SBM Blog

Attention Livingston County Attorneys: Want to be a Judge?

 

Governor Rick Snyder is seeking applicants who are interested in being appointed to the 53rd District Court bench in Livingston County. The seat is that of vacating judge, Hon. L. Suzanne Geddis. Your application must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 28. 

If you are a State Bar member who meets the legal qualifications for this office and are interested in applying, please refer to Governor Snyder's website for further information and the judicial application. Please be aware that in order to be appointed you must reside within the judicial district. Along with the application, please submit a copy of your resume to Office of the Governor, Legal Division, 111 S. Capitol Avenue, P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, MI 48909.

 

Detroit Bar Association Foundation to Present 2017 Dennis Archer Public Service Award at Gala

The Detroit Bar Association Foundation will present the Dennis W. Archer Public Service Award to Detroit Mayor Michael Duggan at a gala at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16 at the Detroit Yacht Club. The DBAF is honoring Mayor Duggan for his work in the Wayne County law department, as Deputy Wayne County Executive, Wayne County Prosecutor, CEO of Detroit Medical Center and mayor of Detroit.

The gala serves as a fundraiser for the Detroit Bar Association Foundation, including its access to justice programs, Detroit Schools partnership programs, community education and outreach. Tickets are $150. For more information, contact Courtney Stegmaier at [email protected]. To register, https://www.detroitlawyer.org/archer-awards/. 

Michigan Muslim Bar Association to host 6th annual scholarship dinner Oct. 25

The Michigan Muslim Bar Association will host its 6th annual scholarship dinner 6 p.m. Oct. 25 at Byblos Banquet Hall, located at 7258 Chase Road in Dearborn. The event costs $30 for students, $50 for individuals and $500 for a table of 10. RSVPs are required by Oct. 17. For more information or to register, email [email protected] or call 313-570-4390. 

Taste of Diversity will take place Oct. 19 in Birmingham

 The State Bar of Michigan is proud to partner with the Oakland County Bar Association and many other bar associations and law firms to present "Taste of Diversity" from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 at The Bird & The Bread in Birmingham. It costs $30 to attend. Register online. 

Governor Appoints Hemingway to the Kalamazoo County District Court

Gov. Rick Snyder has appointed Kathleen Hemingway to the Kalamazoo County District Court.

Hemingway has served as assistant prosecuting attorney in Kalamazoo County since 2007, focusing on cases involving controlled substance and firearm offenses and violent crimes. She is the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team prosecutor, playing a key role in launching the priority offender program, focused on prosecuting the most violent offenders. Hemingway serves on the boards of the Portage Community Center and Volunteer Kalamazoo. She was recently elected vice president of the Kalamazoo County Bar Association and she recently received the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief's Award of Excellence and the Carrie L. Klein Leadership Award. 

Hemingway earned a bachelor’s degree from Hope College and a law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.

She fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Robert Kropf. She must seek election in November 2018 to fill the remainder of the term.

Congratulations to the Kalamazoo Central Mock Trial Team: Second in the Nation!

The Kalamazoo Central Mock Trial Team placed second in the nation at the National High School Mock Trial Tournament on May 14 in Hartford, Conn. 

The team advanced to the national championship after winning the state championship of the Michigan High School Mock Trial Tournament on March 25 at the Veterans Memorial Courthouse in Lansing. 

The tournament, run by the Michigan Center for Civic Education, consisted of four regional rounds in Washtenaw, Kent, Macomb and Oakland counties. The top 10 teams moved on to the state championship, where they were evaluated by presiding judge Hon. Carl Marlinga and scoring judges Donald Fulkerson and Lawrence Nolan.

Ann Arbor Community High School came in second place at the state championship. Anchor Bay High School, Caledonia High School, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, Capac High School, Detroit Catholic Central High School, Grand Blanc High School, Huron High School, St. Mary Catholic High School, Trenton High School and University of Detroit Jesuit High School also competed at the state finals. CD117-0575

The Michigan High School Mock Trial Tournament is sponsored by the State Bar of Michigan, SBM Appellate Law Section, Comcast, Donald Fulkerson, SBM Litigation Section, MEEMIC Insurance Company, Meijer, Michigan State Bar Foundation, Oakland County Bar Foundation, Linda Rexer and Rock Financial.

View a full photo album from the tournament on the SBM Facebook page.

Attention Northern Michigan Attorneys: Legal Services of Northern Michigan Needs Your Help

Legal Services of Northern Michigan, Conflict Resolution Services, Grand-Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar Association and Women Lawyers Association will host an expungement clinic to clear old criminal convictions that cause barriers to employment and housing for people with felony and misdemeanor convictions. The expungement clinic will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 3, at Conflict Resolution Services offices, located at 521 S. Union Street in Traverse City. 

If you're an attorney in Northern Michigan, they need your help. Volunteer attorneys are needed from 9 a.m. to noon on June 3. Individuals will meet one-on-one with volunteer attorneys to complete forms. You will leave having participated in a very meaningful pro bono experience. 

Clients who need expungements must call in advance (now) to register and complete a screening process. 

For more information, to register for an expungement or to sign up to participate as a volunteer attorney, contact Heather Abraham at [email protected] or 231-941-0771, Ext. 205. 

This clinic is supported by grant funding from Equal Justice Works, Rotary Charities of Traverse City and the Michigan State Bar Foundation. 

Legal Services of Northern Michigan is a nonprofit, public interest law firm committed to promoting equal access to justice by providing free civil legal services to people living at or below the federal poverty line who are 60 years old or older. LSNM serves Michigan's 36 northernmost counties. Conflict Resolution Services is a northern Michigan nonprofit that provides free and low-cost mediation services using volunteer mediators to resolve all types of conflicts. It serves Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Missaukee and Wexford counties. 

Congratulations on Passing the Bar Exam! Here's What You Do Next.

To everyone who passed the February 2017 Bar Exam: CONGRATULATIONS!!!

In order to become licensed to practice law in Michigan, you need to accomplish three steps: 

1. You need to be administered the oath of office in a court of law to practice law in Michigan.
2. You must fill out a State Bar of Michigan membership application.
3. You must turn in the membership application and an order of admission, and pay your bar dues.

Once you have completed those steps, you will be assigned a P-number. 

View a complete list of instructions on what to do to become licensed to practice law in Michigan, as well as a list of swearing-in ceremonies in courts across the state.

Here are February Bar Exam passers, by seat number

If you're wondering whether or not you passed the February Bar Exam in Michigan, grab your seat number and check here: Michigan February Bar Exam Passers.

Chief Justice Markman lauds Kurtis Wilder as Supreme Court pick

Governor Rick Snyder has appointed Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Kurtis Wilder to take former Justice Robert Young's seat on the Michigan Supreme Court.

“My colleagues and I are extremely pleased to welcome Judge Kurt Wilder to the Michigan Supreme Court," said Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Stephen Markman in a statement. "Judge Wilder brings a quarter century of experience on the trial and appellate courts of this state. Equally important, he brings what has been a consistent commitment to the equal rule of law and unwavering support for the values of the constitutions of the United States and the State of Michigan. Governor Snyder and all of the people of our state can take great pride in this appointment."

Judge Wilder was appointed in 1998 to the Michigan Court of Appeals by former Governor John Engler. He was subsequently elected to the appeals court in 2000, and then re-elected in 2004, 2010 and 2016. Prior to serving on the appeals court, Judge Wilder served as chief judge of Washtenaw County Circuit Court. He also practiced law with Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith in Lansing and Butzel Long in Detroit. 

Judge Wilder earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.