05.12.2022

Plunkett Cooney partner Dennis G. Cowan received a special commendation today from the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, as sponsored by David T. Woodward, Chairman of the Board, and Commissioner Michael J. Gingell.

According to the board’s proclamation, Cowan was recognized for having demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in the practice of law and for leveraging that talent for objectives beyond professional success, aiming to improve Oakland County communities and to positively impact the lives of others. The board also noted Cowan’s accomplishments throughout his nearly 40-year legal career, including his previous service as President & CEO of Plunkett Cooney, one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest full-service law firms.

Cowan has received numerous professional accolades, including recognition as a Michigan Super Lawyer, a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated attorney, and, most recently, selection by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a member of the legal publication’s 2002 Hall of Fame class. Additionally, the board recognized Cowan’s commitment to public service and community, which includes having served 14 years as a member of the Royal Oak City Commission and eight years as Royal Oak Mayor. He continues his public service as a current board member of the Oakland County Health Network.

A member of Plunkett Cooney’s Bloomfield Hills office, Cowan focuses his legal practice on real estate project development with a particular emphasis on obtaining governmental licensing and real estate development approvals at the local, county and state levels.

As part of his land use and corporate law practice, Cowan also represents clients in regulatory hearings before state administrative boards and in matters involving the Michigan Attorney General's office. Additional areas of his expertise include banking law, business transactions and all aspects of corporate law.

A 1984 magna cum laude graduate of the Detroit College of Law, now known as the Michigan State University College of Law, Cowan has been involved in some of the state’s largest and most significant business deals, including a bid to build a Detroit casino, securing approvals for multi-million-dollar developments in suburban communities, and assisting with the financing package that helped make the city of Detroit’s “Grand Bargain” bankruptcy possible in 2014.

Cowan is a member of the Oakland County Bar Association; the Real Property Law, Corporation and Business Law, and Public Corporations Law sections of the State Bar of Michigan; and the State and Local Government Section of the American Bar Association.

Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney is a leading provider of transactional and litigation services to clients in the private and public sectors. The firm employs approximately 140 attorneys in seven Michigan cities, Chicago, Illinois, Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana. Plunkett Cooney has achieved the highest rating (AV) awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading, international directory of law firms.

For more information about Dennis Cowan’s special commendation, contact the firm’s Director of Marketing & Business Development John Cornwell at (248) 901-4008 or via email at jcornwell@plunkettcooney.com.

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