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MSU College of Law

October 18, 2013

CONTACT: Kent Love, director of communications, 517-432-6959; kent.love@law.msu.edu

MSU Law Board of Trustees Welcomes Three New Members and Elects New Officers

EAST LANSING, MI — The Michigan State University College of Law Board of Trustees welcomed three new members to its ranks and elected new officers on September 11, 2013.

Richard McLellan is a Lansing-based lawyer who has served as chairman of the Michigan Law Revision Commission since 1986. He has had a 40-year career as a lawyer focusing on public policy and political matters, and he has served in a wide range of public service positions in Michigan, including chairman of the Corrections Commission, chairman of the Michigan Film Advisory Commission, member of the International Trade Authority, and member of the Michigan Jobs Commission. He is chairman of the Council for Africa Infrastructure Development, treasurer of the Cornerstone Foundation, a trustee of the President Rawlings Foundation, and a member of the board of the Native Nations Foundation.

He served as transition director in 1990 for then Governor-elect John Engler and was chair of Attorney General-elect Bill Schuette’s transition team in 2010. Prior to entering private practice, McLellan served as administrative assistant to Michigan Governor William G. Milliken. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and the University of Michigan Law School. He also serves as an adjunct associate professor in the Michigan State University College of Communication Arts & Sciences.

Bryan Newland, ’07, is an attorney with Lansing-based Fletcher Law—a national firm focused on Indian law—and a citizen of the Bay Mills Indian Community (Ojibwe). He has served as the Michigan native vote coordinator for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, a member of the Obama–Biden Transition Team, and a counselor and senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs. He graduated magna cum laude from Michigan State Law in 2007 and teaches Indian Law as an adjunct professor at the Law College.

Donald Nystrom, ’00, is president of Dynamic Aerospace and Defense, a wholly owned entity of Dynamic Industrial Group. He previously served as an associate with the public finance group of Miller Canfield, a Detroit-based international law firm with a presence in North America, Europe, and Asia. He graduated summa cum laude from MSU Law in 2000 after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.

“I am delighted to welcome our new members to the MSU Law Board of Trustees,” said Linda Orlans, ’85, who was elected chair at the September meeting. “Our new trustees represent the standard for excellence, professionalism, and innovation in their respective fields. Together they bring a wealth of wisdom, accomplishment, and experience to our board. The entire board is excited to begin working together toward our collective goal of enhancing and advancing the Law College for our alumni, current students, and generations of Spartans to come.”

Orlans is chief executive officer of Orlans Associates, Orlans Moran, Atlantic Law Group, and eTitle Agency, Inc. She manages nearly 500 employees in a multi-state practice serving financial institutions and investors nationwide. Her practice includes residential and commercial mortgage foreclosure, bankruptcy, eviction, loss mitigation, and real estate–related matters such as title and settlement services. Orlans holds degrees from Wayne State University and MSU Law.

Frederick Dilley, the board’s new vice chair, is a shareholder in the Grand Rapids office of Foster Swift Collins & Smith. With more than 30 years of legal experience, he concentrates his practice in the areas of complex civil litigation, environmental and natural resource protection law, family law, and alternative dispute resolution (especially mediation). He is a certified federal and state court mediator. Dilley holds degrees from MSU’s James Madison College and MSU Law.

McLellan previously served on the MSU Law Board of Trustees. “I am honored to rejoin the board as the law school continues to improve its reputation and educational value,” he said. “Legal education will face serious challenges in the years ahead, and I hope to be able to help MSU Law succeed in a new environment.”

“We are honored to have these three distinguished individuals join our Board of Trustees,” added Dean Joan Howarth. “The contributions of our new members and officers will prove invaluable as we pursue our shared goals for the Law College.”

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