Class of 1973

Michael P. Kenney

Atlanta’s Antitrust Lawyer of the Year, 2013

Oakland University Distinguished Alumni Award

Funded College Scholarships at Two Major Universities

Inducted into Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame, 2014

Michael P. Kenny is a 1973 graduate of Dondero High School. Mike was an honor student in high school and earned varsity letters in three sports—football, basketball and baseball. He earned all-state honorable mention honors as a quarterback.

Mike was a triple major at Oakland University—philosophy, history and political science. After graduating magna cum laude from OU, Mike received a fellowship from Northwestern University where he earned a graduate degree. He then completed his law degree at the Emory School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael is now a partner in a major law firm in Atlanta. He is a trial and appellate lawyer who woks primarily on complex commercial litigations. He has represented both corporate plaintiffs and corporate defendants in cases involving over 1 billion dollars in settlements. Some of his better known clients include Coca Cola, State Farm, AT&T, Verizon, UPS and General Electric. He has defended more than 100 class action lawsuits and has been the lead lawyer in more than 35 appeals, including some before the U. S. Supreme Court.

He is recognized by the organizations Best Lawyers in America and Chambers Best Lawyers for his work in five different areas. Last year Michael Kenny was named Atlanta’s antitrust litigator of the year. In 2013 he also received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from Oakland University.

Michael and his wife Elizabeth have taken our school motto—enter here to learn and go forth and serve—and applied it to the university level. By gifting a large sum of money to Oakland University they were able to establish a merit scholarship for the top students majoring in biology, chemistry or physics. After Beth returned to college to complete her degree, the couple observed that other students faced financial challenges which made it difficult for them to remain in school. As a result, Mike and Beth made three major gifts to Georgia State University to fund scholarships for students in need.