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 Syed has litigated several arson wrongful convictions that were determined based on outdated fire science and he has co-authored articles discussing novel litigation strategies needed to address wrongful convictions that were based on science that has become outdated.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 sheniquemoss@gmail.com.

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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 rplsks@gmail.com. For more information on upcoming RPLS events, become a fan of the section on Facebook by visiting facebook.com/RPLSMI.

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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.

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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. 

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The semi-annual "Tips and Tools for a Successful Practice" seminar will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 3 at the SBM Michael Franck Building in Lansing.

The seminar will feature presentations on how to maintain mutually beneficial client relationships, draft effective fee agreements, manage lawyer trust accounts, analyze ethical issues and use innovative techniques and technology for law office management. It presents an opportunity for solo practitioners and new lawyers to obtain ethical guidance and practical information from colleagues who have effectively implemented law office management techniques and utilized economically-priced technology to improve efficiency of their law practices.

View the agenda. Registration is required before April 29 and costs $100 for lawyers who have been in practice for less than five years, and $125 for those who have practiced law for five years or more. The registration fee includes seminar materials, a continental breakfast and buffet lunch. 

For more information contact Karen Spohn with the SBM Professional Standards Division at (517) 346-6309 or kspohn@mail.michbar.org.

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