Nominations are now open for the awards that will be presented at the September 2018 NEXT Conference in Grand Rapids. Awards due by 5 p.m. February 16: Roberts P. Hudson Award, Frank J. Kelley Distinguished Public Service Award, Champion of Justice Award, Kimberly M. Cahill Bar Leadership Award, John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award and John W. Reed Michigan Lawyer Legacy Award. The Liberty Bell Award deadline is Friday, May 11.

The State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly Michael Franck Award and Unsung Hero Award nomination deadline is March 10.

Nominate a deserving attorney today. 

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Nominations are now open for the awards that will be presented at the September 2018 NEXT Conference in Grand Rapids. Awards due by 5 p.m. February 16: Roberts P. Hudson Award, Frank J. Kelley Distinguished Public Service Award, Champion of Justice Award, Kimberly M. Cahill Bar Leadership Award, John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award and John W. Reed Michigan Lawyer Legacy Award. The Liberty Bell Award deadline is Friday, May 11.

The State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly Michael Franck Award and Unsung Hero Award nomination deadline is March 10.

Nominate a deserving attorney today. 

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Looking for a member of the State Bar of Michigan? The SBM online member directory contains the most up-to-date contact information. In addition, a portable April Resource Directory containing comprehensive court, state, and local government and lawyer association contact information is available online and will be sent to you if you have opted in to receive a print edition of the Michigan Bar JournalApril issue. You can order extra copies of the resource directory for $10.

If you prefer to receive a member list in print, we offer the April Resource Directory Plus Alphabetical Member Roster, which includes all the information found in the April Resource Directory plus a complete listing of all members of the State Bar of Michigan. Place your order by March 15 to purchase a printed copy of the April Resource Directory Plus Alphabetical Member Roster for $35.

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As a member of the State Bar of Michigan, you get a special $150 discount if you register for 2018 ABA TECHSHOW. Register online using the discount code EP1812. ABA TECHSHOW has brought lawyers and technology together for over 30 years. Network with legal and technology experts from around the world March 7-10 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

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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.

The nomination deadline is Saturday, March 10, 2018. Apply Online

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All Michigan attorneys are encouraged to participate in a day of service on the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The State Bar of Michigan has created an online resource guide to help you find community service and pro bono volunteer opportunities within your local communitiy on Jan. 15.

The new Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service resource guide will help you search for pro bono service opportunities by county. You can also find new attorneys to mentor on SBM's mentor board or look for community service volunteer opportunities in your local community. If you can't dedicate time to volunteer on MLK Day, we encourage you to donate money to the Access to Justice Fund.

If you participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, please consider submitting your activities to the A Lawyer Helps program to inspire other lawyers to participate in the program next year.

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The State Bar of Michigan online member directory contains the most up-to-date information and serves as the primary method for locating SBM members. The online member directory receives over 12,000 hits daily as more than 16,000 members have already opted out of receiving any printed directory information. Members are moving swiftly to online resources to meet a wide variety of their practice needs, including directory information. One reason among many, printed directories quickly become obsolete. The last time the State Bar printed member directory information, more than 19,000 member records (e.g., name, membership status, contact information) had changed as of the publication date. By contrast, online directories are constantly refreshed with up-to-date information.

For those members who still prefer to receive things in print, however, we have two options.The newly-formatted April Resource Directory is a sleek, portable, highly practical guide to information not easily found in other printed materials. Examples include contact information for circuit, district, probate, appeals, municipal, tribal, federal, and problem-solving courts; local, state, and federal agencies; law schools; lawyer associations; State Bar sections; fields of practice listings; and lawyer discipline summaries. The Resource Directory is sent to members who currently opt in to receive a print edition of the Michigan Bar Journal. Extra copies of the resource directory can be ordered for $10.

For those who wish to receive a membership list in print, we offer the April Resource Directory Plus Alphabetical Member Roster, which includes all the information found in the April Resource Directory plus a complete listing of all members of the State Bar of Michigan as of February 15—active, emeritus, inactive, and affiliate. Printed copies of the April Resource Directory Plus Alphabetical Member Roster may be purchased by members for $35, and by non-members for $60. Copies can be ordered online. A full PDF version of the printed Alphabetical Roster will be available for no charge in our member area following its publication in April.

Anyone interested in purchasing a printed April Resource Directory Plus Alphabetical Member Roster, or an extra copy of the April Resource Directory, must place an order by March 15, 2018.

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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 Joseph P. McGill, is the final policy-making body of the State Bar.

The nomination deadline is Saturday, March 10, 2017. Apply online. For more information about the Representative Assembly Awards contact Carrie Sharlow at repassembly@mail.michbar.org or 517-346-6317.

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Nominations are now open for major State Bar of Michigan awards that will be presented at the September 2018 Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids.

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. 16, 2018.

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 Friday, May 11, 2018. 

An awards committee co-chaired by SBM Vice President Dennis M. Barnes and SBM Secretary Dana M. Warnez 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. To apply online or download application forms visit http://www.michbar.org/programs/eventsawards. Cummiskey Award nominations can be directed to Robert Mathis at rmathis@michbar.org; all other nominations can be submitted to Joyce Nordeen at jnordeen@michbar.org

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The State Bar of Michigan Economics of Law Practice Survey will close on Dec. 2. If you have not yet completed the survey, please do so. The survey has been streamlined and can be completed in approximately five minutes.

The Economics of Law Practice Survey is conducted every three years by the State Bar of Michigan. Every attorney in every occupational area is asked to participate. The survey results are used as the primary resource and reference by many Michigan courts to determine attorney fees. In order to provide the most useful information possible it is important that there is strong participation in the survey.

To encourage your participation and make it a bit more fun, you may enter a drawing for prizes that includes two $500 Amazon gift cards and five $100 gift cards.

Take the survey now: 

• Private Practitioner Survey
• Non-Private Practitioner Survey

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