Bio

An of counsel attorney in Plunkett Cooney’s Litigation Department, Henry B. Cooney has the distinction of having served for 16 years as the firm’s President & CEO from 1998 to 2015. Among his responsibilities were the review and management of the Professional Code of Ethics for firm members, including all aspects of the attorney-client relationship, conflicts of interest, advocacy, public service and maintaining the Integrity of the profession.

Mr. Cooney’s legal practice entails over 25 years of experience in the areas of product liability, construction liability and commercial litigation. He is also frequently called upon to serve as a case arbitrator and facilitator under the provisions of Michigan’s alternative dispute resolution system.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Cooney continues to serve in leadership positions for several Metropolitan Detroit business, professional and nonprofit organizations. He is a past president of the Detroit Regional Chamber board of directors, past chair of the organization’s 2014 Mackinac Policy Conference and a current member of the Chamber’s Executive Committee.

His commitment to community also includes service as Chair of the Board of Directors of University of Detroit Jesuit High School, as well as the boards of directors for Life Directions, the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion and the American Heart Association of Southeast Michigan.

Professional Affiliations

  • Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association (President, 2007; Board of Directors)
  • Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation
  • Michigan Defense Trial Counsel
  • State Bar of Michigan
  • American Bar Association

Community Involvement

  • Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce (Past Chair, Board of Directors, 2014 - 2015; Chair, 2014 Mackinac Policy Conference; and member, Executive Committee)
  • Michigan Roundtable for Diversity & Inclusion (Board of Directors)
  • Life Directions (Board of Directors)
  • Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings (Board of Directors)
  • University of Detroit Jesuit High School (Chair, Board of Directors)
  • American Heart Association of Southeast Michigan (Board of Directors)

Credentials

Education

  • University of Detroit School of Law, J.D., 1980
  • University of Michigan, B.A., 1973

Admissions

  • Michigan, 1980

Honors/Awards

Honors & Recognitions

  • Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating-AV Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
  • Michigan Super Lawyer in Civil Litigation Defense, Michigan Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters publication, 2006 - 2011, 2013 - 2019
  • Leading Lawyer in ADR Law: Commercial Litigation and Personal Injury/Commercial Litigation/Products Liability Defense Law, Leading Lawyers Magazine Michigan, 2021
  • Hall of Fame Honoree, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2020
  • Leaders in the Law Honoree, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, 2019
  • Associate Editor, University of Detroit Journal of Law

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