DETROIT (April 5, 2011) - The Hon. Avern Cohn of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan will speak at Wayne State University Law School's annual Commencement Ceremony on Monday, May 16, 2011. Judge Cohn will also receive an honorary doctor of laws degree at the ceremony.

Hon. Avern Cohn

The ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit.

"I am delighted that Judge Cohn has agreed to address our students at this year's Commencement Ceremony," said Wayne Law Dean Robert M. Ackerman. "He is a man of great intellect and integrity. He is a legend in the legal community - especially here in Detroit - and has positively impacted the lives of many throughout his remarkable career."

"I am deeply honored to join the past recipients of an honorary degree from the Law School, to wit: Eugene Driker, Dennis Archer, Maura D. Corrigan, Marilyn Kelly and Harold Koh," Judge Cohn said.

Judge Cohn, a longtime generous supporter of Wayne Law, was born in Detroit. He served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946 before earning his juris doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1949. He practiced law in Detroit from 1949-1961 in the Law Office of Irwin I. Cohn from and then at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn from 1961-1979. In 1979, former President Jimmy Carter appointed Judge Cohn a U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Judge Cohn has held public positions with the Michigan Social Welfare Commission (1963), the Michigan Civil Rights Commission (1972-1975) and the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners (1975-1979). He is a member of several bar associations and has been active in numerous organizations in political, secular and Jewish life.

Admission to Wayne Law's Commencement Ceremony is by ticket only. For more information, please contact the Law School's Dean of Students Office at (313) 577-3997 or at lawdso@wayne.edu.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.

For more information about Wayne State University Law School, visit law.wayne.edu