Remembering the Remarkable Life of CMDA Founder Owen J. Cummings

It is with is with great sadness and extremely heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Owen J. Cummings on the evening of June 23, 2025. Mr. Cummings is the founder of the law firm of Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, P.L.C.

Over the course of Owen Cummings’ longstanding legal career, he established an impeccable reputation among clients, colleagues, and opposing counsel for his extensive legal knowledge and superior legal skills, his calm and responsive demeanor, his extraordinary respect for the legal profession, and his steadfast commitment to helping others.

Ronald Acho, Co-Founder and Equity Partner of the Firm, shares his thoughts on Mr. Cummings, who he, and many others, affectionately referred to as OJ. “When I met OJ as a young man, little did I know that he would be my mentor and friend for over 50 years. He had such an outstanding reputation with judges and clients that I became the beneficiary of that reputation. At times it was funny because he would ask me to handle a client matter for him, and his clients would ask ‘Can I have Owen instead?’ Nonetheless, he was the heart, soul, and consciousness of the Firm. Rarely in the legal profession do we find people as great as OJ.”

Equity Partner Robert Blamer first met Mr. Cummings when he was 23 years old. “I met OJ the first day I interviewed at the Firm. His presence and kindness just stuck out to me from the moment I met him. Over the years, as I got to know him better, my fondness and respect grew and grew. Owen was so kind and generous to those around him, the Catholic Church, those at the Firm, his friends, those in need, many charities, and, most importantly, his family. I am forever grateful for the relationship I had with him over the last 46 years. He is forever in my heart.”

Managing Partner and Equity Partner Christopher Schultz shares that “Owen had the ability to make everyone he met feel valued and cherished. He led his life with great purpose and used his success not for fame or fortune but to generously help others. He was a great man with remarkable character, surrounded in humility and respect. OJ will be greatly missed.”

After graduating from Detroit College of Law, he became a solo practitioner at Owen J. Cummings, Attorney at Law in 1964. At that time, his law office was located on Five Mile Road in Livonia. As the Firm steadily added more attorneys and support staff, the practice moved to a large three-level building built on the northwest corner of Schoolcraft and Stark in Livonia in the 1970s. Mr. Cummings picked this location because he received word that plans were in the works to build a major highway along Schoolcraft Road. At that time, CMDA only occupied a small corner of the building, and other tenants occupied the rest of the building. Overtime, CMDA grew to become the largest law firm in western Wayne County and soon all three levels of the familiar brown building easily seen from I-96 were occupied by employees of CMDA.

The Firm’s Livonia office continued to grow and relocated to its current location on College Parkway in Livonia in 2017. Mr. Cummings reluctantly agreed that relocating to the Firm’s present location was the correct business decision, although it was not easy for him to walk away from a building where he had proudly served thousands of clients for many decades. The move was a bit easier on him when he realized his new office had the best view of Schoolcraft College’s campus. He was a generous donor to the College and always very proud of the College’s accomplishments. A commissioned painting of the Schoolcraft building was hung in his new office as a reminder of the Firm’s rich history, largely due to Mr. Cummings’ commitment to excellence, compassion and willingness to help others, and keen insight into the future.

One of the Firm’s greatest accomplishments is the formation of Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA). In 1980, Mr. Cummings and Bernard McClorey, a grade school friend and co-founder of the Firm, created an organization that joined local governmental entities together to secure insurance coverage that promised stability of premium and far-reaching protection. MMRMA started with three Michigan municipalities. Today, MMRMA is the largest liability and property public entity risk pool in Michigan with more than 400 members. CMDA is fortunate to continue to provide defense counsel for the organization that began with a vision in the lower level of CMDA 45 years ago.

Mr. Cummings retired from practicing law several years ago and greatly enjoyed spending his retirement years with the people he cherished most: his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and most importantly, his loving wife Ruth.

While our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of such an incredible person, we are grateful to have had him in our lives. Mr. Cummings created a Firm whose foundation was built on unwavering integrity, high moral principles, and a strong commitment to helping others. These characteristics are deeply-rooted in the Firm’s philosophy, and we will take great pride in preserving the legacy of our highly-respected humble leader.