Cooley grad and board chair assumes presidency of State Bar

WMU-Cooley Law School board chair and graduate Lawrence P. Nolan of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, was sworn in as the State Bar of Michigan’s 82nd  president during the organization’s annual meeting, on Sept. 22 in Grand Rapids. Nolan is the third WMU-Cooley graduate to hold the post, following Thomas Rombach who served from 2014-2015, and Charles R. Toy who served from 2009-2010.

Nolan practices law at the firm of Nolan Thomsen & Villas PC, in Eaton Rapids.  He graduated from WMU-Cooley in 1976 and has been active with the SBM, serving on several committees, and is a member of the General Practice – Solo & Small Firm Section, Law Practice Management & Legal Administrators Section, and Master Lawyers Section. He has served as treasurer, secretary, vice president, and president-elect. He has also served on the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly.

Other SBM officers sworn in to lead the 45,000 member organization that works to improve the administration of justice, promote the legal profession, and build a public understanding of the legal system include President-Elect Donald G. Rockwell, of Flint; Vice President Jennifer M. Grieco, of Birmingham; Secretary Dennis M. Barnes, of Detroit; and Treasurer Robert J. Buchanan, of Grand Rapids.