Plunkett Cooney partner Dennis G. Cowan was recently selected by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of the news publication’s 2024 Notable Nonprofit Board Leaders.
Cowan was selected for his contributions as chairman of the Oakland Community Health Network and its work with nearly 30,000 people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental health challenges and substance use disorders. Crain’s Notable Board Leaders were nominated by their peers, colleagues, friends and family and selected by a team of Crain’s Detroit Business editors based on an honoree’s career accomplishments, track records of success and impact.
A member of the Bloomfield Hills office of Plunkett Cooney – one of Michigan’s oldest and most accomplished law firms – Cowan is among 49 metro Detroit leaders featured on this year’s list for their nonprofit board work. The publication noted that “[n]onprofit board members are often titans of industry and community service. They are unsung heroes from diverse industries, bringing a wealth of experience and passion to their roles.”
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 2022 Hall of Fame class. The Crain’s board also 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.
Currently, Cowan serves as co-leader of Plunkett Cooney’s Business Transactions & Planning Practice Group. He 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, 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; as well as 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 120 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 selection as a 2024 Crain’s Notable Nonprofit Board Leader, contact the firm’s Director of Marketing & Business Development John Cornwell at (248) 901-4008 or via email at [email protected].