SBM Blog

Representative Assembly Accepting Nominations for Annual Awards

Nominations are being accepted for two State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly awards. The Michael Franck Award is given annually to an attorney who has made an outstanding contribution to the improvement of the legal profession. The Unsung Hero Award is presented to a lawyer who has exhibited the highest standards of practice and commitment for the benefit of others.

Nominees for both awards must be State Bar members in good standing and their contributions may have been made either during the past year or by virtue of cumulative effort or service. Materials submitted should include sufficient details about the nominee's accomplishments. The Assembly's Nominating and Awards Committee will review the applications and make awards recommendations to the Representative Assembly. The Representative Assembly, chaired by Fred Herrmann, is the final policy-making body of the State Bar.

The nomination deadline is Friday, March 10, 2017. Apply online. For more information about the Representative Assembly Awards contact Carrie Sharlow at [email protected] or 517-346-6317. 

Michigan State Bar Foundation Names Jennifer S. Bentley Next Executive Director

The Michigan State Bar Foundation has hired Jennifer S. Bentley as its next executive director. 

"Jennifer will help the Foundation meet new challenges ahead and sustain its leadership role in access to justice in Michigan," said Margaret Nichols, chairperson of the MSBF Executive Director Search Committee. 

Bentley joins the MSBF after serving for 20 years as a staff attorney and manager in several legal aid programs, most recently as Chief Development Officer for statewide nonprofit Michigan Advocacy Program, the umbrella organization for Legal Services of South Central Michigan, Farmworker Legal Services and several statewide advocacy programs including the Michigan Poverty Law Program, the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, Michigan Elder Justice Initiative and Michigan Law Help. Her work has included a wide range of administrative duties, program development, policy planning and service delivery innovations. She earned her JD from Indiana University School of Law, her Certificate in fundraising management from Indiana University Center on Philanthropy and her BA from Aquinas College.

Bentley will start her new role Jan. 30, and will replace Linda Rexer, who will retire Jan. 6 from the MSBF after serving for 30 years as its executive director. The MSBF provides leadership and funding to advance access to justice for the poor and improve the administration of justice in Michigan. For more information about the MSBF, visit www.msbf.org.

Michigan Press Association Foundation Launches Awards in Honor of Late Judge Wade McCree

The Michigan Press Association Foundation has launched the Wade H. McCree Jr. Awards for the Advancement of Justice to recognize Michigan broadcast, print and online journalists whose work fosters greater public understanding of the values of our legal and judicial systems.

The awards are named for Judge McCree, who was dedicated to advancing a greater understanding of the role of a free press in a free society. During a remarkable career that included service as a federal judge, law professor and Solicitor General of the United States, he touched the lives of millions of Americans. Judge McCree was an early and dedicated supporter of the establishment of the Advancement of Justice Awards. The awards were renamed the Wade H. McCree Jr. Awards for the Advancement of Justice in his honor in 1987.

To be eligible, journalistic work must be published, broadcast and/or posted between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2016. The work must inform and educate citizens about the role of the law, the courts, law enforcement agencies, or the legal profession in society. The work could also disclose practices in need of improvement and encourage legal and legislative efforts to reform or modernize laws, courts, and law enforcement agencies.

Entries may consist of feature or news articles, analyses, editorials, or combinations of these. In the broadcast category, documentaries, educational or editorial programs may be submitted. Any Michigan newspaper, news service, news syndicate or network, magazine, television or radio station or legal publication, or any employees of such entities are eligible to enter. There is no charge for entering.

Entry deadline February 3, 2017. Enter here. 

Still have questions? Contact Diana Davis at [email protected].

Nominations Open for Major State Bar Awards

Nominations are now open for major State Bar of Michigan awards that will be presented at the September 2017 Annual Meeting in Detroit. 

The Roberts P. Hudson Award goes to a person whose career has exemplified the highest ideals of the profession. This award is presented periodically to commend one or more lawyers for their unselfish rendering of outstanding and unique service to and on behalf of the State Bar, given generously, ungrudgingly, and in a spirit of self-sacrifice. It is awarded to that member of the State Bar of Michigan who best exemplifies that which brings honor, esteem and respect to the legal profession. The Hudson Award is the highest award conferred by the Bar.

The Frank J. Kelley Distinguished Public Service Award recognizes extraordinary governmental service by a Michigan attorney holding elected or appointed office. Created by the Board of Commissioners in 1998, it was first awarded to Frank J. Kelley for his record-setting tenure as Michigan’s chief lawyer. 

The Champion of Justice Award is given for extraordinary individual accomplishments or for devotion to a cause. No more than five awards are given each year to practicing lawyers and judges who have made a significant contribution to their community, state, and/or the nation. 

The Kimberly M. Cahill Bar Leadership Award was established in memory of the 2006-07 SBM president, who died in January of 2008. This award will be presented to a recognized local or affinity bar association, program or leader for excellence in promoting the ideal of professionalism or equal justice for all, or in responding to a compelling legal need within the community during the past year or on an ongoing basis. 

The John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award, named after a Grand Rapids attorney who was dedicated to making legal services available to all, recognizes a member of the State Bar who excels in commitment to pro bono issues. This award carries with it a cash stipend to be donated to the charity of the recipient’s choice. 

The John W. Reed Michigan Lawyer Legacy Award was introduced in 2011 and is named for a longtime and beloved University of Michigan Law School professor and Wayne State University dean. This award will be presented periodically to a professor from a Michigan law school whose influence on Michigan lawyers has elevated the quality of legal practice in the state. 

All SBM award nominations are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. 

The Liberty Bell Award recipient is selected from nominations made by local and special-purpose bar associations. The award is presented to a non-lawyer who has made a significant contribution to the justice system. The deadline for this award is Monday, May 12, 2017. 

An awards committee co-chaired by Lori A. Buiteweg and SBM Vice President Jennifer M. Grieco reviews nominations for the Roberts P. Hudson, John W. Reed, Champion of Justice, Frank J. Kelley, Kimberly M. Cahill, and Liberty Bell awards. The SBM Pro Bono Initiative Committee reviews nominations for the John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award. These recommendations are then voted on by the full Board of Commissioners at its April meeting. 

Last year's non-winning nominations will automatically carry over for consideration this year. Nominations should include sufficient details about the accomplishments of the nominee to allow the committees to make a judgment. 

Any SBM member can nominate candidates for awards. Apply online or download application forms.  Cummiskey Award nominations can be directed to Robert Mathis at [email protected]; all other nominations can be submitted to Joyce Nordeen at[email protected]

ABA Hosting Free Webinar to Help Lawyers Better Serve Veterans

The American Bar Association Veterans Legal Services Initiative Commission and the Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel will co-host a free webinar, "Establishing and Enhancing Legal Clinics to Serve Veterans," at 1 p.m. on Dec. 14. 

The seminar is designed to inspire and assist civil legal aid organizations, law schools and bar associations in creating legal clinics to serve veterans in their communities. It will consist of a panel discussion, moderated by Antonia Fasanelli and including panelists Joel Teitelbaum, Patricia Roberts and Sara Sommerstrom, who will provide instruction on how to establish legal clinics in or near VA medical centers, how to establish a legal clinic as a medical legal partnership and how to create law school clinics that serve veterans. The discussion will identify VA medical centers in need of legal clinics and examples of successful urban and rural models around the country. 

Register for the seminar. 

If you can't attend the seminar live, you can watch a recording of it at http://ambar.org/veterans. 

Trust Accounts Seminar Set for Feb. 28 in Lansing

The State Bar of Michigan will present a seminar, “Lawyer Trust Accounts: Management Principles and Recordkeeping Resources,” from 1:15-4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at the State Bar of Michigan Michael Franck Building, located at 306 Townsend Street in Lansing.  

This half-day ethics seminar will feature presentations on how to ethically manage lawyer trust accounts and effectively use forms, checklists and other recordkeeping resources. The seminar, open to lawyers and their staff members, is an excellent way to learn more about Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct 1.15 and 1.15A.

Participants will receive practical information as well as materials prepared by the presenters: SBM Professional Standards Division Director Danon Goodrum-Garland, SBM Assistant General Counsel Nkrumah Johnson-Wynn, Professional Standards Assistant Counsel Alecia Ruswinckel and Attorney Grievance Commission Senior Associate Counsel Rhonda Pozehl.

View the event agenda or register for the event. The registration fee is $50 for lawyers and $25 for non-lawyers. Payment and the completed registration form must be received by Friday, Feb. 24. No walk-in registrations will be accepted. For more information contact Karen Spohn with the State Bar of Michigan Professional Standards Division at (517) 346-6309 or via e-mail at [email protected].