SBM Blog

Michigan Supreme Court to Raise Attorney Dues by $15 in 2017-2018

The Michigan Supreme Court announced today that the disciplinary portion of State Bar of Michigan dues will increase for the 2017-2018 fiscal year to $105. The disciplinary portion of bar dues will also increase in the 2018-2019 fiscal year to $120. These changes will appear on dues notices that will be sent to State Bar members in September of this year. 

The Supreme Court had previously lowered disciplinary dues from $120 to $110 in 2011 and then to $90 in 2014, so this increase in disciplinary dues will restore dues to the 2010 level. 

Read Adminstrative Order 2017-1.

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.

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. 

Michigan Supreme Court to hold public hearing May 17

The Michigan Supreme Court will hold a public administrative hearing starting at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 17 in the Supreme Court courtroom, located on the sixth floor of the Michigan Hall of Justice in Lansing. 

Members of the public will have an opportunity to speak for three minutes about items on the agenda, which include many proposed amendments to Michigan Court Rules and and the Michigan Rules of Evidence. To speak at the public hearing you must reserve space on the agenda. To do so, you must notify the Office of Administrative Counsel by email at [email protected] or via snail mail at P.O. Box 30052, Lansing, MI 48909 by May 15. 

View all administrative matters on the agenda for the hearing. 

 

Michigan Supreme Court Chooses Markman as Next Chief Justice

The Michigan Supreme Court voted unanimously to elect Justice Stephen Markman as the next chief justice. 

Markman was appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor John Engler in 1999, then was elected to his seat in 2000 and reelected in 2004 and 2012. Prior to serving on the state's highest court, Markman served as U.S. Attorney in Detroit, as an assistant U.S. Attorney General and a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals. He also practiced law with Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone in Detroit. 

Markman's term as chief justice will follow that of Chief Justice Robert Young Jr., who has served as chief justice since 2011. 

 

Michigan Supreme Court Takes First Step to Launch Statewide E-Filing System

The Michigan Supreme Court has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek a company to build a new statewide e-filing system to empower the public to file cases electronically from anywhere at any time. The Court is also looking for proposals for an electronic document management system to enable courts to receive and manage e-filed documents. 

"With e-filing, our goal is no more paper copies and no more waiting in line to file court documents," Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert P. Young Jr. said in a news release. "At the same time, e-filing will help courts more efficiently manage the flow of documents without the burden of millions of paper files." 

In 2015, about 34.5 million documents were filed statewide in Michigan courts in relation to about 3.2 million cases. Creating a statewide e-filing system will be complicated by the fact that the 242 court system is decentralized and using 20 different systems to store and manage case files. The courts are also funded by 165 cities and counties. Some larger jurisdictions are already successfully using e-filing, some jurisdictions allow for files to be stored electronically, and some jurisdictions do not currently allow for electronic filing or storage. The new system will have to allow for integration with case management and document management systems. 

The RFP is available at www.courts.mi.gov/efiling. Proposals are due by 2 p.m. on Oct. 26. 

SBM 21st Century Practice Task Force Unveils Vision to Transform Michigan's Legal Profession

After a comprehensive, year-long process examining how the State Bar of Michigan can best serve the public and support lawyers in the face of a rapidly evolving profession, the SBM 21st Century Practice Task Force has outlined five key problems the legal profession needs to address, and visions and key innovations necessary to overcome the problems. The work product of the task force can be found at http://www.michbar.org/future. 

The five problems outlined by the task force are a dysfunctional legal marketplace, significant issues for new lawyers and new challenges for experienced lawyers, inefficient and overly complex legal processes, regulatory hurdles and cultural resistance to innovation. The task force offers many recommendations, including the development of a comprehensive public platform linked to a full range of legal services and information; nurturing of new service delivery options, innovation; simplification and standardization of the courts; dynamic, data-driven new lawyer support; a new model for continuing legal education and professional development; innovative changes to bar admissions; and practical strategies for persistent, value-driven change. 

SBM past presidents Bruce Courtade and Julie Fershtman co-chaired the task force. Three committees comprised of prominent Michigan attorneys, judges, academics, and public officials developed the work product. The three committees were Affordability of Legal Services: New Tools for Breaking through the Access Barrier; Building a 21st Century Practice: Developing and Maintaining Professional Excellence in a Dynamic Marketplace; and Modernizing the Regulatory Machinery: Building Resilience and Capacity in the Delivery of Legal Services. 

The 21st Century Practice Task Force work builds on the work of the State Bar of Michigan Judicial Crossroads Task Force. Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert P. Young Jr. has credited the 2011 Crossroads report with making valuable contributions to the transformational, cost-saving changes now underway in Michigan's court system at the direction of the Michigan Supreme Court. 

The foundation for the new task force was laid in November of 2014 at a Forum on the Future of Legal Services convened by the State Bar in Lansing. The forum was held in conjunction with the American Bar Association Commission on the Future of Legal Services. ABA President William Hubbard told those gathered at the forum that the justice system is at an inflection point, and he challenged the legal profession to develop a new model to meet the needs of the underserved while enhancing the opportunities for lawyers to thrive in their practices. 

Michigan Supreme Court Seeks Input on Proposed Standards for Appointed Counsel

The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission has crafted standards for appointed counsel and submitted them to the Michigan Supreme Court for review. The court seeks public comment on the proposed standards  until May 1, and these comments will be considered by the court at a public hearing on May 18. 

"These initial standards tackle some of the major problems Michigan faces in the delivery of adequate indigent defense systems: training and education of counsel, the initial client interview, use of investigation and experts and counsel at first appearance and other stages," said MIDC Chair James Fisher in a statement. 

View the proposed standards. 

Comment on the proposed standards. 

Posted by Samantha Meinke

Governor Appoints Joan Larsen to Michigan Supreme Court

Governor Rick Snyder has appointed Joan Larsen to the Michigan Supreme Court, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Justice Mary Beth Kelly.

Larsen has served as a professor and special counsel to the dean for student and graduate activities at the University of Michigan Law School. Prior to that, she  served as deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, where she provided advice to the White House, the attorney general, and government agencies regarding constitutional and statutory law.

She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law, where she served as articles editor of the Northwestern University Law Review. After graduation, she clerked for the Hon. David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I have practiced law, taught the law, and enforced the law,” Larsen said in a statement. “Public service has always been my calling. I look forward to serving the people of Michigan by faithfully interpreting the constitution and laws of our great state.”

Posted by Samantha Meinke

Michigan Supreme Court wants to hear from you on proposed court rules changes

Want your voice heard by the Michigan Supreme Court on one or more proposed changes to court rules? Here's your chance. The court will hold a public administrative hearing from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Sept. 16 at the Hall of Justice in Lansing to examine one proposed new court rule, and  proposed amendments to 13 existing court rules.

If you want your voice heard, you must reserve space on the agenda in advance by emailing [email protected] no later than Sept. 14.  

The following issues will be on the agenda: