors who were selected for Publication are:

Rachael Soren; Jessica LeFevre; Alexandra Smith; Alison Carruthers; Jessica Bond; Lawrence Opalewski; Nicole Simone; Renee Gruber; and Shannon Murphy.

Symposium Director:	Shannon Murphy
Online Editor:	Patrick McDonald

UDM Law Review would like to congratulate each of these individuals and wishes them the best of luck in the performance of their duties over the course of the next year.

MARCH 2012

On Friday, March 09, 2012, the University of Detroit Mercy Law Review hosted its 2012 Live Symposium at the Detroit Athletic Club. The symposium's theme was the future of intellectual property. The morning panels included a panel discussing the future of patent law, and the future of intellectual property law. The afternoon panels included the future of trademark law, and the future of copyright law.

UDM Law Review would like to thank the speakers for attending the symposium, as well as our Symposium Director Theodore L. Degenhardt, the Symposium Committee, and the Symposium Editors for organizing the event and ensuring its success.

November 2011

On November 1, the Law Review hosted our first in a series of published student author presentations for this academic year. These presentations provided an excellent preview of the notes and comments that will be published in Volume 89. Thank you to all our featured speakers.

Melanie Duda: "Growing in the D: Revising Current Laws to Promote a Model of Sustainable City Agriculture"

Justin Evans: "Frustrating Commerce: The Ninth Circuit's Holding that Negative Equity is not Included in a Creditor's Purchase-Money Security Interest"

Grace Trueman: "Pocketing a Pretty Penny: Female Sexual Victimization and Private Contractors in the U.S. Immigration Detention System"

Peter Domas: "Eminent Domain: Detroit’s Struggle to Downsize"

July 2011

We are proud to announce the topic and location of our annual Symposium. This year our panel of distinguished speakers will be discussing the many facets of intellectual property and the numerous changes and challenges that this practice of law is experiencing. We are also happy to once again be returning to the prestigious Detroit Athletic Club. Please stay tuned for a complete list or our featured speakers, which should be announced in the winter of 2012.

March 2011

On Friday, March 11th, 2011, the UDM Law Review hosted a Live Symposium at the Detroit Athletic Club consisting of two scholarly panels on Justice Thomas's jurisprudence in the broad areas of individual liberties (in the morning) and governmental powers (in the afternoon). The Keynote address was delivered over lunch by frequent Supreme Court litigator and former Thomas clerk, John C. Eastman.