SBM Blog

SBM Young Lawyers Section Announces Recipient of 2016 Regeana Myrick Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

The State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section will present Imran Syed with the Regeana Myrick Outstanding Young Lawyer Award on Saturday, June 4, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Novi.

Imran Syed is an assistant clinical professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School Innocence Clinic, where he supervises students who investigate and litigate cases. He also teaches a seminar in forensic science. Syed has litigated several arson wrongful convictions that were determined based on outdated fire science and he has co-authored articles discussing novel litigation strategies needed to address wrongful convictions that were based on science that has become outdated. He has also spoken and written about a number of topics related to wrongful convictions, including compensation for those exonerated of crimes, the fallacies of eyewitness testimony, and the need for reform in Michigan’s public defense system. In 2014, he wrote and produced a documentary film, “The Price of Providence,” about one of the Innocence Clinic’s wrongful conviction cases. Syed received his bachelor’s degree in political science and law degree from the University of Michigan.

The Young Lawyers Section also named two finalists for the Regeana Myrick Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. Mitra Jafary-Hariri, an attorney with Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn in Detroit, litigates complex commercial disputes, representing private equity firms and their portfolio companies in litigation involving allegations of fraud, as well as insurance disputes. She represents media outlets on Freedom of Information Act, First Amendment and defamation matters and works on intellectual property matters and serves as outside general counsel for start-ups. Emily G. Thomas, an associate attorney with Reiter & Walsh PC in Bloomfield Hills, has focused on aiding clients with special needs and disabilities. She has co-authored articles on birth trauma and medical malpractice, has drafted appeals to the Michigan Court of Appeals, Michigan Supreme Court and United States Supreme Court, and actively participates in many bar associations, including the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association, and the Oakland County Bar Association, where she is chair of the Medical Legal Committee and an Associate of the Inn of Court.  

The award is named for Regeana Myrick, who was a very active member of the SBM Young Lawyers Section Executive Council when she died in 1997. It is presented annually to a young lawyer in Michigan who has demonstrated many of her best qualities, including an overwhelming commitment to public service, exemplary service to the State Bar, and exceptional professional accomplishments.

The Outstanding Young Lawyer Award will be presented as part of the SBM Young Lawyers Section Ninth Annual Summit. The Summit contains a full day of seminars that will cover substantive and skill-based tracks on such topics as family law, civil rights law, insurance law, mediation, trial skills and advocacy, practice management and client development. It will also feature a keynote address from State Bar of Michigan President Lori Buiteweg.

For more information about the Summit, visit connect.michbar.org/yls/home or contact Shenique Moss at [email protected].

SBM Seeks Membership Survey Input from Attorneys

The State Bar of Michigan has begun the process of updating its strategic plan, and seeks input from attorneys in a membership survey to ensure ongoing endeavors and new programs and services provide the kind of support and assistance State Bar members need. It has been nearly five years since the State Bar of Michigan has conducted a comprehensive, confidential member survey.

The web-based survey is mobile-friendly, easy to complete, and takes less than 15 minutes. Members will be asked questions about how recent trends are affecting their practices and careers, which bar services they find most useful, and several questions that allow for open-ended responses for how the State Bar can better serve members’ needs. The State Bar received over 11,000 open-ended responses from the last survey, all of which were very helpful in improving and developing relevant State Bar programs. 

Results of the survey will be reported in the aggregate form only and no individual will be identified. Further, nobody’s information will be shared with any vendors for marketing or other purposes.

Those who fill out the survey may be rewarded. Completing the survey offers the opportunity to enter a drawing for prizes including two iPads, and five $100 Visa gift cards.

Take the Survey Now

The survey will close on Thursday, May 26.

SBM Arts, Communications, Entertainment and Sports Section Hosts a Review of "Blurred Lines" Case

The State Bar of Michigan Arts, Communications, Entertainment and Sports Section and Midwest Chapter of the Copyright Society of the USA will present a review of the judicial ruling in the "Blurred Lines" case from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, May 20, at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, located at 651 E. Jefferson Ave. in Detroit.

The review will also contain a discussion by music and copyright experts on the impact of that ruling on the creation and performance of music and the effect of copyright protection. Judith Finell, a musicologist and president of Judith Finell Music Services, Inc., a music consulting firm in New York will be a featured speaker. Finell served as the testifying musicologist for the Marvin Gaye Estate in the "Blurred Lines" case. Tom Leavens, a partner in Leavens, Strand & Glover LLC and professor at Northwestern University School of Law, will also serve as a speaker. Leavens wrote a book published by the American Bar Association called, "Music Law for the General Practitioner." 

 

SBM Marijuana Law Section to Host First Conference, "Marijuana: What Every Lawyer Needs to Know"

The State Bar of Michigan Marijuana Law Section will host its first conference from Oct. 21-23 at Firekeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek.

The conference will feature a welcome reception on Friday, a full day of educational sessions on Saturday, and a half day of sessions on Sunday. Sessions will cover updates in legislation, case law, business law, zoning law, family law and more. 

For more information about the event, contact Mary Chartier at [email protected] or 517.482.2000.

SBM Litigation Section to Host Summer Conference in July

The State Bar of Michigan Litigation Section will host a summer conference called, “Trial Evidence: Artistry & Advocacy in the Courtroom,” from July 22 through July 24 at Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville.  

The summer conference will feature an all-day presentation by Thomas A. Mauet, Milton O. Riepe professor of law and director of Trial Advocacy at the University of Arizona College of Law in Tucson, Arizona. He has contributed to 34 editions of eight best-selling books on the legacy of litigation training in the United States and abroad. Professor Mauet received the Richard S. Jacobson Award for excellence in teaching trial advocacy from the Roscoe Pound Institute. He served as the Howrey Professor of Trial Advocacy at George Washington University National Law Center and as a faculty member of the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Workshop.

Conference attendees will have the chance to meet Professor Mauet at a cocktail reception on Friday evening, before learning from him in a series of seminars on Saturday, covering such topics as general and special relevance; character traits; exceptions in statements, records, and spontaneous statements;  witness competency; hearsay, non-hearsay, and hearsay exceptions; direct examination; seven methods of impeachment; cross examination; rehabilitation; seven groups of exhibits; the original documents rule; and more.

Register to attend the conference by July 18. It will cost $165 for section members and $195 for non-section members. For more information, to register for the conference and to register for lodging, visit the SBM Litigation Section home page. 

Real Property Law Section to Host Summer Conference in July

The State Bar of Michigan Real Property Law Section (RPLS) will host its 2016 Summer Conference, "Taking Your Practice to the Summit," July 13-16 at Boyne Mountain Resort & Spa in Boyne Falls.

Programs and workshops have been developed to educate both experienced and newer practitioners. A panel will discuss getting big acquisition deals done, and will delve into selecting the right buying entity, negotiating a loan commitment letter, the most important issues in completing a purchase agreement for both buyers and sellers, and making sure the closing goes smoothly. Workshops will cover best practices on drafting condo documents, owners choices on types of construction contracts, how to “quiet title,” and same sex marriage real estate issues.

Breakfast roundtables will cover under-utilized tax breaks for agricultural and forest property; claims against brokers, agents, and sellers; cell tower leases; crowd funding; splitting property; road vacations; electronic recording; appraisals; medical marijuana dispensary leases and current environmental issues. Programs will also go into real estate legislation under consideration by the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate and summaries of the most important recent appellate decisions on Michigan real estate law.

Jack Lessenberry, Michigan Radio’s senior political analyst, will conclude the program with a special presentation called, “Into the Storm: What Can We Expect to Happen in this Bizarre Presidential Election Year—and What Will This Mean for 2017 and Beyond?”

Prior to May 14, the registration fee is $285 for RPLS members who are also first-time attendees, $325 for other RPLS members, and $375 for non-section members. After May 14, the registration fee rises to $325 for RPLS members who are also first-time attendees, $385 for other RPLS members, and $430 for non-section members. Members of the Young Lawyers Section can register for $100 both before and after May 14. More information and registration forms can be found on the RPLS website.

For more information contact Karen Schwartz at [email protected]. For more information on upcoming RPLS events, become a fan of the section on Facebook by visiting facebook.com/RPLSMI.

State Bar of Michigan Offers Resources for Law Day Celebrations Throughout May

The State Bar of Michigan offers resources to lawyers, teachers, and students to use in Law Day celebrations occurring this year on and around May 1.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower designated May 1 as Law Day. This day is an opportunity to strengthen our great American heritage of liberty, justice, and equality under the law. The State Bar of Michigan joins various local bars, businesses, schools, and other organizations in conducting programs associated with improving the public's understanding of our justice system.

A calendar of Law Day events occurring across the state throughout May is available on the SBM Law Day page.