Cleveland State University Law Alumni Association Alumni of the Year recipient the Honorable Michelle J. Sheehan’s ’93 connections to CSU|LAW have always run deep. A first-generation college and law student, the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals Judge attributes much of her success to CSU|LAW for providing an opportunity that was not otherwise available to her blue-collar working-class family.
Michelle knew she wanted to pursue a career in law after completing a high school senior year project with Judge Ann Dyke (then serving on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas). She worked up to three jobs at a time in order to be able to attend Miami University as an undergraduate and eventually CSU|LAW. Early in her time in law school, Michelle reconnected and interned with Judge Dyke (then serving on the Eighth District Court of Appeals) and Judge Dyke helped Michelle obtain a law clerk position at (then) Ohio Attorney General Lee Fisher’s Office.
As a law student, Michelle served as Articles Editor for the Cleveland State Law Review and served on the Student Bar Association. But there is no hesitation when she recalls her favorite memory of law school – meeting her future husband Brendan in the law library. The Honorable Brendan Sheehan ’93, Administrative and Presiding Judge, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, was recognized as a CSULAA Alumni of the Year recipient in 2022.
Michelle litigated for much of her career, spending 25 years at Reminger. Certified as an appellate specialist by the Ohio State Bar Association, she has represented clients in appellate matters before the Ohio Supreme Court, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and almost every appellate district in Ohio. She was a founding member of the firm’s Women’s Leadership Council and was one of the first women at the firm to rise from the ranks of law clerk to being hired as an associate and ultimately promoted to partner.
Michelle was first elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals in 2018. One of her first priorities was to create an internship program for first-generation students similar to the opportunity that was provided to her. She mentors and works with students as they research and review current appellate matters, write bench memos, attend various trials and court proceedings, and meet judges and attorneys, among other opportunities. Each internship program is unique to the student ’s interests and goals.
“My internship program has brought me an incredible amount of joy to work with and mentor over 100 students in my first term,” said Judge Sheehan. “It has been especially exciting to work with so many first-generation students as well as children of my classmates from CSU Law School.”
Michelle enjoys being involved in the community and organizing events/political campaigns. Prior to running for office, she helped organize programs in the community such as the Food for Thought program with the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association and mock interviews at El Barrio. She has served as President of the Ohio Women’s Bar Association and in various leadership roles in local organizations, including the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, YWCA, and civil service commission.
The Sheehans, both members of the CSU|LAW Hall of Fame, have three children including Erin, a current general surgery resident who graduated from University of Toledo Medical School and Makayla, a Miami University graduate and graphic designer in the entertainment industry in New York City. But CSU|LAW has always been a family affair for the Sheehans and that will continue into the next generation. Their young son Tim graduated from Miami University this spring and will enroll at CSU|LAW this fall to pursue a career in law.
What does being named CSULAA Alumni of the Year mean to you?
Being selected as “Alumni of the Year” is one of the greatest honors of my career. It is humbling to be part of such an amazing group of distinguished alumni. CSU|LAW is family to me---literally.”