TPI Adjunct Faculty
John D. Pirich
Professor Pirich is the Director of the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice institute at MSU College of Law and he teaches Pretrial I and II in the program. He is also a partner at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn, LLP, where he represents clients in insurance negotiations and coverage disputes, environmental permitting, compliance and administrative requirements and in commercial litigation.
He previously served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Michigan, where he was assigned to the Executive Division and handled special assignments for the State Department, Department of Management and Budget, and Department of Mental Health. After leaving the Attorney General's office, Professor Pirich established a private practice partnership in Lansing, where he practiced for several years before joining the Lansing office of a large regional law firm in 1980. He has been with Honigman, Miller, Schwarz and Cohn, LLP, since 1989 and was listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2008.
Professor Pirich earned his J.D. from University of Detroit Law School in 1973, and his B.A. in Political Science from University of Michigan in 1969.
Hon. Rosemarie E. Aquilina
The Honorable Rosemarie E. Aquilina teaches Trial II and Trial Practicum in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law. She was elected judge of the 30th Circuit Court in November 2009. She joined the bench of the 55th District Court in 2005 after practicing for more than 16 years as a licensed attorney in the areas of divorce and custody, family law, and probate law.
Judge Aquilina served for 20 years as an officer with the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps. The first female JAG officer in Michigan Army National Guard history, she received a commendation medal for Operation Desert Storm and the Army Achievement Medal.
Dedicated to educating and mentoring young attorneys, Judge Aquilina also teaches Criminal Law at MSU College of Law. She also works as an adjunct professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Judge Aquilina has been involved in a multitude of professional, public, and civic organizations throughout her career.
J. Michael Buckley
J. Michael Buckley teaches Trial II in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law. Professor Buckley has been employed by the U.S. Department of Justice as an assistant U.S. attorney (AUSA) since 1990. Before being appointed as an AUSA, he served as a Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor in Detroit. Professor Buckley has extensive jury trial experience both as a state and federal prosecutor and, before that, as a criminal defense attorney.
As senior litigation counsel at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit, Professor Buckley is assigned to handle the office’s most challenging and complex trials and also is responsible for teaching new AUSA’s the art of trial advocacy. He is a guest instructor at the Department of Justice National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, where he teaches trial advocacy to AUSAs and Justice Department trial attorneys from around the nation. A recipient of numerous awards and citations, Professor Buckley has twice been awarded the department’s prestigious Director’s Award for Superior Performance by an Assistant United States Attorney, in Washington, D.C.
Eric Eggan
Professor Eggan teaches Civil Trial I in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law and is a litigation partner at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn, LLP. He joined the firm in March 2004 after a distinguished 23-year career in state government, serving as Chief Counsel of the Michigan Attorney General's Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division. He is the Vice Chair of the firm's Hospitality and Gaming Practice Group and represents a diverse clientele in gaming, liquor and litigation matters.
Professor Eggan has tried numerous civil and criminal jury and non-jury trials and appeals in State and Federal Courts and served as Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. He has also handled numerous high profile administrative hearings conducted by state governmental agencies.
He co-authored amendments to the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act, MCL 432.201 et seq. and the Michigan Gaming Control Board's Administrative Rules and Regulations. He also authored several formal opinions of the Michigan Attorney General on casino gaming and liquor related issues in addition to authoring the Attorney General's Prosecutorial Investigative Subpoena Handbook. He was also listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2008.
Professor Eggan earned his J.D., with distinction, from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, in 1981, and a B.S. in political science from Central Michigan University, cum laude, in 1978.
Michael Ferency
Professor Ferency teaches Criminal Trial II and Expert and Scientific Evidence in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law. He spent nearly 22 years as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Ingham County, where he was designated Chief Trial Lawyer as well as assignments as the Unit Chief of Circuit Courts and the Major Crimes Unit. During his tenure with Ingham County, he prosecuted nearly 300 cases, including the Lisa Holland trial as well as other high profile cases. After earning his law degree, Professor Ferency worked in private practice for three years before joining the Ingam County Prosecutor's Office.
Professor Ferency earned his J.D. from Thomas Cooley Law School in 1982, and his undergraduate degree from Oakland University in 1970.
William Jack, Jr.
Professor Jack teaches Pretrial I and II in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law. Professor Jack is a shareholder at Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge, where he specializes in general litigation, health law, and defense of professional liability actions. He served as chief executive officer of the firm from 1991 to 1997, was president of the firm from 1997 to 2009, and currently chairs the firm's diversity committee.
He is on the faculty of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) and has trained lawyers in advocacy skills for NITA regional and national programs, law firms in several states, and litigation counsel for a number of national insurance carriers. He also serves on the faculty and steering committee of the Western District of Michigan Hillman Advocacy Program. He is certified as a facilitative mediator by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan and a number of state circuit courts, and has mediated several hundred matters.
He is past president of the Western Michigan Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, former president of the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, past president of the Grand Rapids Chapter of the American Inns of Court, and past president of the Grand Rapids Bar Association. He currently serves on the State Bar of Michigan Judicial Qualifications Committee.
Professor Jack is the recipient of the 1998 Service and Mentoring Award presented by the Young Lawyers Section of the Grand Rapids Bar Association, the 1999 Boss of the Year award presented by the Grand Rapids Association of Legal Support Professionals, the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel 2002 Excellence in Defense Award, and the 2009 Michigan Association of Justice Respected Advocate Award.
Mary Job
Professor Job teaches Theatrical Skills -- Advocacy as Performing Art in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law. Professor Job has a JD from Northwestern University School of Law and a BA from the University of Vermont in American Ethnic Studies. From 1978 to 2000, Professor Job was a staff attorney with the Michigan Education Association, where she represented individual members and local affiliates in a variety of employment, labor and educational law matters. She developed and taught workshops on everything from the legal basis of public sector bargaining to basic tort law for classroom teachers. Her avocation during much of this period was theatre, particularly in the areas of costume design and directing, where she won a number of awards. She earned a Masters degree in Theatre in 2000 at Michigan State University. Professor Job has since retired from the active practice of law, and now concentrates her efforts in teaching various theatre courses as Lansing Community College and Michigan State University as well as MSU College of Law.
Bonnie Kipp
Ms. Kipp teaches Technology Enhanced Trial Advocacy in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law. She also serves as Judge McKeague's judicial assistant in United States Court of Appeals. She first began working with Judge McKeague in 1998, as his case manager and courtroom deputy in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Since becoming a certified trainer on electronic evidence presentation software in 2004, Ms. Kipp and Judge McKeague have instructed nearly 1,000 lawyers in the use of digitized evidence in the courtroom.
Ms. Kipp was also instrumental in creating first federal electronic courtroom in Michigan. In 2003, when their courtroom was being renovated to allow for electronic evidence presentation, she trained attorneys in use of technology prior to trial and managed the equipment during trial. Nearly forty jury trials were tried electronically during her tenure with the United States District Court.
Prior to her positions with Judge McKeague, Ms. Kipp spent almost 20 years as paralegal for a sole practitioner in Oakland County and four years working in the 52-3 District court in Rochester, MI.
Hon. David W. McKeague
Judge McKeague teaches Federal Jurisdiction at MSU College of Law and is a frequent guest lecturer in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute. He is also a founding Master and President of the American Inns of Court at the Law College. Judge McKeague was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals in 2005. In 1992, Judge McKeague was sworn into his role as District Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, after the United States Senate unanimously confirmed his nomination. Prior to serving as a District Judge, he was a senior partner and officer of the firm of Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C., in Lansing, Michigan.
Judge McKeague earned his B.B.A. from University of Michigan in 1968 and his J.D. from University of Michigan in 1971.
Suzan Sanford
Professor Sanford teaches Civil Trial I in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law. Professor Sanford has been with the Michigan Attorney General's Office since 1992 where she first worked as a Sections Head in the Office of Special Investigations. While serving that position she prosecuted money laundering, RICO, tax and other financial cases in addition to major public corruption cases. In 2004, Professor Sanford accepted a position as the First Assistant Attorney General within the Consumer Protection Division where she supervises a staff of twenty-five working in antitrust, public utility, securities and consumer protection litigation. She has concurrently worked from 1996 through the present as the Special Assistant United States Attorney for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Michigan, prosecuting federal drug, gambling, and complex white collar crime cases. Prior to her state and federal positions, Professor Sanford worked in her capacity as a CPA for Arthur Anderson & Company, in its tax department.
Professor Sanford earned her J.D., cum laude, from University of Wisconsin Law School in 1986, and her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, cum laude, with an accounting major in 1979.
Ann Sherman
Professor Sherman teaches Pretrial I and II in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law. Professor Sherman is an appellate specialist in the Public Employment, Elections & Tort Litigation Division of the Michigan Office of the Attorney General, where she has worked since 2005. Her responsibilities include preparing appellate briefs, amicus briefs, and responses to legislative requests; delivering appellate arguments before the Michigan Court of Appeals, Michigan Supreme Court, and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals; and coordinating and reviewing all appeal briefs for a division of 13 attorneys. In 2007, she received the Attorney General Appellate Advocacy Award and a desk award for outstanding accomplishment in a major case before the state’s highest court.
A 2004 graduate of MSU College of Law, Sherman was a member of the King Scholars Program, the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute, the Moot Court Editorial Board, and Michigan State Law Review. Upon graduating, she clerked for the Honorable Richard Suhrheinrich of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Prior to entering the field of law, Professor Sherman had an impressive career as a flutist with the Symphonic Orchestra of Guadalajara (Mexico), the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. She taught others to play the flute as an instructor at the Instituto Cultural Cabanas University of the Arts (Mexico), Lansing Community College, and Michigan State University. Professor Sherman also spent several years directing and assisting with public relations efforts at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; the Hochstein School in Rochester, New York; and the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music.
Ann Folino White
Professor White teaches Theatrical Skills -- Advocacy as Performing Art in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law. Professor White is an assistant professor with the Michigan State University Department of Theatre and the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities. After completing her B.A. in Theatre from Michigan State University, she earned an M.A. in Theatre, a Gender Studies Certificate, and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Theatre and Drama from Northwestern University.
Professor White’s scholarly interests include performance theory, gender theory, enthodrama, critical race theory, and American theatrical performance from the late-nineteenth century through the twenty-first century. She has presented her scholarship at conferences and symposia across the country, and her articles have been published in American Drama and Text and Performance Quarterly. In 2010, Professor White directed In the Blood at MSU’s Auditorium Arena Theater and served as a coordinator, panelist, and discussion facilitator at a faculty roundtable on the play.
Before joining the faculty at Michigan State University, Professor White taught at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Richard J. Zecchino
Professor Zecchino teaches Pretrial I and II in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute at MSU College of Law and is a partner at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn, LLP. He concentrates his practice on general and complex commercial law and litigation. He has experience in all aspects of litigation, including trial, motion practice, arbitration, mediation, and administrative proceedings.
Professor Zecchino is admitted to practice law in several jurisdictions, including Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. He has also published articles on the First Amendment and employment discrimination.
Professor Zecchino earned his LL.M. from New York University School of Law in 2002, his J.D., Summa Cum Laude, from Michigan State University College of Law in 2000, and his B.A. from Coastal Carolina University in 1994.